Representing members as policy develops
Propertymark’s policy and campaigns team attended each of the major party conferences to lobby MPs and politicians on key issues and we will continue to engage with policymakers across parties, drawing on members’ experience to test how proposals would work in practice.
Our priorities remain professional standards, consumer protection, and a sustainable housing market, with clear guidance and workable arrangements as reforms develop.
Here is what conference season revealed across our key campaign areas.
Agent regulation: a major step towards professional standards
At Labour’s conference, Housing Secretary Angela Rayner pledged independent regulation of property agents. Agents would need a licence and appropriate qualifications. A regulator would set standards for conduct and complaints handling, with powers to remove licences where agents failed to meet those standards.
We have long called for regulation that protects consumers and recognises the knowledge and skills needed to work in property agency. A consistent framework should also create fairer conditions for responsible businesses that already invest in qualifications, training and compliance.
Professional property agents are increasingly being undercut by unqualified and inexperienced operators who are not held to the same professional standards. This is unfair to responsible businesses that invest in qualifications, training and compliance, and leaves consumers exposed to poor practice without adequate protection.
Building on the professional standards, structures and good practice already established across the sector will be critical to making this a success and ensuring the new regime is understood, enforced and adhered to consistently.
Important details remain unresolved, including the qualifications required, licence funding, transitional arrangements and implementation timetable. Members also need clarity on how the regulator would work alongside existing redress schemes and professional bodies. We will continue to engage with officials to ensure the framework builds on established standards and reflects the practical work of agents.
Housebuilding: different routes to increasing supply
Labour emphasised a major expansion of council housing, alongside restrictions on Right to Buy for new social homes. Its proposals also include earlier intervention in empty properties, reducing the vacancy period before a home can qualify for an Empty Dwelling Management Order (which allows a council to take over management while the owner retains ownership) from two years to six months, although no commencement date has been announced.
The Conservatives proposed replacing Section 106 agreements and the Community Infrastructure Levy, which secure developer contributions towards infrastructure and other local needs, with a single developer charge. The party claims these measures, alongside its wider reforms, could reduce new-build costs by up to £50,000.
Propertymark welcomes the focus on increasing housing supply, simplifying planning and making it easier for people to move home. Our members see first-hand how delays, complexity and uncertainty in the planning system can add costs and hold back development.
Ultimately, planning reform alone will not solve the housing crisis. The test of these proposals will be whether they actually deliver more homes and improve affordability, particularly for first-time buyers and renters.
Reform UK’s Planning Teal Paper consultation proposes a presumption of approval for brownfield residential development, removing infrastructure contributions and most affordable housing requirements on those sites, although schemes of ten or more homes on greenfield sites would generally require 15% affordable housing on site.
The Liberal Democrats focused on community involvement and social housing. Commitments included 150,000 social rent homes annually, locally set social and affordable housing targets, council borrowing to build, and powers for councils to end Right to Buy locally.
In Northern Ireland, UUP leader Jon Burrows highlighted inadequate wastewater infrastructure as a barrier to housebuilding and called for timely planning decisions.
Planning reform alone cannot deliver the homes needed. Governments must also address construction skills, support smaller developers, and coordinate infrastructure, while ensuring new homes meet local needs across different tenures.
Private rented sector: standards and rent controls divide parties
Prime Minister Andy Burnham announced stronger intervention against landlords letting the poorest-quality homes, with councils empowered to acquire properties where owners fail to act, with further legislation to be introduced if necessary.
We agree that addressing poorly maintained properties should remain a key concern, with local authorities across England working closely with residents, landlords and property agents to understand why properties may fall below the required standard. However, every case will have different circumstances, so any proposals must be proportionate and recognise the individual circumstances of the property and those living in it.
The Green Party proposed a three-year “emergency brake” on private rent increases. Annual rises would be limited to the lowest of Consumer Prices Index inflation, wage growth or 2%, ahead of a longer-term Fair Rents Guarantee. The proposal would limit increases rather than freeze all rents.
Propertymark continues to oppose rent controls that risk discouraging investment and reducing the supply of available homes. Improving affordability requires more housing, better standards and a stable environment for tenants, landlords and letting agents.
If policymakers want to make renting more affordable in the long term, the priority must be increasing housing supply and creating the conditions for responsible investment in the private rented sector.
Propertymark has consistently warned against rent controls because they can have unintended consequences. In Scotland, our members have reported rent increases between tenancies, stalled investment, and landlords leaving the market following temporary rent caps.
Home buying and selling: deposits, taxes, and leasehold charges
Labour’s proposed Your First Home scheme would support eligible first-time buyers in England purchasing new-build homes from participating developers. It is expected to allow deposits of 2.5%, backed by a government equity loan worth 20% of the purchase price, with an initial interest-free period. Further details are expected at the Budget on 28 October 2026, including eligibility limits, costs, and implementation timelines.
Burnham also promised leasehold legislation before the end of 2026, with proposed powers to cap permission and administration fees affecting leaseholders and homeowners on privately managed estates. A consultation will consider which charges should be capped and at what level.
We are pleased to see measures to support first time buyers onto the property ladder. The deposit barrier is a key issue that needs to be tackled as we highlight to the House of Commons Housing Committee’s recent inquiry into the affordability of homeownership.
Looking ahead, the UK Government must not lose sight of the fact that not all first time buyers purchase new build properties. Additionally, stimulating the buying and selling of second hand homes can ignite more activity in the wider housing market and bring further economic benefits.
The Conservatives renewed their stamp duty abolition pledge, first announced in 2025 for primary residences. Propertymark has long argued that Stamp Duty can discourage people from moving, restrict downsizing and reduce the number of homes coming to market. Lower rates would reduce costs for consumers, while tax bands should be reviewed more regularly to reflect property values. We have also called for permanent exemptions for older homeowners who downsize, helping to release larger homes for families.
Additionally, Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch announced that her party would repeal the upcoming High Value Council Tax Surcharge (due to be introduced in April 2027) and remove Inheritance Tax from family homes. She also pledged to lower National Insurance rates for those aged 21 to 24.
Reform is considering ten-year exemptions from stamp duty, rental income tax and capital gains tax for new homes completed on brownfield sites.
Energy efficiency: funding and standards take different paths
Labour announced that delivery of the existing £15 billion Warm Homes Plan would be devolved, giving mayors and local authorities greater control over home upgrades.
The Conservatives proposed scrapping the Future Homes Standard and associated low-carbon heating requirements.
We welcome efforts to reduce unnecessary costs and complexity for housebuilders, but scrapping the Future Homes Standard altogether needs careful consideration. The priority should be proportionate regulation that supports new housing without adding avoidable costs or delays, while ensuring homes remain fit for the future.
Liberal Democrat council leaders emphasised that affordable homes must also be affordable to run, linking housing costs to energy performance and household bills. This was a theme in conference discussions, rather than a new national retrofit funding commitment.
Reform’s conference reinforced its opposition to net zero. Fringe discussions included removing heat-pump subsidies and heat decarbonisation programmes, although these ideas should not all be treated as settled party policy.
Energy efficiency
The UK housing stock is amongst the least energy efficient in Europe and the Committee on Climate Change says that energy use in homes accounts for about 14 per cent of UK greenhouse gas emissions. Non-domestic buildings account for around one-third of UK emissions from the building stock.
Economic crime: further action remains necessary
Few specific new commitments emerged on property-sector money laundering, ownership transparency or suspicious activity reporting. Reform’s planning paper referred to action against criminal networks operating through high street businesses but did not set out a new AML framework for property agents.
Propertymark campaigns for AML supervision to cover all letting agents, clearer guidance, and stronger enforcement. Agent regulation can support higher standards, but wider measures remain necessary to tackle criminal activity in the sector.
