The manifestos set out practical, evidence-based proposals shaped by the experience of frontline property professionals working daily with renters, buyers, sellers, and landlords. Together, they outline how housing policy can better support economic growth, social wellbeing, and environmental goals, while addressing the acute pressures facing households across both nations.

In Scotland, Propertymark’s 10-point Housing Manifesto responds directly to the national housing emergency declared in May 2024, urging the next Scottish Government to act quickly to help reduce the cost of renting, increase housing supply, expand construction skills, improve energy efficiency without undermining availability, and help people move more easily progress on to the housing ladder.

In Wales, Propertymark’s manifesto, “Boosting housing and growth for Wales”, focuses on unlocking new supply, revitalising high streets, improving housing data and decision-making, supporting decarbonisation, and maintaining a sustainable private rented sector while avoiding policies that would further restrict supply.

Across both manifestos, Propertymark identifies common priorities that must be addressed if housing pressures are to ease, including:

• Reforming property taxes and transaction costs that act as barriers to investment and mobility
• Bringing empty homes and underused buildings back into productive use
• Investing in skills, training, and construction capacity
• Supporting realistic, property-type-specific approaches to energy efficiency
• Strengthening regulation, enforcement, and professional standards across the property sector
• Ensuring housing policy is underpinned by transparent, high-quality data
• Building more homes, particularly social housing, to meet long-term demand

Propertymark warns that without urgent and coordinated action, affordability challenges will likely intensify, choice for consumers will shrink, and pressure will continue to spill between tenures, pushing up rents, stalling transactions, and undermining confidence in housing markets.

Timothy Douglas, head of policy and campaigns at Propertymark, said: “Housing pressures are now being felt across every tenure and in every part of Scotland and Wales. These manifestos are grounded in the day-to-day experience of property professionals, and they set out practical, deliverable solutions that the next governments can act on immediately. Without bold, evidence-based reform, affordability will worsen, supply will continue to fall short, and the consequences for households and local economies will deepen.”

The organisation also highlights the importance of collaboration between devolved governments and the UK Government, particularly on issues such as Local Housing Allowance, where continued freezes are leaving growing numbers of households unable to meet housing costs in both Scotland and Wales.