A New 12 months brings radical new guidelines for landlords and their tenants, whereas in different UK property information, we get a glimpse of what homebuyers need, along with the most recent evaluation of the housing market.
Let’s look behind a few of these headlines …
Landlords: modifications for 2026
The Every day Mail lately highlighted a number of the modifications that may take have an effect on when the Renters’ Rights Act comes into pressure on the 1st of Could.
The next are simply a number of the new guidelines for landlords and their tenants:
- so-called “no-fault” evictions can be prohibited, forcing landlords to present a real purpose (such because the sale of the property or for the owner himself to occupy it) for requiring a tenant to vacate a tenancy – merely placing up the lease is not going to be a ok purpose;
- fixed-term tenancies are abolished, whereas tenants are given the precise to give up at any time upon the availability of two months’ discover;
- the laws is meant to present tenants improved rights to press for higher residing situations, with out unreasonable will increase in lease, and with out fearing retaliatory motion by the owner;
- in an try to finish bidding wars, landlords can be restricted to accepting solely the lease initially requested;
- landlords can be restricted to requesting no multiple month’s lease upfront;
- landlords and letting brokers are prohibited from denying a tenancy as a result of a potential tenant has kids or is in receipt of welfare advantages; and
- tenants have the precise to maintain a pet – and landlords could not say no with out simply trigger.
What do homebuyers actually need?
Whether or not you will have a property to promote or are merely curious, a standard query has to do with what homebuyers actually need. A survey by the web listings web site Zoopla on the 11th of December claimed to have some solutions.
A perennial characteristic of any listing of priorities for homebuyers, for instance, is a storage –ideally a double storage. New-build shopping for schemes are additionally standard as a result of they provide assist with the acquisition of contemporary, energy-efficient residences. Third on the listing of fascinating options is house for an annexe – that could be utilized by an ageing guardian, a fledgling adolescent nearly able to flee the nest, or a house workplace or retreat.
Present home looking out traits recommend a rising want by homebuyers to flee town in favour of a rural way of life. The enchantment of such a transfer is additional enhanced by the prospect of an acre or so of land – or, on the very least, a bigger backyard.
A house with a sea view is many a purchaser’s dream discover – however failing that, the luxurious of a swimming pool.
Rightmove 2026 home worth predictions
On the 18th of December, the web listings web site Rightmove ventured some predictions about home costs within the yr forward. In essence, the predictions amounted to:
- an general enhance in home costs of two% by the top of 2026;
- regional variations are more likely to see Scotland with decrease than common costs, northern England and Wales experiencing stronger development, and London falling considerably behind; and
- first-time patrons are more likely to discover a wider selection of properties, at extra reasonably priced costs, with mortgage charges extra beneficial than they had been in 2025.
Nationwide December home worth index
Whereas Rightmove provided some broad predictions, Nationwide printed a daily replace of its home worth index for December.
- this revealed the general development in UK home costs had fallen from 1.8% in November to 0.6% in December;
- for the third yr in a row, Northern Eire recorded the strongest development in costs, which rose by a median of 9.7%; however
- East Anglia confirmed the weakest price of development as costs fell by 0.8% throughout the course of 2025.
Over the yr as a complete, say Nationwide, home costs noticed modest development.