The decarbonisation of the built environment is likely to be on the UK Government’s agenda as it looks to make good on its commitment at COP29 to cut carbon emissions by 81% from 1990s level by 2035. How will this be achieved? Will Minimum Energy Efficiency Standards play a part, will we see more green leases or more building accreditations and is the UN’s Building Breakthrough initiative beginning to make a substantive difference?

It’s “Love your High Street Week”! So, what better way to start the week than to consider two significant legal reforms announced by the government last week, that are intended to boost and revitalise the High Street: Legislation was introduced to Parliament that will, for the first time, permanently cut business rates for qualifying retail, hospitality and leisure (RHL) properties from 2026 (and in the meantime, 250,000 RHL properties will receive 40% relief off business rates bills up to £110,000 per business to help smooth the transition to the new system); and High Street Rental Auctions powers will come into force on 2 December following the laying of secondary legislation last week, that will give businesses and community groups a ‘right to rent’ long-neglected town-centre commercial properties.

The Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Act 2023 (ECCTA) received Royal Assent on 26 October 2023, with the provisions of ECCTA to be brought in by secondary legislation in stages throughout 2024 and 2025. It was widely thought that the provisions of ECCTA that effect changes to The Register of Overseas Entities regime (originally introduced by the Economic Crime (Transparency and Enforcement) Act 2022 (ECTEA)) would follow later this year, but the Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Act 2023 (Commencement No. 2 and Transitional Provision) Regulations 2024 have effected certain changes to the regime as of 4 March 2024, which we will discuss further in this Insight.

In September, ahead of the Conservative party conference, Rishi Sunak announced a step back from the Government’s net zero policy and targets.  This was followed up last week by the Government’s formal response to the Climate Change Committee’s 2023 Annual Progress Report to Parliament (October Response). Whilst we await detail on what might follow from a legislative perspective (several consultations are promised to land before the end of this year), the messaging suggests that the next steps in the domestic Minimum Energy Efficiency Standards (MEES) regime are now off the table, meaning domestic premises with an EPC of E or above may continue to be let on the open market, without any regulatory requirement for further investment from landlords (or resulting higher rents for tenants).  If domestic MEES have been put on ice, where does that leave their sibling commercial (aka non-domestic) MEES?  

On 17 August 2023, the government published details of the design, construction and occupation regimes which will be introduced for higher-risk buildings, coming into effect on 1 October 2023. Those affected should familiarise themselves with the detail of the regime as outlined in this insight (these changes implement significant change).

The Register of Overseas Entities launched nearly a year ago on 1 August 2022. The Register was established as a measure to increase transparency in the ownership of overseas entities that own UK land. Not only do overseas entities have to register with Companies House, the information that is held on the Register must be reviewed and updated annually. And now there is draft legislation passing through Parliament which may further extend the obligation to file updates on the occurrence of certain trigger events. In this blog, we discuss the duty to update as imposed by the Economic Crime (Transparency and Enforcement) Act 2022, and the associated consequences for those entities that fail to file their update with Companies House.

MEES Regulations have meant that since 1 April 2020 landlords of residential property have been prohibited from letting out properties below a minimum EPC rating of E unless they have registered an exemption. With the last step of the initial phase of the MEES journey coming to fruition last month in respect of a similar prohibition on lettings of commercial property, the anticipated trajectory of the Government’s green policy means that all lettings of residential property would need to achieve a minimum threshold of EPC C by 2028. In this article, we look in detail at the current legislation affecting residential property, what we can expect for the next phase of the MEES journey and the wider implications this may have on the residential housing market.