Ministry of Justice tribunal data shows a sharp increase in property-related hearings, with 15,929 cases heard in the year to June 2026, up 24% year on year. The article links the rise to disputes in the private rented sector and leasehold sector, and suggests further increases as the Renters Rights Act reforms take effect.
England is set to introduce a mandatory landlord register from 15 December, with a £65 annual fee per rental property and a phased rollout beginning in the West Midlands. The scheme will require landlords to provide property and compliance information through GOV.UK One Login, with penalties for missing registration deadlines.
The Conveyancing Task Force has joined criticism of the SRA’s planned changes to who can hold COLP and COFA roles, arguing the regulator should publish the evidence behind the rule change. The group says the proposals may be too blunt for different firm structures and calls for a wider review of whether the current role-based model is the best safeguard for client money.
Manchester City Council has completed a Section 106 agreement for Renaker’s five-tower Great Jackson Street scheme, clearing the way for 2,388 flats across buildings up to 71 storeys. The project had faced a lengthy approval process and continued objections, particularly around the absence of affordable housing and the viability assessment underpinning the scheme.
The article reports that proposed Government reforms could end insured tenancy deposit schemes, prompting many landlords to consider custodial schemes or deposit alternatives. Survey results cited by Zero Deposit suggest a sizeable minority of landlords would adopt alternative products, while most would move to custodial arrangements if the current model changed.
Propertymark’s latest rental market snapshot shows rents falling in some regions, including the South East, London and Scotland, while most other UK regions recorded modest increases. Despite some monthly easing, affordability remains stretched, with London still requiring the highest representative salary to secure an average rental property.
Clarion Housing Association is pursuing a £113m dispute over a three-block residential scheme built by a former Willmott Dixon subsidiary, alleging serious fire-safety defects. The claim says the defects could create a risk of structural collapse, death or serious injury and seeks demolition and rebuild of the scheme.
A refurbishment project involving a grade II-listed Temple building has been classed as high-risk by the Building Safety Regulator after the building was found to have only just met fire safety requirements. The article indicates the historic legal chambers block is largely vacant, highlighting the sensitivity of works to older, protected buildings where fire safety compliance is closely scrutinised.
The Environment Agency has updated guidance on the U1 waste exemption, which allows certain suitable waste materials to be used in construction, landscaping, drainage works and maintenance of linear networks. The guidance sets out activity-specific tonnage limits, contamination restrictions, validity periods and the need to comply with other permissions such as flood risk permits and planning consent.
Sefton Council officers are recommending approval for a hybrid redevelopment at the Formby Bypass site, known as The Point, which would bring Lidl and M&S retail units forward first, followed by substantial employment floorspace, a medical centre and other uses. Approval is also recommended for the redevelopment of Greenbank High School in Birkdale, where the existing buildings would be demolished and replaced in phases while the school remains operational.
A solicitor has been suspended for nine months after the Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal found serious accounting and compliance failings at a sole practice, including unreliable books of account, missing reconciliations and continued operation of a client account despite known record-keeping problems. The SRA intervened, recovered client funds, and the tribunal also ordered costs and post-suspension practice conditions.
The UK government plans a regional rollout of a new Private Rented Sector database in England from late 2026, requiring landlords of assured or regulated tenancies to register themselves and each property. The service will collect tenancy, property, and compliance information, including gas and electrical safety certificates and EPC data, with annual renewal fees and penalties for non-registration.
