On 1 May 2026, the private rented sector in England changed more in a single day than it had in a generation. Fixed-term assured shorthold tenancies gave way to open-ended periodic tenancies. Section 21 “no-fault” evictions ended. Rent increases became limited to once a year through a formal process, rental bidding was banned, and tenants gained new rights around pets and protection from discrimination.
The next phase is already under way. A national private rented sector database, requiring landlords to register themselves and their properties, is rolling out from December. A landlord ombudsman, an updated Decent Homes Standard and an extension of Awaab’s Law follow behind, with the 2030 EPC ambitions still on the horizon.
Landlords are working out what all of this means for their portfolios, and many of them are doing it online. Earlier this year, lender research suggested around a quarter of landlords were still unaware the Act was coming, with smaller and self-managing landlords the least prepared. They are catching up fast, and they are searching as they go.
The question for buy-to-let brokers is simple: when a landlord goes looking for help, does your website look like it was written for the market they are in now?
The Act does not directly change mortgage regulation, but it changes almost everything that sits around a buy-to-let lending decision.
Every one of those trends sends a landlord towards a specialist broker. Compliance with the Act is the landlord’s responsibility, not yours, but the financial consequences of that compliance land squarely in your territory.
Open a typical broker website and the buy-to-let section is a single page, often written several years ago. It explains that buy-to-let mortgages exist, mentions rental cover, perhaps notes that limited company borrowing is available, and ends with a contact form.
To a landlord who has just spent an evening reading about periodic tenancies and the landlord database, that page says one thing loudly: this broker has not been paying attention.
The brokers winning landlord business now are treating buy-to-let as a section of the website rather than a single page. A focused landlord hub might include:
A “what the Renters’ Rights Act means for your finances” guide. Not a legal explainer — landlords can get that elsewhere — but a clear view of how the changes may affect lending, refinancing, rental income assumptions and portfolio strategy. Signpost to professional legal and letting advice where it belongs.
Portfolio refinancing. A page for landlords with four or more mortgaged properties, explaining how portfolio underwriting works, what lenders now look at, and how a broker helps when the whole portfolio needs reviewing.
Limited company and incorporation. Many landlords are asking whether to hold property in a company. Explain the lending side clearly, and be explicit that the tax decision needs a qualified accountant. This is a natural page to share with accountants who refer to you.
Specialist property types. HMOs, multi-unit freehold blocks, holiday lets and semi-commercial property all have their own lending criteria and appeal increasingly to landlords chasing yield.
Interest cover and affordability made simple. A plain-English explanation of how lenders stress-test rental income, ideally with a worked example, helps landlords understand why one deal works and another does not.
Funding improvements. A page on refinancing or capital raising to bring properties up to energy and decency standards ahead of future deadlines.
The phased rollout of the Act gives you a natural content calendar. Each milestone is a moment when landlords are actively searching and a moment when you have a legitimate reason to contact your existing landlord clients.
Each article links into your landlord hub, gives you something useful to send clients, and builds the search and AI-search visibility that brings new landlords to you.
The landlords most worth winning now think of themselves as running a property business. Your website should speak to them that way.
It is much easier to judge a repositioned website when you can click through it. Heer Digital builds independent mortgage brokers a working homepage prototype at no cost and no obligation, positioned around the case types you want more of, including portfolio and limited company landlords.
If you like what you see, we can build it as a fast, low-maintenance site, or as a WordPress site that lets you add landlord guides, case studies and milestone articles yourself as the rest of the Act rolls out.
The rental market has been rewritten. The brokers whose websites are rewritten with it will be the ones landlords call.
Contact Heer Digital for a no-cost, no-obligation homepage prototype built for your buy-to-let clients.
