The Environment Agency has updated its Climate Change Agreements Operations Manual to reflect the launch of a new CCA scheme in January 2026. The revisions include new target methodology, facility-level reporting, updated compliance and eligibility review processes, revised reporting tools, and removal of outdated guidance and templates.
A lettings software provider has questioned whether the forthcoming Private Rented Sector Database will effectively identify rogue landlords, arguing that compliant landlords and agents may bear most of the administrative and cost burden. The database is due to begin rolling out in December, starting in the West Midlands, with landlords required to register properties region by region over an 18-month period and pay an annual fee per property.
Research cited in the article suggests that letting agents are increasingly concerned about financial fraud, with AI-enabled impersonation and deepfake scams now viewed as the biggest emerging threat to client money safeguards. A significant minority of respondents lack full confidence in their ability to detect suspicious transactions before funds are transferred, and many have encountered attempted fraud in the past year.
East Staffordshire Council has approved a new selective licensing scheme for 16 streets in Burton upon Trent, due to start on New Year’s Day and run until 31 December 2031. The scheme is intended to improve housing conditions and management standards in an area with a high concentration of privately rented homes, and will require affected landlords to obtain a licence and meet mandatory conditions.
Research cited in the article suggests a significant proportion of letting agents lack confidence in identifying suspicious client money transactions, with more than a third saying they could not reliably spot fraud. The report also indicates that agents perceive fraud risk to be increasing, with AI-enabled impersonation and deepfake scams seen as a growing threat alongside more traditional phishing and landlord or tenant impersonation.
The article argues that residential conveyancing firms are facing a capacity shortage rather than a simple recruitment shortage, with practitioner numbers falling while transaction volumes recover. It says rising compliance and administrative burdens are leaving fee earners overstretched, and that firms need to improve support structures, technology and caseload management to retain staff and maintain service levels.
The article argues that letting agencies that are not adopting AI are falling behind competitors, with AI increasingly used to reduce admin and free up staff time. Sally Lawson, former ARLA president and founder of Agent Rainmaker, says AI cannot replace leadership or relationship-building, but can support agencies as rental reform changes the sector.
A landlord in Wirral has been fined after admitting to eight years without annual gas safety checks at a rented home occupied by a tenant and her children. The Health and Safety Executive brought the prosecution under Regulation 36(3) of the Gas Safety (Installation and Use) Regulations 1998, and the court imposed a fine and costs.
A landlord in Cardiff was fined after pleading guilty to multiple offences, including allowing flats to be occupied despite Prohibition Orders, failing to register the rented property, and managing it without the required licence. Inspectors also identified a range of hazards at the property, including fire safety defects, damp, trip hazards and concerns about the flat layout.
The article reports on debate at the Law Society AGM over proposed Rule 8.4 changes affecting who may act as COLP and COFA in firms with unilateral management authority. It also highlights wider concerns about regulatory accountability, consultation quality and the profession’s ability to influence decisions made by representative and regulatory bodies.
HM Land Registry reports a substantial reduction in avoidable requisitions between 2022 and 2025, with the number of error points falling from 839,000 to 439,000. The agency attributes the improvement to better data use, stronger pre-submission checks and more targeted training, while the Council for Licensed Conveyancers says post-completion accuracy remains under close scrutiny.
The Solicitors Regulation Authority has paused its proposal to separate COLP and COFA roles from owner-managers and other decision-makers, avoiding an immediate vote of no confidence at the Law Society AGM. However, the debate remains unresolved, with the SME and Boutique Law Firm Alliance continuing to press for evidence-based regulation, greater transparency and a formal challenge to the SRA’s leadership.
