Housing was firmly at the centre of this year's political conference season, with the major parties setting out competing visions for home ownership, renting, planning reform and economic growth. While Labour's position as the party of government meant it made announcements with the most immediate implications, conferences across the political spectrum provided important insight into how housing policy may evolve in the coming years.

Party Leader Zack Polanski's speech and wider conference policy discussions have outlined a series of housing and property proposals, including plans for a three-year cap on private rents, increased investment in social housing, and wider reforms aimed at addressing housing affordability. Propertymark supports policies that improve access to safe, secure, and affordable housing. However, we continue to oppose rent control measures that risk serious unintended consequences for people seeking suitable homes.

The UK Government has used the Labour Party Conference to set out a series of significant housing and property sector reforms, including tougher action against landlords who fail to maintain their properties and confirmation that the regulation of property agents will be introduced. These plans are likely to have far-reaching implications for Propertymark members working across the sales, lettings and property management sectors.

Prime Minister Andy Burnham has proposed a new scheme to allow first-time buyers in England to purchase a new-build home with a 2.5% deposit, along with plans to let councils intervene sooner when homes stand empty, and a £210 million package to bring disused high street buildings back into use. Propertymark’s Policy and Campaigns Team is at the Labour Party conference to discuss these announcements directly with MPs and explain how members and their clients could be affected.

Landlords and sole traders already using Making Tax Digital (MTD) for Income Tax must send their second quarterly update to HMRC by 7 November 2026. The rules will extend to more people from April 2027, so letting agents can help landlord clients prepare now.

Informed by our engagement with member agents operating in Wales, Propertymark has called on the Senedd’s Finance Committee to ensure the 2027–28 Budget addresses the real financial pressures facing property businesses and the wider housing market. We urge the Welsh Government to prioritise practical action that improves the availability and quality of homes, rather than adding costs or regulation that could reduce supply.

Propertymark has urged the Senedd’s Local Government, Housing and Planning Committee to make increasing the supply of homes its top priority. Our response to the Committee’s consultation on its future work programme sets out three priorities: delivering more homes across all tenures, sustaining a well-regulated private rented sector, and promoting professionalism and consumer confidence in property agents.

Property agents will remain firmly on the frontline of the fight against economic crime as plans are afoot to strengthen anti-money laundering supervision, improve intelligence sharing and consider changes to the rules covering letting agents.

The UK Government has acknowledged that homeowners may need greater protection from the unreasonable enforcement of restrictive covenants, following concerns raised by MPs over unexpected and potentially significant demands for payments. The move reflects issues Propertymark has highlighted through its long-running campaign for meaningful leasehold reform and greater transparency for property owners.

To reduce the tax burden on the housing market rather than introduce further changes in isolation, we warn the Scottish Government that plans for two new council tax bands risk adding complexity while doing little to increase revenue.

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.

Propertymark has urged the UK Government to ensure that reforms to the building lifecycle support property agents, improve the home-moving process, and give consumers confidence that building work has been completed properly. Our members work closely with other professionals throughout the life of a building, and we have highlighted how consistent standards, clear responsibilities, and reliable records would help agents provide a better service to sellers, buyers, landlords, tenants, and leaseholders.

The proportion of owner-occupiers has changed little over the past decade and remains below its 2003 peak, while high prices, large deposits, and a weak development pipeline continue to restrict access for first-time buyers and suppress mobility for those already on the property ladder. New planning rules may help, but government and industry evidence supports Propertymark’s position that wider reform is needed across housebuilding and the buying and selling process to restore adequate supply and revitalise the market.

Cyber crime incidents can impact property businesses of all sizes. A lack of cyber security can leave firms vulnerable to substantial losses and the impact can be huge and long lasting. Even using third-party hosting companies or sites doesn't remove the risk of exposure to crime and subsequent liabilities. Propertymark industry supplier, Gallagher, explains the steps property agents can take to prevent and manage risk.