Much has been made of the sector’s shift towards professionalism and larger portfolio landlords. But remember that most remain small-scale investors with one or two properties.

Many manage their own rentals, know their tenants by name and even fix minor issues themselves. And these experienced, but not full-time professional landlords, still account for a major part of the market.

According to the latest English Private Landlord Survey, 86% of landlords own between one and four properties. Many are accidental landlords, part-time investors, or individuals hoping their properties will fund retirement. They’re unlikely to have a raft of advisers helping them navigate the changing market.

This is where brokers come in.

By helping smaller buy-to-let customers stay informed, compliant, and aware of opportunities to grow their portfolio or save money, you’re building long-term relationships. The more insight and guidance you offer, the more likely they are to stay with you, boosting retention and your business volumes.

Beyond finding them a great mortgage, one of the best ways you can support landlords is by keeping them informed. Regulation doesn’t stand still, and it can be hard for landlords to keep up. By sharing accurate updates, you help them stay within the rules and build their trust.

Here’s what’s coming down the line and worth taking to your customers about:

• Renters’ Rights Bill: Set to become law soon, this legislation includes scrapping Section 21 ‘no-fault’ evictions, ending fixed-term tenancies, applying the Decent Homes Standard and Awaab’s Law to the private rented sector, banning bidding wars, restricting rent increases to once a year, and introducing a new landlord database. Landlords are understandably concerned about the scale of the changes, but you can help them work through what they need to do and how they’ll be impacted.

• Minimum Energy Efficiency Standards: Landlords currently need to meet a minimum EPC E rating, but the government is aiming to raise this to a C by 2030. Help your customers understand how this might impact their portfolio and how they might fund any necessary improvements, even if they’re not ready to act just yet.

• Taxation and self-assessment changes: With the rollout of Making Tax Digital, landlords with qualifying income (from employment and/or property) over £50,000 for the 2024 to 2025 tax year will need to move to the new system from April 2026. Make sure they understand this.

Brokers aren’t expected to be tax or legal experts, but it’s important to keep broadly up to date so you can share information and signpost to trusted sources.

Despite headlines predicting a landlord exodus, many remain committed to property as a long-term strategy. They’re just being smarter about cutting costs and boosting profits.

You can help customers explore their options. That might mean a simple mortgage review, or a conversation about setting up a limited company if they’re looking to expand or improve tax efficiency. Talk them through the pros and cons and always suggest they get independent tax advice. Incorporation isn’t right for everyone.

Some landlords might be looking to diversify their portfolio by investing in different parts of the country. Or maybe they want to move into higher-yielding sub-sectors, such as HMOs or multi-unit freehold blocks. It’s important to keep up to date with lending criteria because it’s constantly changing.

Pepper Money recently relaunched into buy-to-let lending, with a focus on helping small to medium-sized landlords maintain and grow their portfolios.

Some may be considering setting up a limited company or exploring specialist sub-sectors of the market. Others are happy to hold fire with their current portfolio.

They can all benefit from our manual underwriting, flexible criteria and new streamlined application and processing systems, which require only the essential information and documentation with no proof of income.

Not every landlord is a full-time property professional, and many need a helping hand to keep up with changing rules.

They’ll come back to brokers who keep them in the loop and make sure they understand their responsibilities.

Be there for them with support, accurate information and financial advice when they need it.

It’s not just good for your customer’s investment strategy. It’s good for your business, too.