Upcoming Property changes to the UK Anti Money Laundering Regime - The Money Laundering and Terrorist Financing (Amendment) Regulations 2026

The Money Laundering and Terrorist Financing (Amendment) Regulations 2026 (the “2026 Regulations”)

The 2026 Regulations were laid before Parliament on 25 March 2026. Most of the changes to be made to existing law by the 2026 Regulations are expected to come into effect in June/July 2026. They introduce a number of targeted reforms to the current anti-money laundering regime in the UK (“AMLR”) to enhance the effectiveness of the current AMLR.

Nature and scope of the changes

These AMLR changes focus on updating existing rules rather than replacing them, closing regulatory loopholes, and improving proportionality for firms. The aim is to improve risk-based approaches and reduce unnecessary over-compliance. 

Estate agents and lettings agents, as well as other types of business are subject to the AMLR. Changes to the AMLR effective from 14 May 2025 were significant for lettings agents in that such businesses then became classified as “relevant firms” under the Sanctions and Anti-Money Laundering Act 2018. That change meant that they became bound to carry out financial sanctions checks for all lettings regardless of the amount of the monthly rental payable under any lettings agreement. 

In contrast to the 2025 changes, the changes being made by the 2026 Regulations only have a minor impact on estate agents and lettings agents. They will not face a completely new regime—but they will need to fine-tune their AML controls, especially as to :

• when and how they carry out due diligence 
• how they assess risk 
• how they manage client accounts 

In short: less “box-ticking,” more targeted compliance—but still more work operationally.

What this means for AMLR-related Simply Docs templates and documents

We have reviewed all of our AMLR-related property templates and other documents and made minor updates as necessary to documents relating to estate agents and lettings agents. As to updates to AMLR-related business and company documents, see the associated Business Newsletter and Companies Newsletter.