United Kingdom: Real Estate and Construction

The Social Housing Bill proposes significant reforms to Right to Buy and Right to Acquire schemes in England, introducing stricter eligibility requirements, reduced discounts, and extended exemption periods for new homes. With parliament currently reviewing these sweeping changes, the legislation aims to protect existing social housing stock while addressing concerns about affordability and supply in a sector facing unprecedented demand.

The UK government has unveiled 'Your First Home', a new scheme designed to help first-time buyers purchase new-build properties with just a 2.5% deposit and a government-backed equity loan. While the initiative aims to address mortgage affordability barriers and stimulate housing development, critical details about income limits, property price caps, and developer contributions remain unclear pending the autumn budget announcement.

England and Wales have introduced a nature restoration levy that fundamentally changes how developers address environmental obligations on protected sites. Rather than implementing site-specific mitigation measures, developers may now contribute to strategic conservation projects through levy payments calculated and administered by Natural England. Understanding this new framework is essential for assessing development costs, planning strategies, and acquisition due diligence.