- by Admin
- in News & Legislation
2026 is set to be a year of change. Technological and legislative developments are driving new approaches and opportunities in property sales and rentals, and next year is set to see many of these initiatives bear fruit.
- Project 28 and smoother, faster sales
- The Property Portal goes live, after the Renters’ Rights Bill becomes law
- Upfront data becomes the norm
Here is your guide to what buyers, sellers, renters, and landlords can expect in what promises to be a pivotal year for London property.
Project 28 rolls out to streamline property transactions
As they typically happen, property sales can be slow and stressful. There are typically 109 days between ‘sale agreed’ and exchange of contracts, and 1/3 of property transactions fall through.
The process is painful for buyers and sellers, but needlessly so. Lenders, mortgage brokers, estate agents, and conveyancers have founded Project 28, ‘the new blueprint for industry change’.
The charter’s ambition is ‘to streamline the transaction process to 28 days from sale agreed to exchange’, through a transparent and digital-first transaction process. As 2026 progresses and the initiative gains momentum, the property market will start to see serious change for the better in the efficiency of its transactions.
Upfront data becomes the standard
The Project 28 initiative reflects a wider appetite for transparency in property data. In the information age, obscured property information seems extremely backward, and buyers rightfully see no reason why they should make and offer before they receive key facts and figures. Sellers who offer key information up front in 2026 will see faster completions, and fewer deals that fall though.
Renters’ Rights and the Property Portal
Among the Renters’ Rights Act’s reforms is the introduction of the Private Rented Sector (PRS) Database. This ‘property portal’ will be a database of every landlord in the country, and the properties they rent out. It is designed to enable tenants and authorities to quickly verify that a landlord is compliant with regulations.
It is not clear yet what information will be included in the portal, and it will take secondary legislation to introduce the finer points of the PRS.
Failure to join the database will see landlords fines £7,000 in the first instance, but repeated offences could lead to a £40,000 penalty.
South London Property to be in high demand (but supply may increase too)
As expected, the 2025 Budget will have consequences for the UK property market, and London may be hit hardest.
Firstly, there will be a 2% increase in Landlords’ tax from April 2027. That could well drive many to exit the market, which legislation has already made increasingly hostile. In that case, there will be an influx of former rental properties onto the market for sale.
The ‘Mansion Tax’ will hit in 2028. The government will reassess council tax bands F, G and H, and properties worth £2 million or more will face a £2,500 annual surcharge.
Since London properties are among the most likely to see a > £2million valuation, the capital may see a surge in listings for effected homes. Alongside that, buyers who may have considered a property in the £2 million+ range could well prefer to seek a cheaper property to avoid the surcharge, and properties that are assessed at the lower value may see increased demand.
Are you thinking of selling your South London property in 2026, or just curious what your home would be worth? Get in touch for a free valuation and an Urban Village property expert will be in contact.