What's next for the UK housing market?

Propertymark has submitted written evidence to the Public Bill Committee on the Renters (Reform) Bill, citing data demonstrating the level of concern amongst our members about measures likely to make the PRS increasingly hostile to property owners and the unintended consequences for people in need of homes.

Extra policing will be deployed in ten initial target areas before the plan is rolled out across England and Wales in 2024. The public will also have a simpler way to report ASB (anti-social behaviour), and perpetrators could face penalties within 48 hours.

The Levelling Up, Housing and Communities Committee (LUHCC) has objected to suggestions that delays to the ban on ‘no fault’ evictions are the result of recommendations made in the Committee’s Reforming the Private Rented Sector report. Committee Chair, Clive Betts, MP, stated it was difficult to understand the lack of urgency and transparency around court reforms.

Propertymark continues to assert there is no advantage to introducing rent controls and urges Scottish Ministers to properly evaluate the evidence both from UK and across the world. Whilst formulating our response to the most recent engagement questionnaire we hosted a roundtable with members and Scottish Government officials where the strength of feeling from agents was clearly communicated.