APC Hot Topics
& Industry Briefing

The Building Safety Levy came into force in England on 1 October 2026. It applies to building control applications and notices submitted on or after that date for work creating new dwellings, purpose-built student accommodation bedspaces or residential floorspace through a change of use.

Developments of fewer than 10 new dwellings or 30 new purpose-built student accommodation bedspaces are exempt, alongside affordable housing and certain supported or community accommodation. The levy does not apply to applications submitted before 1 October 2026, so the cut-off date is professionally significant for live projects.

The levy is calculated per square metre of chargeable floorspace. Rates vary by local-authority area, and a discounted rate applies to qualifying previously developed land. It must be paid before completion of the work or occupation of the building, whichever happens first.

For surveyors, the levy is now an active cost-planning and viability consideration, not a forthcoming one. It should be identified at feasibility stage, tested within the development appraisal and kept under review as the design and chargeable floorspace develop. Candidates should understand both the exemptions and the implications for client advice on timing, cost and development viability. The levy should not be described as applying only to higher-risk buildings — it applies broadly to new residential development within scope.

The RICS professional standard Responsible use of artificial intelligence in surveying practice came into effect on 9 March 2026. It applies to RICS members and regulated firms when an AI system has a material impact on the delivery of surveying services.

The central professional point is not technical. AI does not transfer accountability. Where an AI-assisted output materially affects surveying services, its reliability must be assessed by, or under the supervision of, an appropriately qualified and identifiable surveyor. The surveyor remains responsible for the advice given — that responsibility cannot be delegated to a tool.

The standard addresses governance and risk management, data and system governance, procurement and due diligence, output reliability, professional oversight, record keeping, and transparency with clients. The practical question is therefore no longer simply whether surveyors use AI, but whether they use it with appropriate controls, professional judgement and clear human accountability at every stage.

The RICS August 2026 AI report found that around two-thirds of construction respondents and more than three-quarters of commercial-property respondents used AI in some part of their work. Embedded use across practice remains less consistent — which is precisely where governance and accountability matter most.

Candidates should also distinguish professional use of AI from RICS assessment rules. APC submissions must remain the candidate's own work; generative AI must not be used to produce assessment submissions, other than the limited permitted use of tools for spelling, grammar and word count.

The revised RICS professional standard Secured lending valuation of properties in multi-storey, multi-occupancy residential buildings with cladding, 2nd edition, comes into effect on 1 November 2026. It was published in May 2026.

Under the revised framework, an EWS1 form should only be requested where there is a defined reason to do so, based on building height and construction features — including visible cladding, curtain wall systems and certain balcony designs. The standard differentiates between buildings over six storeys, buildings of five or six storeys, and buildings of four storeys or fewer. The intention is a more consistent and proportionate approach that reduces unnecessary transaction delays.

Two points of professional principle are critical. First, an EWS1 form is designed for valuation and lending purposes only — it is not a fire safety certificate. Candidates must be able to state this clearly. Second, the absence of a requirement for an EWS1 form does not mean the building will not need remediation in the future. These are separate questions.

In some circumstances, a suitable executive summary or report from a PAS 9980 Fire Risk Appraisal of External Walls (FRAEW) may be relied upon instead of an EWS1 form, provided it clearly confirms whether remedial works are required and is signed by an appropriately qualified professional.

Valuers should apply the revised criteria from 1 November 2026 and be prepared to explain the purpose and limits of the form to clients, lenders and other parties.

The corporate offence of failure to prevent fraud under the Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Act 2023 came into effect on 1 September 2025.

It applies to large incorporated bodies and partnerships that meet at least two of these three criteria:

• more than 250 employees;
• more than £36 million turnover; or
• more than £18 million in total assets.

An organisation may be liable where an employee, agent, subsidiary undertaking or other associated person commits a specified fraud intending to benefit the organisation or its clients. The prosecution does not need to show that senior management ordered or knew about the fraud.

The organisation has a defence if it can demonstrate that it had reasonable fraud-prevention procedures in place, or that it was not reasonable to expect such procedures. Government guidance is structured around six principles: top-level commitment, risk assessment, proportionate risk-based procedures, due diligence, communication and training, and monitoring and review.

For surveyors, relevant risks can arise in procurement, valuations, payment applications, tendering, expenses, reporting, data manipulation and representations made to clients or funders.

The first phase of the Renters' Rights Act 2025 came into force for the private rented sector in England on 1 May 2026.

The principal changes include:

• abolition of section 21 "no-fault" evictions;
• conversion of the vast majority of new and existing private-sector tenancies to assured periodic tenancies;
• revised section 8 possession grounds;
• rent increases limited to once a year using the revised section 13 procedure and at least two months' notice;
• a ban on rental bidding and requesting more than one month's rent in advance;
• protection against discrimination involving children or benefit receipt; and
• a duty to consider tenants' requests to keep a pet and give a valid reason for refusal.

The Private Rented Sector Database is a later phase. Its regional rollout is planned from late 2026, followed by wider implementation. It should not yet be described as a fully operational national registration requirement for every landlord.

Surveyors advising landlords, investors or tenants should explain both the legal change and its operational consequences for tenancy documents, possession strategy, rent review processes, management systems and investment assumptions.

For qualifying expenditure incurred from 1 January 2026, a new 40% first-year allowance is available for qualifying main-rate plant and machinery expenditure where another first-year allowance is not available. This applies to UK leasing only — overseas leasing is excluded.

The main-pool writing-down allowance reduced from 18% to 14% from 1 April 2026 for Corporation Tax and from 6 April 2026 for Income Tax. The special-rate-pool writing-down allowance remains 6%.

Candidates should not confuse the new 40% first-year allowance with the Annual Investment Allowance, full expensing or the separate treatment of special-rate expenditure. The appropriate relief depends on the taxpayer, asset, expenditure date and circumstances.

Surveyors should identify potentially qualifying expenditure, maintain appropriate cost information and involve a suitably qualified tax adviser. They should not present themselves as providing specialist tax advice where that is outside their competence.

The Building Regulations etc. (Amendment) (England) Regulations 2026 implement the Future Homes and Buildings Standards. For most work, the regulations come into force on 24 March 2027. Relevant provisions for higher-risk building work come into force on 24 September 2027, subject to separate transitional arrangements.

The standards ensure that new homes and non-domestic buildings use low-carbon heating and achieve high levels of energy efficiency, avoiding the need for later retrofit as the electricity grid decarbonises. A new functional requirement for on-site renewable electricity generation applies when a dwelling, or a building containing a dwelling, is erected.

Candidates should understand the confirmed commencement dates and transitional rules. It is no longer accurate to describe these standards as something expected in the near future — they are legislated with confirmed dates.

Whole-life carbon: alongside the operational carbon focus of the Future Homes Standard, embodied carbon is an increasingly prominent professional issue. The RICS-led CLEAR initiative (see Topic 16) reflects the direction of travel: understanding whole-life carbon — both operational and embodied — is becoming part of professional competence for candidates across construction, development and surveying pathways, not just sustainability specialists.

Amendments to Approved Document B providing that new blocks of flats with a top storey 18 metres or more above ground level should have more than one common stair came into effect on 30 September 2026, subject to transitional arrangements.

These transitional arrangements are professionally important. The updated guidance does not apply automatically to all live schemes — whether a project benefits from the previous guidance depends on the relevant building-control application and transitional position. Surveyors involved in live or pipeline schemes should verify this position rather than assuming that planning permission alone determines the outcome.

The requirement can materially affect fire strategy, core design, floorplate efficiency, net-to-gross ratios, structural coordination, cost planning, viability and programme.

The change concerns new residential design. It should not be presented as a retrospective requirement that automatically obliges every existing building over 18 metres to install another staircase.

RICS Property Measurement, 2nd edition has been archived and should now be used only as a reference.

RICS members and regulated firms should select the appropriate measurement basis from IPMS: All Buildings or the RICS Code of Measuring Practice to satisfy the purpose and requirements of the instruction. The basis used must be documented.

This does not mean that one measurement basis automatically applies to every instruction. The surveyor should understand the client's purpose, advise on the appropriate basis, record what has been used and explain any departure from IPMS where relevant. Consistency, transparency and comparability are the professional issues.

Leasehold reform is progressing through several different pieces of legislation, but not every announced reform is in force. The professional discipline is to distinguish clearly between:

• legislation already in force — the Leasehold Reform (Ground Rent) Act 2022 generally restricts ground rent to a peppercorn on qualifying new long residential leases;
• enacted provisions not yet commenced — the Leasehold and Freehold Reform Act 2024 is enacted and some provisions have commenced, but the valuation reforms intended to remove marriage value still require further legislation and implementation work; and
• proposals not yet law — the draft Commonhold and Leasehold Reform Bill, published January 2026, proposes making commonhold the default for most new flats, capping existing ground rents before eventual peppercorn reduction, and replacing forfeiture.

Current parliamentary information indicates that the proposed ground-rent cap is likely to commence in late 2028 at the earliest, subject to final legislation and parliamentary approval. The Government intends to introduce the final bill during the 2026–27 parliamentary session.

Candidates should not describe marriage value as already abolished, or the £250 cap as currently law. Where advising clients on leasehold matters, recognising which reforms are in force, which are enacted but not commenced, and which remain proposals is a core professional competence.

RICS is developing the second edition of its Home Survey Standard. The review has been active throughout 2026, with progress updates published to members. The second edition is not yet effective. Candidates and practitioners should continue using the current first edition until the second edition is formally published and its commencement date confirmed.

The proposed changes under active development include: clearer specification of the three survey levels; updated guidance reflecting the use of technology and AI in survey practice; an optional valuation element at all survey levels; enhanced guidance for 'additional risk' dwellings; and updated information on legislation and regulatory requirements.

RICS also consulted on a related Home Surveys Regulatory Scheme intended to raise standards and consumer protection in residential surveying. The timing and form of any regulatory scheme will follow from the final second edition and further consultation.

The professional awareness point for APC candidates is to know that the standard is under active development, understand the direction of change, and be clear that the first edition governs current practice.

The Government published its Home Buying and Selling Reform roadmap in June 2026, committing to a significant overhaul of the transaction process. The reform is driven by a long-standing problem: average transactions taking around 120 days and around one in three failing to complete.

The key elements of the current direction include:

• Upfront information and sales packs — sellers and agents required to provide prerequisite property information before a property is listed, including a property condition assessment;
• Digital property logbooks — standardised digital records holding title information, legal data, council tax band, EPC rating and other relevant property details, reducing the need for reassembly on every transaction;
• Digitisation and automation — electronic conveyancing tools, digital identity checks and binding agreements earlier in the transaction; and
• Professionalisation — an industry Code of Practice for the home buying and selling process, and enhanced accountability for agents and other transaction professionals.

As of October 2026, a voluntary industry-led phase is under way. The Government has committed to legislate when parliamentary time allows. Sales packs and mandatory upfront surveys are not yet compulsory. Candidates should be able to distinguish what is current practice, what is under voluntary adoption and what remains a proposal.

The direction of travel is significant for residential valuers and building surveyors: if upfront property condition assessments become standard, the profession's role in the early transaction stage changes materially.

The UK Government is developing a Strategy for the Built Environment Professions, Trades and Occupations, due in 2027. In August 2026, RICS responded to the Government's call for evidence, advocating for a proportionate, outcomes-focused regulatory framework that strengthens public confidence, improves safety and ensures the sector has the skills and capability needed for future challenges.

The RICS response focuses on skills and workforce development, regulation and oversight, and consumer protection and market integrity. It also stresses that AI should enhance rather than replace professional competence, judgement and accountability.

The wider direction matters for APC candidates. Professional competence is increasingly understood as more than technical knowledge. It includes responsible decision-making, the ability to explain and defend professional judgement, and clear human accountability — including in situations where a technically compliant approach creates foreseeable safety, quality or consumer risk that the surveyor has a responsibility to raise.

RICS published FAQs and guidance on structural safety issues linked to reinforced concrete transfer slabs in May 2026, following a Government alert highlighting specific concern about punching shear failures in this type of construction. The Institution of Structural Engineers published updated design and assessment guidance in July 2026.

A transfer slab is a floor arrangement where a column bears on top of a reinforced concrete slab without a column supporting it directly below. The concern is a failure mechanism that could cause partial building collapse, particularly where there are signs of structural distress.

The Government is not aware of any building collapse caused by this in the UK, but has recommended that building owners seek professional advice where visible signs of distress exist. RICS recommends that initial inspections and condition reports be carried out by Chartered Building Surveyors at MRICS or FRICS level.

This is relevant to surveyors involved in building inspections, pre-acquisition surveys, asset management, building control and development. The professional issue is recognising the risk factor, advising the client appropriately, and knowing when to recommend specialist structural input.

In April 2026, RICS launched the Coalition for Life Cycle Emissions Alignment and Reporting (CLEAR) at the Sustainable Buildings and Construction Summit in Lausanne. The initiative brings together RICS, the World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD) and the Global Building Data Initiative (GBDI) with the aim of harmonising the measurement and reporting of whole-life carbon emissions across the global built environment.

CLEAR is a three-year initiative focused on a globally aligned framework for whole-life carbon measurement, tools to enable comparison across methodologies, region-specific technical workstreams, and a digital platform for reporting and guidance.

The professional context for APC candidates is the distinction between operational carbon (energy in use during the building's life) and embodied carbon (carbon associated with materials, construction, maintenance and end-of-life). As grid decarbonisation reduces operational carbon from low-carbon heating, embodied carbon becomes proportionally more significant. Both are now part of a professional conversation on sustainability in the built environment.

Candidates should understand the direction of travel and the professional conversation — not just the operational carbon improvements of the Future Homes Standard — and be able to explain why whole-life carbon assessment matters for clients, projects and long-term asset value.

The RICS UK Residential Market Survey for September 2026 shows a renewed softening in buyer demand and agreed sales alongside continued strong pressure in the rental market. New buyer enquiries moved to a net balance of minus 22%, with the headline house price balance moving to minus 32%, led by weakness in London. Scotland and Northern Ireland continue to show positive price sentiment.

A positive reading for new sales instructions (+6%) was recorded for the first time since mid-2025, suggesting improved supply — but demand has not followed proportionately. The rental market continues to be characterised by strong tenant demand against constrained supply, sustaining upward pressure on rents.

The professional awareness point is not the statistics themselves but the ability to contextualise market conditions. For Residential and Valuation candidates, understanding what is driving the current market dynamic — affordability pressures, mortgage market conditions, supply constraints, and legislative change affecting both the sales and rental sectors — is part of the professional conversation that an assessor may expect you to engage with.

Candidates should follow the RICS UK Residential Market Survey as a regular source of current market awareness, not simply as data to be memorised. The ability to discuss market conditions with reference to recent authoritative evidence is a mark of professional engagement.