Angela Rayner MP, Labour’s Shadow Housing Secretary, will lay out plans today, 20 June 2024, that the party claims will make renters better off if they win power in the General Election. Aiming to relieve cost-of-living pressure on private sector tenants, Rayner, and Shadow Chancellor Rachel Reeves MP, will pledge to crack down on unscrupulous landlords, ban no-fault evictions, and cap the amount of rent requested upfront.

The Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (LUHC) Committee published its inquiry report on disabled people in the housing sector where Propertymark gave evidence, which examined barriers to accessible housing, increasing the supply of accessible homes, and the support available for adapting homes, including reforms to the Disabled Facilities Grant (DFG). The overarching conclusion chimes with our long-held position that the ultimate key to tackling the housing crisis is to build more homes of all kinds.

The Smoke, Heat and Carbon Monoxide Alarms Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2024 set the standards for the number and type of alarms that must be installed in privately rented properties. Once they come into force, letting agents and landlords will be responsible for installing and keeping alarms sufficient in any property they rent out.

Propertymark has written to Housing Minister Lee Rowley, MP, to highlight a growing trend for insurers to decline or charge more for cover on properties that have been remediated within the funding limits provided by the UK Government, leading to more costs for hard-pressed leaseholders.

In February 2023, Marc Christopher Davies won a Court of Appeal case against Bridgend Council after Japanese knotweed encroached into his property from council land. He was awarded £4,900 for the diminution in value of his home, due to the stigma associated with it. However, Bridgend Council appealed, and the Supreme Court has now ruled that he is not entitled to any compensation.

Propertymark has urged Scotland’s new First Minister, John Swinney following his appointment on 7 May as leader of the Scottish National Party, to end the housing crisis across the country.

The Housing Minister, Lee Rowley, MP, and Philip White, Director of Building Safety for the Building Safety Regulator, have published a joint open letter to building managers addressing the issue of charges associated with managing safety in buildings over 18 metres.

Eight in ten people are charging, storing, or repairing their devices in a way that greatly increases the risk of fire, according to a survey by NFU Mutual. With lithium-ion batteries used in almost every household in the UK, and insurers reporting an increase in fire claims associated with them, it is advisable for agents to inform their landlords and tenants on how to reduce their risk.

Propertymark is encouraging the UK Government to explore all viable methods of increasing the delivery of homes, however, the approach must not lose sight of the importance of creating decent homes that people want to buy in the places they want to live. In our consultation response to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (DLUHC) we suggest improvements to their proposals that will help avoid unintended consequences.

Agents mustn't become complacent when it comes to property sales and lettings boards, as badly maintained, or illegally erected ones can cause injury or nuisance and could result in legal action.

Our Head of Policy and Campaigns, Timothy Douglas, gave evidence to the Local Government and Housing Committee inquiry into the private rented sector (PRS) in Wales, urging them to learn lessons from the impact in Scotland and elaborating on key measures which were contained in Propertymark’s written evidence, such as a review of taxation, improved data collection, and a clear strategic plan to positively move the sector forward.

The Scottish Government has set out proposals for how homeowners and landlords can meet energy efficiency targets and reconfirmed its intention to ban polluting heating systems from 2045. Whilst Propertymark welcomes the ambition, we believe enhancements are needed to make the plans achievable.

Julie James, MS, Minister for Climate Change has confirmed that the Building Safety (Wales) Bill, which is due to be introduced to the Senedd this term, will go significantly further than the regime in England under the Building Safety Act 2022, much of which Wales has already adopted.

A proposed voluntary scheme from the Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA) invites landlords from the private and social sectors to commit to standards which go beyond the minimum required by law and aims to help tenants recognise and identify a good landlord. Whilst Propertymark welcomes these aims, we believe the scheme would be strengthened if agents were also considered for membership.

The UK Government is currently consulting on the implementation of Awaab’s Law, which was passed in response to the tragic death of two-year-old Awaab Ishak in December 2020 from exposure to serious mould in his parents’ social rented home.