Goodlord was on the ground in Liverpool for the 2026 Labour Party Conference, the first since Andy Burnham became Prime Minister.
Mr Burnham has placed housing front and centre of his Government’s agenda. Although his and housing Secretary Angela Rayner’s speeches from the main stage focussed on social housing, broader discussions across more than two dozen other housing-related events taking place at the conference revealed what these policies will mean for agents, landlords, and the wider Private Rented Sector (PRS).
In this round-up, we’ll break down the four biggest announcements from the conference and what they mean for the housing industry.
Prime Minister Andy Burnham's central argument was that essential services should not be left entirely to the market. He wants to bring energy, water, and housing back under stronger public control.
“We rely on them, we pay for them, and once again we will have power over them,” he told the delegates.
This is not blanket nationalisation, but rather a tailored strategy for each sector. In housing specifically, the focus is on rebuilding public stock: constructing new council homes, exempting newly built properties from Right to Buy, and granting councils greater powers to buy homes from exiting social housing providers and take over empty or substandard private homes.
In the PRS, landlords letting out poor-quality homes will receive formal warnings to make improvements. If they refuse, local councils will find it significantly easier to acquire the properties. For landlords and agents, the practical shift is a more serious threat of local enforcement, with compulsory purchase as the ultimate sanction.
Announced on the opening day of the conference, the reforms will shorten the period a property must sit vacant before a council can apply for an Empty Dwelling Management Order (EDMO). Councils can step in after just six months of vacancy, down from the previous two-year threshold.
Under an order, councils can manage the property and return it to occupation for up to seven years, while the landlord retains legal ownership. The reforms also streamline the application process by removing certain evidential hurdles, such as proving anti-social behaviour or securing prior community support, when applying through the Residential Property Tribunal.
Housing Secretary Angela Rayner framed the case simply: “We can't sit by and allow 300,000 long-term empty dwellings to be left unused.”
Nationally, 300,000 vacant properties is a significant figure, but the impact on supply will be gradual and localised rather than an immediate nationwide surge. This is because EDMOs are granted case by case and have been little used since they were introduced in 2006, with around 200 orders made and none in 2023-24, according to a House of Lords debate in July.
For the lettings market, however, the critical questions lie around the edges. The announcement leaves details vague on how extended voids between tenancies, properties mid-sale, or homes undergoing major refurbishment will be handled, nuances that agents and landlords will be eager to see clarified.
The Government has committed to introducing a Leasehold Reform Bill before Christmas, which Angela Rayner called “unfinished business”.
The primary aim is to clamp down on the excessive administrative and permission fees that have long burdened leaseholders, for example, to keep a pet or to notify a landlord of a change of mortgage provider. A consultation will set what is capped and at what level.
Crucially for the property industry, the bigger shift is that property agents will face independent regulation for the first time. Mandatory licensing and formal qualifications are on the horizon, backed by a new regulator with the power to revoke licences for non-compliance.
The Housing Committee had recommended an independent regulator for managing agents but rejected mandatory qualifications, so the government is going further. For agents, compulsory licensing and qualifications will fundamentally redefine who is permitted to operate in the sector.
The final major housing announcement targets prospective first-time buyers purchasing new-build homes. Slated for full unveiling at the upcoming Budget, the Your First Home scheme is designed to help buyers step onto the property ladder with deposits as low as 2.5%. This new scheme’s similarities to the previous government’s Help To Buy Scheme might raise a few eyebrows.
Backed by a 20% government equity loan, initially interest-free, the initiative requires buyers to purchase from participating developers.
As Prime Minister Andy Burnham noted, "It will reduce the size of the deposit you need and open up ownership to those not backed by the bank of mum and dad".
While this is a major catalyst for developers and aspiring homeowners, its direct impact on the wider rental market is narrower. However, by helping long-term renters successfully transition into home ownership, it should gradually help to free up vital rental stock and relieve pressure at the top of the market.
Throughout the back-to-back housing events and amidst the broader talk of devolution, Goodlord CEO William Reeve took part in two sessions organised by the Labour Housing Group and consistently steered the conversation back to the fundamental issue: Supply.
“There are no easy answers to the UK's supply shortage, but some wrong answers if we are not careful,” he stressed.
Reeve highlighted a stark comparison to illustrate the scale of the problem. France, which has an almost identical population and GDP to the UK, boasts roughly 7 million more homes. This structural deficit is a primary reason why UK rents run 30 to 40% higher than their cross-Channel counterparts.
“Boosting UK supply would reduce rents and improve the rental sector more than anything else,” Reeve noted. “This will require a supportive private sector."
Yet, Reeve pointed out a worrying disconnect in how the private sector is currently viewed by policymakers:
“I was disappointed to hear the Private Rental Sector regularly described as something unsavoury, something ‘for transitions,’ rather than a worthy place to remain in.”
He added that social housing is “very expensively subsidised by the state, costing councils over £10bn a year, and that attitudes like this show the gulf in understanding between the two sides.”
Instead of populist quick fixes, William challenged the panels to focus on cost-neutral steps the government can take right now to help taxpayers and renters alike:
Taken together, the 2026 Labour Conference made clear that the government is ready to intervene heavily in the housing market. While initiatives like 'Your First Home' will inject momentum for developers, the immediate future for letting agents and private landlords will be defined by tighter compliance and stronger local enforcement.
At Goodlord, we build our platform with the future in mind. No matter what comes down the line, we’ll be there to ensure our customers are compliant with all new legislation. If you’d like to know how we can help you, get in touch with a member of our team today.