The Intermediary – October 2026 - Flipbook - Page 32
BUY-TO-LET
Opinion
The RRA: Six
reasons to talk to
landlord clients
T
he Renters’ Rights Act
(RRA) has already
brought major change.
With further elements
of the legislation still
to come, this is not a
subject which should generate one
client conversation and then disappear
from the agenda. It provides advisers
with regular reasons to reconnect
with landlords and consider whether
their borrowing, protection and wider
portfolio plans remain right for them.
We’ve produced a document which
covers a number of ‘conversation
starters’. There are six questions
which advisers can use as a starting
point to deliver further value.
How do periodic tenancies
affect the portfolio?
The abolition of fixed-term assured
shorthold tenancies (ASTs) has
changed the way landlords can
manage tenant relationships and
occupancy. Understanding the revised
Section 8 possession grounds has
become increasingly important.
Advisers are not there to provide
legal advice, but they can ask whether
clients have updated their tenancy
and management processes, and
importantly, whether these changes
have altered their aitude towards
individual properties or the portfolio
as a whole. That might reveal
properties which no longer fit longerterm plans, potentially leading to
discussions about selling, refinancing
or directing investment elsewhere.
How resilient is rental income?
With rent increases now subject
to a statutory process and limited
frequency, landlords need to have
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The Intermediary | October 2026
a firm grasp of portfolio cashflow
and how resilient it might be if
circumstances change.
That provides an opportunity
to discuss current rental income,
how the portfolio might cope with
arrears, void periods or increased
costs, and whether existing mortgage
arrangements remain suitable.
These conversations move beyond
what a portfolio produces today and
consider what might happen if income
falls or expenditure increases, while
potentially identifying refinancing
needs or areas where greater financial
resilience could be useful.
What protection do you have?
Possession now relies on Section 8
grounds through the courts, which
may take time, and this makes the
potential impact of lost rental income
worthy of discussion.
Advisers can ask how a portfolio
would perform if a tenant fell
into arrears, whether insurance
arrangements have been reviewed
recently, as well as options such as rent
guarantee insurance.
The landlord borrower relationship
should not necessarily begin and end
with the mortgage, particularly when
regulatory change may alter the risks.
Is your portfolio structured for
the future?
Regulatory change also provides a
good reason for landlords to consider
whether their existing portfolio still
reflects what they want to achieve over
the coming years.
Are all properties delivering the
expected returns, have investment
objectives changed during the past
year, and could restructuring or
LOUISA RITCHIE
is national account
manager at Fleet Mortgages
refinancing improve efficiency or
borrowing capacity?
Professional landlords regularly
make decisions about what they want
to own, where they want to invest and
how they fund those properties, and
advisers can play an important role.
Are your compliance standards
up to date?
Property standards and recordkeeping are receiving greater scrutiny,
so advisers can also ask whether
certificates are current, whether
concerns around damp, mould or
repairs have been addressed, and
whether documentation is up to
date – encouraging landlords to seek
appropriate professional support
where necessary.
When did you last review?
Landlords should not need a
regulatory change or mortgage
maturity to prompt a full assessment
of their position. An annual review
can cover investment objectives,
borrowing, rental income, costs,
future purchases and whether
individual properties continue to
justify their place within the portfolio,
while giving advisers a much fuller
understanding of what their client
wants to achieve.
The RRA provides a very good
reason to start these conversations, but
it should not be where they finish. ●
