News and reports

The UK Government has published details of its new ‘Register your rental property’ service, which will be introduced across England in stages starting this winter. Registration will begin in the West Midlands, with the rest of England following on a regional timetable. Propertymark is in continued contact with officials from the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) to clarify the role of agents in the process and to directly raise questions and concerns from our members.

The Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, Lisa Nandy MP, has confirmed that England’s register of short-term and holiday lets (STLs) will be fully operational by March 2027. Scotland and Northern Ireland already operate similar schemes, and Wales is implementing a visitor accommodation register from October 2026. Better data on STLs should help local authorities better understand local housing impacts and support compliance with existing health and safety rules.

Letting agents in Scotland should review their reporting, inspection, and repair processes after the Scottish Government published new guidance to support the Investigation and Commencement of Repair (Scotland) Regulations 2026, which come into force on 6 October 2026. The Regulations apply to private rented homes covered by the Repairing Standard, as well as relevant social housing.

The Online Procedure Rule Committee has published a draft practice direction for a new digital service for County Court possession proceedings in England and Wales. Letting agents are unlikely to use the service in its first phase unless they work with an eligible social landlord. However, the pilot signals the direction of travel for possession proceedings.

Legislation to modernise Scotland’s compulsory purchase system will be brought forward during this parliamentary term, following a consultation in 2025. Propertymark’s views are quoted in the Scottish Government’s published consultation reports, reflecting the value of member insight in shaping reforms that can support housing, regeneration, and infrastructure while protecting the rights of property owners and occupiers.

HM Land Registry will add property and spatial identifiers to its monthly Price Paid Data from 28 August 2026, helping estate agents provide more reliable information to buyers and sellers. Unique Property Reference Numbers (UPRNs) and INSPIRE IDs will be available in separate lookup tables alongside the dataset. The change will make it easier to connect sale prices with other property, address, and location data.

More than 436,000 sole traders and landlords have submitted their first quarterly update under Making Tax Digital for Income Tax. However, HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) has now begun identifying those who have not yet registered and transferring them to the new system proactively.

The Future Homes and Buildings Standards will introduce new minimum requirements for energy efficiency, low-carbon heating and renewable electricity in new homes and non-domestic buildings in England. For property professionals, the changes will affect the homes coming to market, the systems buyers and tenants need to understand, and the information agents may need to provide about heating, ventilation, solar panels and energy performance.

A first wave of almost £10 billion will support more than 70,000 social and affordable homes across England, with regional mayors gaining greater influence over housing investment and major planning decisions. The UK Government says future funding will prioritise Social Rent and council housebuilding as it works towards delivering the largest council housebuilding programme since the early 1980s.