Latest property news
King’s Speech signals more policy changes across the housing sector
The UK Government has set out further reforms across housing, communities, and local government, with proposals affecting leasehold, building safety, social housing, local authority standards, and tourism levies. Reforms to Right to Buy, local authority standards, visitor levies and high value property taxation could also affect local housing markets and the way councils, owners, agents and residents interact.
Commonhold will be at the heart of flat ownership reform
The UK Government has set out how it intends to ban the sale of new leasehold flats, expand the legal framework, and improve accessibility to make commonhold the default tenure for flats in both residential and mixed-use developments. Propertymark welcomes efforts to address the entrenched problems in the leasehold system, and we have put forward our recommendations for strengthening the draft legislation, ensuring the role of professional managing agents is recognised and supported, and the sector has adequate time to prepare.
Tribunal fees reform must not distract from wider court pressure
Letting agents in England should be aware of a new tiered fee framework for the Property Chamber of the First-tier Tribunal, introduced to support the new and amended rights created by the Renters’ Rights Act 2025. Fee reform may help create a more consistent tribunal framework, but it cannot be a substitute for the wider investment, reform and operational improvements needed across the justice system.