News and reports

Housing quality and energy efficiency underline the progress made, and the scale of the challenges still facing the sector is the headline finding in the EHS (English Housing Survey). Policy ambitions must have clear guidance, realistic timescales, workable exemptions, and sustained funding to reflect the diversity of the housing stock. Active involvement by qualified property professionals is also a must if raising standards is to be achieved.

HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) has issued hundreds of thousands of pounds in new fines to property agents for failures to comply with anti-money laundering (AML) regulations, reinforcing the consequences of getting compliance wrong. The latest enforcement action covers the 2025–26 reporting period and includes 170 penalties issued to estate agency businesses, totalling more than £835,000. Letting agents are also within HMRC’s supervisory scope where transactions meet the required thresholds.

Màiri McAllan MSP has written to the UK Government, warning that current rates are failing to keep pace with the cost of renting, increasing the risk of homelessness and placing additional strain on local authorities and temporary accommodation budgets. While housing policy is devolved, LHA rates remain reserved to Westminster. The current approach is unsustainable, and we are continuing to call for meaningful reform to ensure welfare support reflects real-world rental costs.

A House of Commons Public Accounts Committee report states that the UK Government’s energy efficiency installation initiative has suffered serious failings at every level, leaving more than 30,000 homes with defects after external and internal wall insulation was installed through ECO4 and the Great British Insulation Scheme.

After a sustained consultation with members and a Propertymark campaign, the UK Government has confirmed an enforcement date of 2035 for the Decent Homes Standard in the PRS. Key exemptions and removal of age-based replacement rules have also been confirmed in a UK Government statement on 28 January 2026.

The UK Government has published the Draft Commonhold and Leasehold Reform Bill and launched a consultation on banning leasehold for new flats, marking a significant moment in the long-running debate over leasehold reform. For Propertymark, this represents a major milestone after nearly 10 years of sustained campaigning against leasehold, poor practices, and unfair ground rents.

All UK sanctions designations maintained by the UK Government will be consolidated into an official list and updated in one place. This is a significant operational change for property agents, auctioneers and other regulated businesses, which should make checking clearer and more straightforward. Sanctions compliance are part of wider financial sanctions and anti-money laundering obligations, and failures can carry serious legal and reputational consequences.

Letting agents and build-to-rent (BTR) operators continue to navigate a market where demand is high, but affordability checks are increasingly complex. With more renters facing stretched budgets, irregular income patterns, or limited UK credit history, passing referencing isn’t always straightforward — even for tenants who would otherwise make excellent long-term occupants. Propertymark Industry Supplier, flatfair, explores how guarantor-backed tenancies can make a meaningful difference.

New regulations have been laid in the Scottish Parliament which, if passed, will place clearer and more time-bound duties on landlords and agents to investigate and address damp and mould in both private and social rented homes. Clear standards, realistic timescales and consistent enforcement are essential if these reforms are to improve housing conditions without reducing supply or creating unintended consequences.