News and reports

As the home finance market grows more complex, estate agents are urged to help educate consumers on their options. Buyers often struggle to understand the range of products available or how affordability is assessed, and property professionals are well placed to guide clients towards independent advice and trusted resources.

The latest debate over the Renters’ Rights Bill has brought attention to concerns frequently raised by our members, as Peers strongly echoed our longstanding warnings that the Bill risks putting the justice system under pressure following the removal of Section 21. The legislation proposes shifting all possession proceedings to Section 8, a mechanism that is far more reliant on timely and efficient court intervention.

With energy prices in the UK remaining volatile, both landlords and tenants are feeling the strain. For letting agents, this presents a critical opportunity to step in as a valuable intermediary—helping both parties navigate rising costs, understand new regulations, and adopt energy-efficient practices that protect everyone’s financial wellbeing.

The UK Government has called on private landlords for help as part of a growing housing scheme led by outsourcing giant Serco, which manages asylum housing contracts for the Home Office across the Midlands, the North West, and the East of England. Reaction from the sector has been mixed, with stakeholders highlighting the wider context of rental market challenges, including legislative pressures and growing financial risks for landlords.

The Bill entered the House of Lords Committee Stage on 22 April 2025, marking a pivotal phase in its journey through Parliament. Propertymark welcomes the detailed scrutiny at this stage as peers examine the Bill line by line. Debate in the Lords has focused on striking the right balance between strengthening tenants’ rights and maintaining a functional rental market, with some peers voicing our members’ concern that the current measures could have unintended consequences.

Three new museums are set to join the list of bodies that can advise the Animal and Plant Health Agency on applications for exemption certificates under the Ivory Act 2018. If an owner wants to sell ivory-containing items which were made before 1918 and are of outstandingly high artistic, cultural, or historic value, they must be expertly assessed by recognised institutions.

Recent research from Search Acumen indicates that the commercial property sector is on track to miss the UK Government's 2030 Minimum Energy Efficiency Standards (MEES) target, with full compliance projected only by 2040. Around half of all energy consumed in commercial and industrial buildings in England and Wales is in the rented sector, placing the onus on landlords to make energy efficiency and heating improvements.

Westminster City Council wants a change in the law to allow local authorities to take control of private sector properties when they have been left empty for more than six months, significantly reducing the current threshold under the national Empty Dwelling Management Order (EDMO) framework. Propertymark recognises the vital importance of maximising housing supply and supporting sensible measures that bring empty homes back into use, however, we do, advocate for approaches that are proportionate, transparent, and fair to property owners.

With private rents rising across England and Wales, it’s no surprise that rent arrears have become an increasing feature of tenancy deposit disputes. Though formal deposit disputes remain rare, affecting fewer than 1% of Tenancy Deposit Scheme (TDS) tenancies, the most recent TDS data shows that claims for unpaid rent appeared in over one in five deposit disputes. While not as frequent as cleaning or damage disputes, rent arrears cases can be more complex, often involving misunderstandings, poor communication, or a lack of proper documentation.