Small landlords
Small landlords are private individuals or couples who let out a very limited number of properties, typically one to three, often alongside another main job or as part of their pension planning. They make up the bulk of the UK’s Private Rented Sector (PRS) by headcount, even though institutional and portfolio landlords hold large numbers of units.
From a landlord’s perspective, being “small” usually means:
You fund purchases mainly through buy-to-let mortgages and personal savings.
You self-manage with landlord software, or use a high-street agent, rather than running a formal property business with staff.
Regulatory changes and big one-off costs hit your cash flow harder than a large operator. For example a new boiler, licensing fee or enforcement penalty
You can use our free Rental Cashflow calculator
Under the Renters’ Rights Act and related reforms, small landlords are not exempt from compliance duties. The same rules on standards, deposits, notice, redress and enforcement apply regardless of portfolio size. However, government impact assessments, the English Private Landlord Survey and industry bodies often treat small landlords as a distinct group when analysing policy effects and training needs.
For many, the shift towards higher rental standards, stronger enforcement and professionalisation means treating even a single let as a regulated business.
