The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) has announced that a national landlord registration service will launch in England on 15 December 2026. The service will initially be introduced in the West Midlands before being rolled out across other regions over 12 months. Landlords whose properties are occupied or become occupied during the rollout will have three months to register once registration opens in their region. Registration will be a legal requirement and all landlords actively letting properties must register by 14 November 2027 and may face a fine for failing to do so. The service will give local authorities access to information to help identify non-compliant landlords and take enforcement action. Future legislation will also require landlords to register unoccupied properties before marketing them for rent, while landlords and letting agents will have to include registration numbers in advertisements. HMRC’s Valuation Office will assume responsibility for deciding challenges to rent increases in England, with the aim of resolving disputes more quickly. Until the new arrangements take effect, tenants wishing to challenge a rent increase must continue to apply to the First-tier Tribunal and will not be required to pay the higher rent until the Tribunal makes its final decision.

The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) has announced that the second phase of Awaab’s Law will come into force on 30 November 2026, extending legal duties on social housing landlords to address seven additional hazard categories, including electrical hazards, falls, fire and explosions, excess cold and heat, structural collapse and falling elements, and domestic hygiene. Under the new rules, hazards posing an immediate danger must be investigated and made safe within 24 hours, while serious but non-immediate hazards must be investigated within 10 working days, with landlords required to provide tenants with a written summary within three working days setting out the findings of the investigation and the action they will take, complete urgent safety work within five working days of the investigation and begin longer-term repairs within 12 weeks. The regulations for phase two are being laid before Parliament on 13 July 2026 alongside new guidance for landlords, with the third and final phase due to be introduced in 2027 to extend the requirements to all remaining hazards in the Housing Health and Safety Rating System, except overcrowding.

The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) has initiated a statutory intervention in Spelthorne Borough Council under the Local Government Act 1999. This action follows a Best Value Inspection that highlighted significant financial issues, including a £1.096bn debt—the second highest relative debt among district authorities in England. Local Government Minister Jim McMahon has appointed Commissioners to manage the Council until January 2026, with statutory Directions issued to remain in force until 31 May 2030. The intervention's goal is to ensure the Council complies with its Best Value Duty, particularly in light of concerns about its debt-funded investments and affordable housing initiatives.

The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) has announced the creation of a new expert group, the New Homes Accelerator, to speed up the delivery of stalled housing sites, supporting plans to boost economic growth. A call for evidence has also been launched, where developers, local authorities, and landowners are invited to identify large-scale housing developments that are delayed or stuck so the government can better understand the scale of the challenge and evaluate what support it can provide to help overcome barriers to development and accelerate delivery. The deadline for the submission of site applications is 31 October 2024.

The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) has announced pilot schemes for the May 2026 local elections to trial weekend voting and the use of shopping centres as polling stations in parts of England. Four local authorities will participate. In Milton Keynes, a central voting hub will operate in the Midsummer Place shopping centre, allowing electors to vote there rather than at a single designated polling station. In Cambridge, Tunbridge Wells and North Hertfordshire, voters will be able to cast their ballot in person before polling day, including at weekends, at specified central venues. Traditional polling stations, as well as postal and proxy voting, will remain available.

The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) has published a letter from the Deputy Prime Minister, Angela Rayner, to the Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, announcing the withdrawal of the previous Secretary of State's direction from March 2024 to conduct a partial review of the London Plan. Rayner stated that this withdrawal will enable the government and the Greater London Authority to adopt 'a new partnership approach' to tackle the housing crisis, boost economic growth, and deliver the homes London needs, while recognising the issues the city faces. Rayner also noted that in the upcoming months, the Minister for Housing and Planning, Matthew Pennycook, will convene a roundtable with stakeholders to discuss ways to increase housing delivery and will work closely with London's Deputy Mayors to implement key strategic priorities with the sector.

The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) has unveiled a £1.5bn plan for neighbourhoods, with Wales receiving a £100m share to support community regeneration. The £1.5bn funding programme will support 75 selected communities across the UK. Each designated area will receive up to £20m over a decade, administered through newly established neighbourhood boards comprising residents, businesses and local campaigners. The programme, which supersedes and expands upon the previous long-term plan for towns, enables communities to invest in various initiatives including high street regeneration, community facilities and public services. Areas were selected based on deprivation metrics and healthy life expectancy data. The scheme demonstrates significant devolution of spending control to local level, with communities able to utilise pre-approved interventions and existing statutory powers. Implementation will begin in April 2025, with investment delivery commencing in 2026.

The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) and Home Office have announced £19m additional funding for local authorities in England to support the Domestic Abuse Safe Accommodation Duty, bringing total funding to £499m over three years. The announcement forms part of the forthcoming Violence Against Women and Girls strategy and is expected to support an additional 4,900 households, with total funding intended to help nearly 140,000 people including women and children. The funding supplements £550m allocated over three years across justice services for counselling, court guidance and children services to support domestic abuse victims and witnesses. Local government funding for homelessness, rough sleeping and domestic abuse has been streamlined into a single ringfenced grant to enable councils to plan holistically and adopt prevention strategies. The government has also created a practical toolkit drawing on best practice including the Whole Housing Approach and sanctuary schemes to help councils provide trauma-informed support.

The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) has unveiled a £350m investment package to address the UK's housing crisis. This includes a £300m boost to the Affordable Homes Programme, set to deliver 2,800 additional homes, with half designated for social rent. A further £50m will be allocated to the Local Authority Housing Fund, providing over 250 council homes for improved temporary accommodation. The government also plans to implement measures from the Supported Housing (Regulatory Oversight) Act, introducing a new licensing scheme and tougher standards to combat exploitative practices by rogue landlords in supported housing. These initiatives form part of the government's broader commitment to construct 1.5m homes and enhance living standards across the UK.

The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG), led by Deputy Prime Minister and Housing Secretary, Angela Rayner MP, and Miatta Fahnbulleh MP, has announced a £39bn Social and Affordable Homes Programme. The scheme aims to deliver roughly 300,000 new homes over ten years. It also introduces regulatory changes, including an updated Decent Homes Standard for private rentals, new Minimum Energy Efficiency Standards for social housing and a ten—year rent settlement starting in April 2026. A consultation on rent convergence measures will inform the Autumn Budget decision. This initiative forms a key element of the government’s broader Plan for Change, which aims to address the housing crisis and improve living standards, especially for the more than 165,000 children currently living in temporary accommodation.

The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) has announced a £3bn support package, in the form of government guarantees, aimed at accelerating housebuilding across the UK. The package seeks to assist builders in securing more accessible loans from banks and lenders. It includes doubling the ENABLE Build scheme to £2bn, supporting smaller housebuilders and firms in delivering over 10,000 new homes. Additionally, the Private Rented Sector Guarantee Scheme will reopen at the end of 2024 with nearly £2bn allocated for Build-to-Rent developers. These measures are expected to facilitate the construction of over 20,000 new homes, contributing to the government's goal of building 1.5 million homes over the next five years.

The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) has announced £41 million in additional funding for local authorities across England to cover costs associated with new enforcement powers under the Renters' Rights Act, which comes into force in May 2026. The funding forms part of a total £60 million allocation to all 317 local authorities, comprising £41.12 million in new funding and £18.2 million allocated in autumn 2025. New council powers include a legal duty to enforce compliance with rules banning section 21 ‘no-fault’ evictions, rental bidding wars and discrimination against tenants. Maximum fines for landlords will increase to £40,000 from £30,000, while rent repayment orders will extend to two years’ rent from one year, with tenants able to challenge offences dating back two years. The government will invest up to £50 million in civil court modernisation and digitalisation, alongside an additional £5 million annually in housing legal aid fee uplifts to ensure continued access to free legal support for renters facing eviction.