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.

A major consultation for a new Land Use Framework aims to balance the need for 1.5 million new homes, expansion of energy infrastructure, and the creation of new towns, alongside the protection of the environment and the transition to a low-carbon economy. Propertymark supports a balanced approach to changes in land use, however, we believe the UK Government has significantly underestimated the land required for residential development.

Plans are afoot to strengthen HMRC (HM Revenue and Customs) to act quickly and robustly against professional tax advisers who help clients avoid paying the correct tax. Propertymark welcomes this because it aligns with our calls to the Treasury, and we support HMRC’s ambition to ensure the financial sector upholds the highest standards and integrity of the tax system.

Propertymark urges the UK Government to make access to housing a central part of its welfare system reform. Without suitable affordable housing options, it will be much harder to address other barriers to work, such as improving physical and mental health or engagement with education and training. Proposals in the Pathways to Work Green Paper will overhaul the existing system and introduce new initiatives, including unemployment insurance, to create sustainable health and disability benefits and employment support.

A new Corporate Plan for 2025 to 2028 sets out how the Welsh Revenue Authority (WRA) will expand its responsibilities and strengthen service delivery. The plan signals a step change in the WRA’s role, with implications for agents operating across the short-term lettings and tourism sectors in Wales.

The time it takes to complete a property sale in the UK remains stubbornly high, with buyers and sellers facing delays that can cause deals to fall through and create stress. Propertymark’s Housing Insight Report demonstrates that 32% of member agents reported it takes an average of 17 weeks or more to progress from offer to acceptance to exchange.

The UK Government has published proposals to reform planning committees in England as part of its broader planning reform agenda, setting out significant changes that could affect how planning decisions are made locally. Propertymark supports reform to improve the consistency and speed of decisions but warns that the current proposals may miss the mark, especially around delegation and local flexibility.

Trust is placed in lettings and sales agents by individuals and businesses who seek expertise, knowledge and attention to detail. With that trust, however, comes risk – and that's why it's essential to consider Professional Indemnity (PI) Insurance. Gallagher, the industry-approved supplier of insurance for Propertymark, offers cover for agency businesses to help protect them from the legal costs involved should a client make a claim against them due to a mistake or incorrect advice.