News and reports

A recent Upper Tribunal decision has underlined the importance of clear management agreements, robust oversight, and accurate licensing checks for landlords and property managers involved with Houses in Multiple Occupation (HMOs) after a landlord was cleared of responsibility for more than £20,000 in fines relating to an unlicensed rental property.

Published on 14 May 2026, the survey looks at renters’ satisfaction, tenancy security, eviction practices, barriers to renting, and complaints handling. It shows that many tenants report positive experiences, but there are still clear pressure points, especially for people receiving housing support, households with a long-term illness or disability, and renters who need to raise a complaint. The key test will be whether the Act raises standards, improves enforcement, supports effective redress, and ensures landlords and agents have the confidence to keep providing homes.

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.

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.

The UK Government is implementing a major overhaul of the Right to Buy scheme, including increasing minimum tenant eligibility to 10 years, cutting the maximum discounts to 15%, and introducing a 35-year exemption for new builds. These reforms aim to stop the rapid depletion of social housing stock, allowing councils to retain and rebuild homes, with 100% of sales receipts available for investment starting in 2026–27.

Matthew Pennycook MP stated that leasehold remains a barrier to a fair and efficient property market and confirmed that the UK Government aims to ‘get the job done’ by the end of this Parliament, making commonhold the default tenure for new flats. However, he also stated that reform must be phased to avoid legal, administrative and market disruption — meaning the five million existing leases in England and Wales will not end immediately.

Findings from the Housing, Communities and Local Government Committee inquiry into the affordability of home ownership have revealed that the home-buying and selling process is a painful experience that reduces motivation to move and slows down the housing market. These findings closely reflect our evidence and support our consistent calls for improvements for consumers and agents.

The Renters’ Rights Act came into force on 1 May 2026. Much of the coverage has focused on the big, visible changes: the end of Section 21, the shift to periodic tenancies, and the ban on rental bidding wars. These are significant, but they are not, on their own, what will squeeze landlord margin. Propertymark Industry Supplier, Homebox, explains the potential impact of the less headline-grabbing changes in the legislation.

Housing Secretary, Steve Reed, MP, has categorically stated that the UK Government will not introduce rent controls in England after reports emerged that the Chancellor was considering them as a short-term measure to ease the cost of living. Propertymark recognises the financial pressures facing tenants and the need for the UK Government to act to support households. However, rent controls risk producing unintended outcomes that disadvantage both tenants and landlords.