The professional body
for the property sector

The UK Government has called on private landlords for help as part of a growing housing scheme led by outsourcing giant Serco, which manages asylum housing contracts for the Home Office across the Midlands, the North West, and the East of England. Reaction from the sector has been mixed, with stakeholders highlighting the wider context of rental market challenges, including legislative pressures and growing financial risks for landlords.

The Bill entered the House of Lords Committee Stage on 22 April 2025, marking a pivotal phase in its journey through Parliament. Propertymark welcomes the detailed scrutiny at this stage as peers examine the Bill line by line. Debate in the Lords has focused on striking the right balance between strengthening tenants’ rights and maintaining a functional rental market, with some peers voicing our members’ concern that the current measures could have unintended consequences.

Three new museums are set to join the list of bodies that can advise the Animal and Plant Health Agency on applications for exemption certificates under the Ivory Act 2018. If an owner wants to sell ivory-containing items which were made before 1918 and are of outstandingly high artistic, cultural, or historic value, they must be expertly assessed by recognised institutions.