2026 property predictions

With years of experience in the Aberdeen city and shire estate agency and lettings, we make it our job to have our fingers on the pulse of the property market. 

There’s no denying that the single most impactful factor will be the Housing (Scotland) Bill 2025. With its provisions for permanent rent controls and enhanced tenant rights, the bill is expected to push accidental landlords into selling their older, less-efficient rental property stock into the sales market.

Buying and selling

The result of this market saturation is a significant win for first-time buyers who benefit from increased choice and potentially, a softer entry-level price point.

Long tied to the volatility of the oil and gas sector, the Energy Transition Zone (ETZ) developments are creating a new pocket of demand driven by the influx of skilled professionals specialising in renewables, hydrogen and tech. This is great news for the city centre and its periphery (Altens, Tullos, Cove) as well as in the shire. 

We expect to see family homes (3+ beds) in desirable commuter areas such as Banchory, Inverurie and Stonehaven remain resilient, driven by a continued demand with buyers looking for quality of life and good school catchments. This will likely see properties holding their value or benefiting from modest growth.

We expect to see these two factors determine a sale price more than ever:

1.      Legislation and compliance

Due to new and stricter EPC regulations which uses a new calculation model and reduced five-year validity period, properties with a low rating (D, E, F) will face an ‘energy tax’. Buyers will need to factor in the mandatory cost of future energy efficiency upgrades, potentially resulting in lower offers or a temptation to lean towards newer builds.

With tighter legislation like Awaab’s Law (strict deadlines to address damp and mould) and rent control, lettings management is now – more than ever – about compliance and proactive property checks.

We have been working closely with many sellers and landlords in Aberdeen city and shire to pre-empt these changes in legislation by project managing improvements (insulation, heat pumps, damp and mould prevention). Buyers are willing to pay a premium for EPC C+  which offers the beauty of a traditional granite home with the benefits of modern energy efficiency. 

2.      Property staging

With an anticipated surge of ex-rental properties hitting the sales market, the need for differentiation will be significant and we expect to see the continuing rise of property staging jump in 2026. With such fierce competition, staging will become the new normal to make a property stand out and justify its asking price.

Under permanent rent control, a landlord’s ability to increase rent will be severely capped for sitting tenants. High quality staging justifies demanding and achieving a justifiable market rate which allows for a sustainable yield ahead of the cap kicking in.

Looking towards 2026, we expect to see both sales and letting markets defined by regulatory pressure. To move strategically, EPIC can manage legislation and compliance as well as home staging to achieve your property’s best return.

What do you think? We always love hearing the opinions and insight of others when it comes to all things property so drop us a note to connect!

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