How to win more landlord instructions in 2026

The market you are pitching into has changed. By most estimates, tens of thousands of buy-to-let landlords left the private rented sector in 2025 — one widely cited industry estimate puts the figure at around 93,000 — driven by the Renters’ Rights Act, rising costs and regulatory fatigue. Savills reported that the value of the sector fell by roughly £48bn over the year, its largest decline this century. Whatever the precise number, the direction of travel is clear: the landlords who remain are under more pressure, more sceptical, and much harder to impress with a glossy brochure and a vague promise of “great service.”

The good news: most of your competition is still pitching on exactly that. Fee undercutting. Vague assurances. A friendly face on a For Let board. In 2026, the agents winning instructions are the ones who can demonstrate a clear, competent, no-surprises service — and the sharpest place to do that is your referencing and tenancy process.

The trust gap is your biggest opportunity

A survey of 890 landlords by The Letting Partnership found that 19% do not trust agents to correctly manage client money, and 34% say their agent fails to clearly communicate its compliance credentials and professional standards. More striking still: 76% were unaware that some agents voluntarily undergo independent reviews of their client accounting and operational processes — yet 99% said an independently verified compliance review would increase their confidence in an agent.

That is not a niche gripe. That is a substantial slice of the market waiting to be persuaded by whoever shows up with a straight answer.

The underlying frustration is usually the same: landlords feel kept in the dark. They don’t know what’s happening with a tenant application, they receive invoices for charges they didn’t expect, and they’re not sure their agent is across the legislation. Goodlord’s State of the Lettings Industry Report 2025 found that 29% of landlords now cite compliance as the main advantage of using an agent — up from 17% in 2023 — a clear signal that landlords increasingly judge agents on competence and process, not charm. That makes your referencing and compliance proposition central to the pitch, not a footnote.

Lead with process transparency, not personality

Start with your referencing workflow. Walk the landlord through exactly what happens after an applicant applies: who runs the checks, what is included as standard, how long it takes, and what the outcome looks like. Most agents hand-wave this. The ones who produce a one-page summary — “here’s what’s in our reference report, here’s our typical turnaround, here’s the cost, no add-ons” — already stand out.

With PropertyGoose referencing, for example, the standard report covers a TransUnion & CreditSafe-backed credit check, income and affordability, employer and previous-landlord references, plus Right to Rent and AML — with reports typically returned in 48 hours. Modern referencing platforms work quickly; the realistic bottleneck is almost always the applicant completing their forms and referees replying. Being honest about that with a landlord builds trust in a way that inflated “instant results” marketing does not.

The Renters’ Rights Act is a sales conversation, not just a compliance checklist

Section 21 ‘no-fault’ evictions were abolished when the Renters’ Rights Act came into force on 1 May 2026. Fixed terms are gone — all assured tenancies are now periodic, and a landlord can face a civil penalty of up to £7,000 for purporting to let on a fixed term. Rental bidding is banned: the proposed rent must be stated in writing, and agents cannot invite or accept offers above it. Discrimination against prospective tenants because they receive benefits or have children is prohibited.

Existing tenants also had to be given the right paperwork. Where a tenancy is wholly or partly in writing, landlords had to provide the Government’s official Information Sheet by 31 May 2026; for wholly oral tenancies, a written statement of key terms. The document can be served on paper or sent as a PDF attachment by email or text — but you must not simply send a link to the PDF, as that does not count. Failure to comply carries a civil penalty of up to £7,000 for a first breach, rising to as much as £40,000 for continued non-compliance.

Use the legislative change as a concrete pitch point: “Under the Renters’ Rights Act, here is specifically what we handle on your behalf, here is what we put in front of your tenant, and here is how we document it.” That is worth more than any claim about local expertise or years in business.

If your agency has a structured process for issuing compliant documentation — tenancy agreements, deposit registration, statutory notices — show the workflow, not just the claim. For agents tightening this up, full-lifecycle tools like PropertyGoose OfferGoose cover offer management, tenancy agreement generation and notices in one place, so there’s a clear audit trail.

Sharpen your referencing pitch with specifics

When a landlord asks how you vet tenants, “we do thorough checks” is the answer everyone gives. These specifics win:

• What is included at the standard price. Not what you can add on — what’s in.
• How applicants submit their information. A smooth digital process reduces delays; a PDF form emailed back and forth does not.
• What happens when a reference flags a problem. Walk the landlord through a borderline pass or a fail — how you interpret it, how you communicate it, what you recommend.
• Your turnaround. Industry guidance puts referencing at roughly two to five working days; being honest about what drives that (applicant and referee response time, not your platform) is more credible than overpromising guaranteed 24-hour results.

Transparent referencing pricing with no hidden add-ons is also a practical differentiator. Landlords who’ve been stung by supplemental charges on top of a headline rate remember it — and they mention it when someone new is pitching.

Stop competing on fee and start competing on outcome

Dropping your management fee to win an instruction is a losing game. On a £1,200/month rental, the difference between 10% and 12% management is £24 a month. That’s rarely why landlords leave an agent, and it’s rarely why they stay.

In our experience, the landlords most likely to be dissatisfied with an agent point to poor communication and unexpected costs far more often than the headline fee. Position your fees as a reflection of scope, not an obstacle to overcome. Itemise what is included: tenant finding, referencing, tenancy agreement, deposit registration, rent collection, maintenance coordination, compliance documentation. A landlord who can see what they’re getting at each stage will compare you favourably to the agent who quoted £50 less but buried a referencing surcharge in the small print.

The portfolio landlord conversation

With smaller landlords leaving the market, the instruction pipeline is increasingly concentrated among portfolio landlords — those with several properties — who are proportionally more likely to use an agent and less easily swayed by a single charming valuer. They want consistency across properties, a single point of contact, clear reporting and a process that doesn’t create more work than it saves.

If you’re pitching a portfolio landlord, get specific about how you handle multiple tenancy renewals, how you structure reporting across properties, and what your referencing costs look like at volume. Checking the pricing structure for volume referencing upfront — and presenting it as part of the pitch rather than leaving it for the invoice — is exactly the transparency these landlords are looking for.

In summary

Winning instructions in 2026 is not about charisma, brand colour or being first to pick up the phone — though none of those hurt. It’s about demonstrating, concretely, that you are the agent who will reduce a landlord’s stress rather than add to it.

That means a referencing process they can understand before they sign. A compliance workflow that handles the Renters’ Rights Act obligations without them having to chase you. Pricing with no surprises. And a full tenancy lifecycle — from offer to deposit registration to statutory notices — managed in one place.

If you want to see how PropertyGoose supports agents on exactly that, book a quick demo and we’ll walk you through the workflow.