The property lobby was written during the political storm over Brexit and before the General Election of 2019 was called. Now that the Election has happened and Brexit is underway, a postscript is called for. What if anything will these changes mean for the property lobby?

First on Brexit. Property commentators have filled thousands of column inches debating whether Brexit will have any effect on the economy. All think it will impact the economy, but it is less clear whether EU membership as such has a specific impact on land, planning and housing that are the subject of this book. The EU does not fund housing programmes; however, new housing development in some regions often directly benefitted from EU expenditure on infrastructure, like new roads, and EU environmental regulations are an integral part of town planning law.

Will anything change in the politics of housing in the UK when we are out of EU? As the book explains, the finance-housebuilding complex has ridden out booms and slumps before, coming out more powerful after each one. Brexit will not change that. Political instability in the UK in 2016–2019 had little effect on the housing market with prices and rents continuing to rise and development being increasingly unaffordable in many parts of the country. Housebuilders profits were up; land banking continued as before; and government subsidies to the housebuilders and landowners continued. The fundamentals remained the same: a shortage of supply, high prices, and a lack of social and affordable housing, with London and the South East remaining the most attractive locations for property investors and speculators.

Some pundits predict a property boom after Brexit. They argue that pent up demand would be released, with banks and financial institutions lending more. House prices and house building rates will rise, and the housebuilders and landowners will get richer. There is evidence that soon after the 2019 election overseas investors were again buying high-end property in London (The Guardian, 2020). On the other hand, those opposed to leaving the EU predict an economic slowdown over the long term if there is a hard Brexit. If past history is any guide, under these circumstances, government will continue to prop up the market with Help to Buy and subsidies to the housebuilders.