National Audit Office (NAO) findings show that statutory homelessness has worsened since the Homelessness Reduction Act (HRA) came into force in April 2018. A report, published on 23 July 2024, is highly critical of the previous Conservative UK Government for a lack of strategy, fragmented funding, and failure to address issues with housing supply.

The UK Government is expected to introduce the new Renters’ Rights Bill to Parliament in Autumn 2024, so the release of detailed reports from the 2022-23 English Housing Survey on 18 July 2024 offers a timely snapshot of the landscape of the Private Rented Sector (PRS). Notably, 82% of private renters reported being satisfied with their accommodation, suggesting that issues may be concentrated in a small section of the market.

Propertymark has responded to the HM Treasury consultation on improving the effectiveness of the Money Laundering Regulations (MLR), drawing on member survey data to illustrate the current challenges for agents and how targeted improvements could enhance the system.

A summary of responses to the consultation on proposals to abolish land transaction tax (LTT) multiple dwellings relief (MDR) has revealed sector-wide concern about the impact on supply, leading the Welsh Government to commit to further work on the potential benefits, costs and wider impacts on the housing sector.

The implementation of the new rules will mean property owners in the designated area must gain planning permission before changing the use of a main home into a second home or short-term holiday accommodation. Gwynedd Council will bring the Direction into effect from 1 September 2024.

Opening the new session of Parliament, King Charles III announced more than 40 Bills the UK Government has committed to introduce, with housing and planning firmly in the spotlight. Housebuilding, renters’ rights, and leasehold reform are all on the legislative agenda, along with significant devolution of powers to local authorities.

A UK-first deal for renters and landlords will see standards across the rental sector improve under the Good Landlord Charter, as announced by Andy Burnham, Greater Manchester Mayor on 12 July, along with the promise of delivering thousands of new homes.

To represent Propertymark members’ views and the property sector to ensure their voices are heard, we interpret key policy developments and lobby for change. Working with members, we research and survey to develop evidence-based arguments to campaign for policy change across the devolved nations on issues, including supply of property, tenancy management, economic crime, property taxation, enforcement, material information, and welfare reform.

KPR offers a LRA report within their inspection and repairs software to record the test results and help fulfil the owner’s legal obligations, as well as generating an additional income source for managing agents by allowing them to conduct this assessment as part of their service. The software is simple and convenient to use, with pre-set template questions ensuring nothing is overlooked. KPR also supply a full Legionella test kit, allowing anyone in the agency can conduct the report, and presents the result as a clear and professional report.

Legislation to give homeowners in Northern Ireland the same protections against poorly constructed and maintained buildings as those in England and Wales has passed its final stage in the Assembly just four months after introduction. The terms of the Bill will take effect immediately once it has been given Royal Assent.

Rt Hon Vaughan Gething, MS, has set out his priorities for the rest of this Senedd term, with building safety, homelessness, visitor accommodation, and planning all forming part of the programme. Radical and transformative change which matters most in people’s lives is what the Welsh Government will be concentrating on, and the First Minister is looking forward to a renewed, genuine partnership with the new UK Government to unlock opportunities across Wales.

In a roundtable meeting with all the regional mayors in England, the Prime Minister and Deputy Prime Minister have discussed how to scale up devolution and give regional governments greater control over unlocking economic growth, powered by housebuilding, in their areas. Local Growth Plans were also on the agenda, and the mayors were tasked to identify local specialisms and contribute to a national industrial strategy.

The Rt Hon Rachel Reeves made her first speech as Chancellor of the Exchequer today, 8 July 2024, emphasising three key policy pillars of stability, investment, and reform. Watched from the front row by Housing Minister Matthew Pennycook and Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero Ed Miliband, she began to elaborate on Labour’s manifesto commitments on planning by announcing an immediate review of the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF), a task force to unblock stalled developments, and making clear that Ministers will take an interventionist approach to get Britain building.

The UK General Election has returned the Labour Party to power with a parliamentary landslide, ending 14 years of Conservative government. Aiming to channel the spirit of Clement Attlee with a proactive and strategic approach to housing, the party campaigned on a manifesto that promised significant changes to planning rules, strict targets for delivery of new homes, reform of the private rented sector (PRS), long-term schemes to help young people onto the housing ladder, and local powers for councils to take over empty commercial premises.

Following the introduction of a licensing scheme in October 2022, the Scottish Government has been monitoring the impact of the legislation on consumers and the sector. Engagement with accommodation operators has resulted in improvements which allow the transfer of licences, more exemptions, and provisional licences for new properties. MSPs approved these measures on 26 June 2024.

While both sectors remain resilient, there is much that the next government can do to support buyers, renters such as improving the home buying/renting process and professionalisation of the sector via the regulation of agents. More broadly there is a need for a review of property taxes to make changes which stimulate supply and demand.