REAL ESTATE
RISK RADAR 2026

Reform across planning, safety and housing is reshaping development models, viability and long-term asset strategies.

• Planning system overhaul – Sweeping reforms are modernising plan-making, elevating strategic oversight and influencing development timelines.
• Evolving building-safety regime – Strengthened regulatory frameworks, new duties and the Building Safety Levy increase compliance demands on owners and developers.
• Housing and renting reform – Changes spanning Awaab’s Law, the Renters’ Rights Act and rent-review restrictions shift landlord risk and operational obligations.
• Business-rates evolution – Adjustments for retail, hospitality and leisure assets, plus EV-related incentives, affect future cost and investment assumptions.

Greater transparency, evolving regulation and financial discipline are shaping how organisations manage risk and investment.

• AML/CTF restructuring – A redesigned supervisory model and updates to the Money Laundering Regulations heighten expectations around financial controls.
• More flexible mortgage rules – Streamlined regulatory requirements are reshaping affordability assessments and refinancing processes.
• Insurance-rent scrutiny – Court developments signal increased transparency pressures on how commissions and insurance charges are passed to tenants.
• Digital tax transition – Mandatory e-invoicing and strengthened payment-practice reporting point to a more data-driven financial landscape.

Digital regulation, environmental standards and supply-chain accountability are becoming core considerations in asset delivery and operation.

• Modernised EU digital rulebook – Updates to AI, data protection and cookie rules influence how organisations manage data across real estate operations.
• Strengthened cyber resilience – New UK cyber and data-access laws increase expectations around safeguarding smart-building systems and operational networks.
• Environmental regulatory uplift – Future changes to permitting, emissions and energy-efficiency standards place upward pressure on design and compliance requirements.
• Construction-product reform – Updated UK and EU product standards intensify assurance requirements across procurement and supply chains.

Corporate accountability, sustainability disclosure and workforce reform are raising organisational and governance standards.

• Enhanced corporate criminal liability – Wider attribution tests and failure-to-prevent offences increase exposure for corporate entities and senior managers.
• Sustainability reporting expansion – Evolving UK and EU standards drive stronger, more consistent environmental and social disclosures.
• Overhaul of employment rights – New protections, consultation duties and day-one rights reshape workforce management across the sector.
• Human-rights and due-diligence trends – Emerging frameworks heighten expectations around ethical supply chains and responsible business conduct.