The professional body
for the property sector

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.

Following the success of the Class of 25 initiative, The Propertymark Trust has opened its 2026 bursary programme, offering vital financial support to individuals working towards industry qualifications. Promoting professionalism and supporting access to education for people who would otherwise struggle to meet the costs of training, membership and assessment sits at the heart of the Trust’s work.

Formal regulation marks a major shift in how these systems are overseen and how consumers are protected. For property agents, this change is important because it will affect how heat networks are operated, what information consumers must receive, and how agents advise clients and market properties connected to networks. Hundreds of thousands of homes, particularly in blocks of flats and new developments, are already connected, and their use is expected to grow as part of the UK’s decarbonisation plans.