Helping you navigate the regulatory, legal and market pressures reshaping the real estate landscape.

The real estate sector is undergoing one of the most intensive periods of regulatory and policy change in over a decade. From planning reform and building safety obligations to environmental regulation, supply chain accountability and the evolution of landlord-tenant relationships, the pace and breadth of intervention is accelerating. Our Real Estate Risk Radar brings together the key developments impacting developers, investors, landlords, lenders and occupiers, highlighting where risks are emerging, what actions organisations should consider now, and how upcoming reforms may influence strategic decision-making across the built environment.

Shaping trends 2026Property & Development

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.

Financial & Tax

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.

Supply Chain & Technology

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 & Employment

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.