It’s no secret that the estate agency sector is under significant pressure.

Affordability issues, Brexit uncertainty and a raft of legislative changes which penalise certain participants are taking their toll. In 2018 the number of property transactions in England and Wales dropped by 7% over a two-year period, while in London transactions fell by a whopping 17% over the same time.

Online agents have seen significant consolidation, as only the fittest survive, while on the high street we’re seeing large numbers of branch closures among some of the country’s biggest agency brands.

But once again we’ve seen policy confusion reign supreme with proposals of a shift in Stamp Duty from buyers to sellers, followed by a prompt dismissal from the Chancellor.

So what do our local communities need from Government to kick-start housing, and how can politicians better support our sector?

• Stamp Duty reform:

In my last blog I spoke about the benefits of reforming Stamp Duty and our research which shows that cutting Stamp Duty for homes under £500,000 would result in 290,000 sales a year being removed from paying SDLT in England and Northern Ireland, equating to an average saving of £6,900 per purchase.

While the numbers give context, I don’t believe this is a panacea as it fails to take into account regional market variations.

It is however a good basis for us to start conversations around a more subtle policy which takes into account regional pricing (much like the incoming Help to Buy regional caps).

I’m pleased to see that the Government isn’t serious about swapping Stamp Duty from buyers to sellers.

In my view this option would only encourage sellers to build the cost of Stamp Duty into asking prices.

Whilst in theory this would be broadly net neutral for both parties, it does of course raise a complication when the buyer is a second home owner or investor, where the 3% Stamp Duty surcharge would become payable.

Surely it is not right that a seller should be penalised for the circumstances of an individual buyer?

• Regulation of the rental market:

Traditionally many private landlords viewed property investment as a route to supporting later retirement. However, with legislative change driving heavier costs and higher taxes, more are now pursuing alternatives outside of housing.

It is of course vital that we have a rental market that works for everyone and regulation is necessary to protect all parties against unscrupulous practices.

But I’d like to see the Government encourage greater investment into the rental sector – after all, almost a fifth of the UK population now lives in privately rented accommodation and this figure grows each year.

Proposals around introducing a rental cap on the London market should be scrapped. This risks scaring off a significant number of London landlords, who will simply go elsewhere to the detriment of tenants.

In addition, proposals to ban Section 21 evictions have caused landlord confidence to fall drastically.

It is important to protect tenants against unfair practices. However, we believe that the Government should instead seek to promote use of a Section 8 possession notice more widely and make it less onerous for landlords to apply.

This can be a better alternative for instances when a renter has broken the terms of the tenancy and ensures a fairness for both sides.

• The state of our high streets:

Business rates continue to be a pain-point for all businesses, and in particular agents who are facing higher property costs against a backdrop of falling transactions and business.

While some relief is available to very small businesses, many agents with multiple branches don’t qualify and are footing much higher bills since 2017 when the new rateable values came into effect.

It of course raises wider questions about the communities within which we live and work.

In general, our UK high streets have suffered from a lack of investment and coherent government policy to support their reinvigoration.

This impacts footfall in many of our town centres, leading to less business for agents and falling house prices as areas become less desirable.

There is no silver bullet though.

In this instance, it is vital that the Government reassesses its approach to business rates, particularly where struggling businesses or sectors are concerned, and that local councils work together with local businesses and communities to revitalise and encourage thriving high streets.

While much clearly relies on the Government to help our sector, I believe that we all have a role to play in ensuring the health of our local and national housing market.

Our research shows that 80% of consumers consider themselves to be active or browsing the housing market which is a real opportunity for us to leverage.

We can all take steps to educate and encourage buyers, sellers, landlords and tenants to find solutions that best fit their needs.

* Charlie Bryant is CEO of Zoopla