Once implemented, the Building Safety (Wales) Act 2026 will introduce a new regime for assessing and managing building safety risks in multi-occupied buildings, led by a designated local authority in each of Wales’s three fire and rescue authority areas. The success of the regional Building Safety Authorities (BSAs) will depend on sufficient resources, clear guidance, and meaningful engagement with property and managing agents to support a consistent approach across Wales.

A series of enforcement actions relating to licensing breaches, overcrowding, poor property management, and failures to comply with regulatory requirements present a cautionary tale for both agents and landlords. The Renters’ Rights Act has strengthened many of the consequences of non-compliance, whilst local authorities continue to take a firm approach and are increasingly willing to use substantial financial penalties where standards fall short.

Letting agents in Scotland should review their reporting, inspection, and repair processes after the Scottish Government published new guidance to support the Investigation and Commencement of Repair (Scotland) Regulations 2026, which come into force on 6 October 2026. The Regulations apply to private rented homes covered by the Repairing Standard, as well as relevant social housing.

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.

Two linked announcements are intended to reduce unnecessary delay, complexity and cost within England’s higher-risk building regime. One will change how occupied buildings are assessed, while the other could allow a wider range of urgent safety work to proceed without prior approval.

Changes will include cheaper contents cover for some households, Flood Performance Certificates, premium discounts for resilient properties, and a revised approach to claims. The Scheme has helped more than 742,000 households access flood insurance since its launch in 2016, but rising claims, higher reinsurance costs, and the growing number of properties identified as being at risk have put it under increased pressure.

The UK Government has announced new funding for the remediation of unsafe cladding on eligible residential buildings under 11 metres in England, delivered through the existing Cladding Safety Scheme and administered by Homes England. Applications will open on 17 August 2026, with funding prioritised according to the cladding fire safety risk posed to residents.

The Housing, Communities and Local Government Committee has called for stronger enforcement, better local authority funding, and faster implementation of key protections for tenants in the private rented sector (PRS). Propertymark gave evidence to the enquiry, highlighting that standards must be improved through clear, practical and consistent rules that support responsible landlords and agents, while targeting those who deliberately operate outside the law.

As periods of hot weather become more frequent and intense, overheating in homes is moving from a comfort issue to a health, safety, and property management concern. For professional agents, the key risk is not simply that a home feels warm in summer, but that the property design, condition, or management allows indoor temperatures to become excessively high and potentially harmful to occupiers.

The new regulations do not alter the minimum property standard – homes must remain safe, and hazards must be identified and managed. However, they will affect how hazards are described, scored, and categorised when councils inspect homes, making evidence of regular checks increasingly important.

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 Building Safety Regulator (BSR) has announced a new improvement plan to accelerate remediation works on higher-risk buildings (HRBs) across England to tackle ongoing delays in the approvals process. A series of operational changes designed to reduce application backlogs, improve decision times, and support higher-quality submissions from industry have been included.

The Interim Measures Alarm Fund (IMAF) is designed to improve resident safety while reducing the financial burden on leaseholders in buildings awaiting remediation. The fund marks a continuation—and expansion—of efforts to address building safety following the Grenfell Tower tragedy, while also aligning with long-standing industry calls, including Propertymark’s campaigning, for practical and cost-effective interim safety solutions.