Property Agent Code of Practice: What's Coming in 2026 (UK)

Quick answer: A non-statutory Code of Practice for property agents is due to be published later in 2026, as committed in the government's June 2026 home buying and selling reform roadmap. It will set minimum best-practice standards for estate and letting agents. Propertymark confirmed in July 2026 that it will not apply in Scotland, which already regulates property professionals separately, and that the formal consultation on mandatory qualifications for agents in England, Wales and Northern Ireland follows in 2027.

The Code of Practice is the least discussed of the June 2026 reform commitments, but it is the one that changes who is allowed to do the work. Sales packs and digital logbooks change what information moves through a transaction; the code and the qualifications regime that follows change the standards of the people moving it.

What we know so far

• It is non-statutory. The code will set out minimum best-practice standards agents are expected to adopt: expectations, not yet law.
• Due later in 2026. The roadmap commits to publication this year, alongside the material information guidance for listings.
• Scotland is out of scope. Propertymark, which works closely with MHCLG, confirmed in late July that government does not expect the code to apply in Scotland, where a separate regulatory framework for property professionals already operates.
• Qualifications consultation in 2027. A formal industry consultation on mandatory qualifications for estate and letting agents in England, Wales and Northern Ireland is expected next year.

The RoPA lineage: this has been coming since 2019

None of this is new thinking. The Regulation of Property Agents (RoPA) working group, chaired by Lord Best, recommended in 2019 a regulator for property agents, codes of practice, and mandatory qualifications. The 2026 roadmap picks that agenda back up in stages: voluntary code first, qualifications consultation second, with the roadmap's later phases pointing toward statutory underpinning. Agents reading the code as optional-forever are reading it wrong. It is the template for the rules that follow.

Why it matters for upfront information

The code lands in the same package as the listings guidance and the voluntary sales pack information list. Expect the three to interlock: the code setting the professional standard, the guidance defining what material information belongs on a listing, and the sales pack defining what sellers assemble. An agent who already runs clean material-information practice will find the code largely describes what they do; an agent who does not will find the gap documented in an official standard their competitors can point to.

What agents can do now

1. Qualifications. The direction on mandatory qualifications is set; recognised vocational qualifications gained now will almost certainly count. Propertymark reports around 3,500 new learners registered in the past year. The queue has started.
2. Material information hygiene. Complete Parts A–C data on every listing, evidenced. This is already a legal duty under the DMCC Act, and it will be the code's core expectation.
3. Sales pack readiness. Start asking sellers for pack contents at instruction: our readiness checker shows what a seller can assemble before listing.

We track every reform milestone (code publication, the qualifications consultation, and the 2027–28 legislation) on the reform timeline.

Frequently asked questions

What is the property agent Code of Practice?

A non-statutory code, due later in 2026 under the government's home buying and selling reforms, setting minimum best-practice standards that estate and letting agents will be expected to adopt.

Is the Code of Practice legally binding?

No. It is non-statutory. But it is designed to prepare the industry for regulation: a formal consultation on mandatory qualifications for agents follows in 2027, and the reform roadmap builds toward legislation.

Does the Code of Practice apply in Scotland?

No. Propertymark has confirmed the government does not expect the code to apply in Scotland, which already has its own regulatory framework for property professionals. The 2027 qualifications consultation covers England, Wales and Northern Ireland only.

What should estate agents do before the code arrives?

Get ahead of the standards it will formalise: recognised qualifications, and clean upfront-information practice (accurate material information on every listing and readiness for sales packs).

Primary sources

• GOV.UK: Home Buying and Selling Reform roadmap (June 2026)
• Estate Agent Today, Government code of practice for agents: more details emerge (29 July 2026)

Reviewed by Jamie Dawson, Editor of Logbook.co.uk, the independent home of the UK logbook. Logbook.co.uk is not a logbook provider and has no commercial relationship with any provider. Corrections: corrections@logbook.co.uk