The Q4 2025 Auctions Barometer reveals a sector gaining confidence as base rates ease and digital innovation accelerates. With rising lot numbers, strong reserve price performance, and online formats leading the way, the report highlights how auctioneers are adapting to economic shifts while continuing to deliver results for buyers and sellers across the UK.

Latest insights reveal the sector is showing growing resilience, with easing inflation, a lower base rate, and rising rents helping to rebuild confidence despite ongoing structural challenges. Shifting consumer behaviour, targeted regeneration, and smarter use of data and technology are set to define the next phase of commercial property growth.

Energy efficiency policy has major implications for the private rented sector (PRS), homebuyers and sellers, and the wider housing market. Our response to the UK Government’s consultation on reforms to Energy Performance Certificates (EPCs) and the introduction of the Home Energy Model sets out clear recommendations to ensure changes are grounded in real-world property conditions and avoid unintended consequences for supply.

Jersey’s States Assembly has passed regulations establishing a statutory fire safety regime on the island. The new legislation responds to lessons from the Grenfell Tower Inquiry Phase 1 to modernise ongoing fire safety management in high-rise homes as well as protect residents and emergency responders. Further guidance is expected from the Assembly before implementation.

The new Board formalises the separation between Propertymark’s regulatory and representative functions, ensuring that regulation is independent, impartial and firmly focused on the public interest. This approach aligns us with best practice across other regulated professional sectors, reinforcing our long-standing commitment to high standards and accountability and strengthening professionalism, transparency and public trust across the property sector.

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.

Propertymark supports the UK Government’s ambition to reform the home buying and selling process and agrees that change is long overdue. Reform must be practical, proportionate and focused on outcomes. By improving upfront information, raising professional standards, embracing digital solutions and reducing duplication, reform can deliver faster, more reliable transactions that work for agents, consumers and the wider economy.

Proposals to standardise the details provided in property listings are intended to improve transparency, speed up transactions and reduce fall-throughs, but without the right structure, shared responsibility, and practical implementation, the reforms risk placing unrealistic burdens on agents and slowing the process further. Propertymark supports the principle of better upfront information, but stresses that the current approach does not reflect how transactions work in practice.

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.

The UK Government is investing £15 billion and promises a major push to cut bills, tackle fuel poverty, and accelerate home upgrades. In response to our campaigning, the initial 2028 deadline for new tenancies has been scrapped and, with a lower cap amount, property owners will be expected to spend less on upgrades. However, we remain concerned that landlords are being asked to deliver significant change without sustained, targeted support.

The Welsh Government’s 2026–27 Budget, approved by the Senedd on 27 January 2026, includes extra support for councils, changes to business rates from April 2026 and more funding for Green Home Wales, but key opportunities were missed to support rental supply and first-time buyers.

Propertymark has provided the Welsh Government with clear evidence on how short-term and holiday lets affect housing supply, communities and the work of property agents in response to the latest plans for the regulation of self-catering visitor accommodation.

The Property Ombudsman (TPO) has issued new guidance in responding to growing concern about the prevalence of aggressive practices in the home-buying process, empowering buyers to recognise and challenge unfair practices. With complaints on the rise and increased scrutiny from redress schemes and Trading Standards, estate agents should take time to review their processes, staff training and messaging to ensure compliance.

Despite a multi-year commitment to affordable housing supply and increased investment in acquisitions and homelessness prevention, it is surprising that the Scottish Government is yet again failing to tackle the housing emergency, and the Budget misses an important opportunity to address the growing tax burden on housing. At a time of acute housing pressure, Scotland needs policies that encourage mobility and investment across all tenures.