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.
Warrington Council has reapproved Habiko’s plans for a 240-home affordable housing scheme on the former DW Sports site off Academy Way, removing a planning barrier to a £38m Homes England grant. The council’s earlier Section 106 requirement was dropped after Homes England said the grant could not be allocated if the affordable provision was secured through that legal agreement.
The Planning Inspectorate explains the role of National Policy Statements (NPSs) in setting the framework for decisions on nationally significant infrastructure projects. The page has been updated to reflect the revised Ports NPS and the designation of the Water Resources Infrastructure NPS, alongside references to the current energy, transport and waste-related statements.
Anglian Water has been fined £1.6m after repeated sewage pollution incidents affected the River Brain in Essex over a six-week period in 2022. The Environment Agency said the pollution resulted from organisational failure, a faulty valve and missed warning signs, with untreated sewage discharged outside the company’s environmental permit.
Farrans Construction reported a significant pre-tax loss in its latest annual accounts, driven by additional provisions on legacy contracts and a difficult trading environment marked by inflation and economic uncertainty. Despite the loss, the company said it retained a strong order book, ongoing support from Sisk Group, and positive demand across its core infrastructure sectors.
The government has introduced amendments to the Building Safety Act through the Remediation of Unsafe Cladding Bill, aiming to speed up remediation of buildings with unsafe cladding in England. The bill proposes stronger enforcement powers, including criminal liabilities, financial penalties, a new register for medium-rise residential buildings, and clearer routes for leaseholders and third parties to drive or complete remediation.
The article reports that asking rents have risen by 6% across 21 major UK towns and cities in the three months since the Renters’ Rights Act came into force, according to a Ringley Group study. It also says a significant share of private landlords have sold or tried to sell in the past year, contributing to a shrinking private rented sector and prompting calls for Budget measures to support rental-sector viability.
Pegasus Insight research indicates that landlord use of lettings agents has risen to a two-year high, with two thirds now using an agent for some or all of the letting process. The increase is being driven mainly by demand for full property management, as landlords face growing regulatory complexity and higher time commitments in managing rental portfolios.
The article examines how the Law Society’s draft Conveyancing Protocol would affect AI-generated additional enquiries in conveyancing. It argues that the real control on machine-written enquiries is not the AI clause itself, but the protocol’s rules on whether an enquiry is specific, necessary, and not already answerable from publicly available or supplied information.
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.
Savills reports that prime rents have continued to rise, with stronger annual growth in Prime Central London and outer London, while regional prime markets have slowed. The article says landlord caution around the Renters Rights Act, higher taxation and mortgage costs is constraining supply, particularly in lower rental bands below the £100,000 threshold.
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.
