News and reports

The new regulations do not alter the minimum property standard – homes must remain safe, and hazards must be identified and managed. However, they will affect how hazards are described, scored, and categorised when councils inspect homes, making evidence of regular checks increasingly important.

The UK Government has ended the Furnished Holiday Lettings (FHL) rules. Since 6 April 2025, all holiday lets are taxed in the same way as normal rental income. This applies across the whole UK and affects anyone running a holiday let, Airbnb-style rental, cottage, annexe, or other short-stay property.

Property auctions can offer speed, certainty and access to properties that may not be available through the traditional sales market. However, analysis of complaint data from The Property Ombudsman (TPO) shows that consumer understanding cannot be left to chance. The findings suggest that consumers are entering the process without appreciating the risks, timescales, fees, or the point at which they become legally or financially committed.

Centre for London has called for a Proportional Property Tax as part of a wider plan to tackle London’s housing crisis. The city not only needs more homes, but also a better way to use, fund, and distribute the homes it already has. Although the report focuses on the capital, many of the pressures it identifies are felt across the UK, including a shortage of social housing, high moving costs, a lack of suitable homes for older people, and barriers to new development.

Launching on 1 June 2026, Connect, a bespoke online platform, links agents through a trusted professional network, helping them send and receive referrals, valuation requests, and instructions across the UK and internationally. Sign up to win more business, create additional income opportunities, and deliver a better service – especially when clients are moving further afield.

The Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) has published a new data collection strategy to support monitoring of the private rented sector (PRS) and evaluate the impact of the Renters’ Rights Act in England. The paper sets out how surveys, local authority data, court and tribunal data, the new PRS Database, Ombudsman Information, and market evidence will be utilised to assess how the reforms are working in practice.

The Housing, Communities and Local Government Committee has called for major changes to the Draft Commonhold and Leasehold Reform Bill before it is introduced to Parliament in autumn 2026. Propertymark has long campaigned for meaningful leasehold reform, including action on ground rents, service charges, building safety, consumer information and the regulation of property agents. We welcome the Committee’s recognition that reform must work in practice for homeowners, agents, lenders and managing agents.

Scotland’s visitor levy framework has been expanded after the Visitor Levy (Amendment) (Scotland) Act received Royal Assent on 21 May 2026, giving councils greater flexibility over how tourist taxes can be charged.

It has been nearly ten years since the Leasehold: A Life Sentence report was published, launching a sustained Propertymark campaign. Despite the introduction of the Leasehold and Freehold Reform Act 2024—of which only 10 of 125 sections have come into force—leaseholders continue to face significant financial pressures, rising and often unjustified service charges, and ongoing building safety concerns.