Political uncertainty is another fresh challenges for UK construction
Bradley Lay Warns industry must build for resilience following Keir Starmerโs resignation
Construction entrepreneur and TrueNorth Capital Group founder Bradley Lay has warned that political uncertainty following the resignation of Prime Minister Keir Starmer will create fresh challenges for UK construction firms already facing significant structural pressures.
Lay, who has spent more than two decades in the industry and has specialised in acquiring construction businesses over the past three years, believes the sector is entering a period where resilience and adaptability will become more important than ever.
He said: โLeadership changes inevitably create uncertainty and markets dislike uncertainty. Whenever there is a vacuum around policy, businesses delay decisions, investors become more cautious and projects slow down.
โThe immediate concern for construction firms isnโt necessarily who replaces Keir Starmer, itโs the paralysis that leadership transitions create. Major infrastructure decisions, planning reform and investment programmes often stall while everyone waits for clarity.โ
Lay believes many firms are underestimating the combined impact of political uncertainty, changing cost dynamics and weaknesses within traditional contracting models.
โThe reality is weโre seeing three structural shifts happening simultaneously,โ he said.
โFirstly, political uncertainty creates hesitation across the market. Developers, investors and lenders all become more cautious when they donโt know what future tax policy, regulation or public spending priorities might look like.
โSecondly, energy prices have fallen sharply following the end of the conflict in Iran, but supply chains havenโt yet caught up. Tender prices are still reflecting higher material costs which creates opportunities for firms with strong supplier relationships and disciplined procurement.
Andrew Stanton CEO Proptech-PR
Eco Approach to supply EPCโs for The Mortgage Works Landlord clients
Eco Approach Collaborate with Leading UK Buy-to-Let Lender The Mortgage Works to Deliver Free Energy Assessments for Landlords Ahead of 2030 Deadline.
- Eco Approach selected as the expert retrofit partner for a major new energy efficiency pilot.
- Initiative addresses critical knowledge gap, with 67% of UK landlords unaware of upcoming EPC โCโ mandates.
- Collaboration combines free expert assessments with discounted financing to offer an end-to-end compliance route.
Press Release LONDON, UK โ June 2026 โ Retrofit specialist Eco Approach announced today a collaboration with leading UK buy-to-let lender The Mortgage Works to launch a comprehensive support package aimed at helping landlords meet incoming 2030 energy efficiency standards.
From 1 October 2030, all privately rented homes in England and Wales must meet a minimum Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) rating of โCโ. Research from The Mortgage Works highlights a lack of readiness in the market: 67% of landlords remain unaware of the target, and 73% are unfamiliar with the implementation timeline. Furthermore, 63% admit they are unsure of how much it will cost*.
To bridge this gap, The Mortgage Works will fund 1,000 free property assessments for eligible mortgage customers, to be delivered directly by Eco Approach. The tailored assessments will identify improvements, outline estimated costs, map out exemptions, and provide an actionable pathway for the retrofit installations.
To help ease cost barriers, the initiative pairs these assessments with new Energy Efficiency Further Advance products from The Mortgage Works, offering discounted rates for up to ยฃ15,000 of borrowing.
Lee Rix, Managing Director of Eco Approach, commented: โWe are proud to be working with this important initiative, helping landlords understand the improvements needed across their properties and giving them a clear, practical route to action. Combining discounted lending products with our retrofit expertise means landlords can rest assured that high-quality installations, underwritten by insurance-backed guarantees, will assure compliance with the new legislationโ.
โOur resident-first approach is designed to make the journey smooth and informed for landlords and tenants alike, supporting better property performance and homes that are warmer, healthier and more affordable to run.โ
Andrew Stanton CEO Proptech-PR
nHabit new rental AI search platform launches
An AI-powered start-up launched by the former boss of a major architecture business wants to disrupt the duopoly of Rightmove and Zoopla by enabling renters to find homes by using normal everyday language โ as opposed to simply being driven by post codes.
This has the power to revolutionise property search by opening up thousands of places that tenants might not have previously considered because current sites have not evolved to enable real language search, something AI now enables in everyday life.
Steven Charlton, former European boss of Perkins&Will, created nHabit initially as a way to measure vibrancy around schemes being designed by his new design house. His team patented new mapping software referencing points of interest across London that could be triangulated to calculate how attractive an area could be. Combined with the large language model his team also built, he found the software had another use: helping renters find properties in a more human way.
The model will come as a further blow to Rightmove which is facing a ยฃ1.5 billion lawsuit from competitors complaining about its position. Charlton built nHabit to help make it easier for smaller agents to succeed in a market dominated by a few big players.
Steven Charlton, founder at nHabit, said: โInstead of following the herd to the same old post codes, our aim is to enable people to search naturally for a place to live the way theyโd discuss their perfect holiday with ChatGPT.
Renters can now find places they may not have previously discovered. For landlords, it enables them to be able to promote high quality homes that may not get the showcase they deserve due to their post code. For agents, it simply breaks the monopoly of the major platforms whilst opening up the potential for new fees and a much better customer experience.โ
Andrew Stanton CEO Proptech-PR
