Just days after launch, Connect is already creating new business opportunities for members, with more than 2,000 registered users on the platform. Propertymark’s exclusive referral and lead-generation platform enables members to send and receive referrals, valuation requests and instructions through a trusted network of qualified property professionals across the UK and internationally.

The UK Government has ended the Furnished Holiday Lettings (FHL) rules. Since 6 April 2025, all holiday lets are taxed in the same way as normal rental income. This applies across the whole UK and affects anyone running a holiday let, Airbnb-style rental, cottage, annexe, or other short-stay property.

Property auctions can offer speed, certainty and access to properties that may not be available through the traditional sales market. However, analysis of complaint data from The Property Ombudsman (TPO) shows that consumer understanding cannot be left to chance. The findings suggest that consumers are entering the process without appreciating the risks, timescales, fees, or the point at which they become legally or financially committed.

Centre for London has called for a Proportional Property Tax as part of a wider plan to tackle London’s housing crisis. The city not only needs more homes, but also a better way to use, fund, and distribute the homes it already has. Although the report focuses on the capital, many of the pressures it identifies are felt across the UK, including a shortage of social housing, high moving costs, a lack of suitable homes for older people, and barriers to new development.

Launching on 1 June 2026, Connect, a bespoke online platform, links agents through a trusted professional network, helping them send and receive referrals, valuation requests, and instructions across the UK and internationally. Sign up to win more business, create additional income opportunities, and deliver a better service – especially when clients are moving further afield.

The Housing, Communities and Local Government Committee has called for major changes to the Draft Commonhold and Leasehold Reform Bill before it is introduced to Parliament in autumn 2026. Propertymark has long campaigned for meaningful leasehold reform, including action on ground rents, service charges, building safety, consumer information and the regulation of property agents. We welcome the Committee’s recognition that reform must work in practice for homeowners, agents, lenders and managing agents.

It has been nearly ten years since the Leasehold: A Life Sentence report was published, launching a sustained Propertymark campaign. Despite the introduction of the Leasehold and Freehold Reform Act 2024—of which only 10 of 125 sections have come into force—leaseholders continue to face significant financial pressures, rising and often unjustified service charges, and ongoing building safety concerns.

Voting opened on 21 May 2026 for members to elect a Propertymark Board Director and the next Vice Presidents for our sales and lettings divisions. By taking part, members help influence how the profession is represented, shape the professional body's future priorities, and strengthen the credibility of member-led representation.

This has been a year of real momentum for Propertymark. In a fast-moving and often challenging market for our members and oursleves, we have continued to strengthen our position as the UK’s leading professional body for property agents - investing in our members, raising standards, and ensuring our voice is heard where it matters most.

A recent Upper Tribunal decision has underlined the importance of clear management agreements, robust oversight, and accurate licensing checks for landlords and property managers involved with Houses in Multiple Occupation (HMOs) after a landlord was cleared of responsibility for more than £20,000 in fines relating to an unlicensed rental property.

The UK Government has set out further reforms across housing, communities, and local government. Proposals affect leasehold, building safety, social housing, local authority standards, and tourism levies, all of which could impact local housing markets and influence the way councils, owners, agents and residents interact.

The UK Government has set out how it intends to ban the sale of new leasehold flats, expand the legal framework, and improve accessibility to make commonhold the default tenure for flats in both residential and mixed-use developments. Propertymark welcomes efforts to address the entrenched problems in the leasehold system, and we have put forward our recommendations for strengthening the draft legislation, ensuring the role of professional managing agents is recognised and supported, and the sector has adequate time to prepare.

Matthew Pennycook MP stated that leasehold remains a barrier to a fair and efficient property market and confirmed that the UK Government aims to ‘get the job done’ by the end of this Parliament, making commonhold the default tenure for new flats. However, he also stated that reform must be phased to avoid legal, administrative and market disruption — meaning the five million existing leases in England and Wales will not end immediately.

Findings from the Housing, Communities and Local Government Committee inquiry into the affordability of home ownership have revealed that the home-buying and selling process is a painful experience that reduces motivation to move and slows down the housing market. These findings closely reflect our evidence and support our consistent calls for improvements for consumers and agents.