The professional body
for the property sector

The UK Government has set out how it intends to ban the sale of new leasehold flats, expand the legal framework, and improve accessibility to make commonhold the default tenure for flats in both residential and mixed-use developments. Propertymark welcomes efforts to address the entrenched problems in the leasehold system, and we have put forward our recommendations for strengthening the draft legislation, ensuring the role of professional managing agents is recognised and supported, and the sector has adequate time to prepare.

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.