DIY Landlords in 2026: If Letting Agents Need Higher Standards, Should Landlords Raise Theirs Too?
Something interesting is happening in the lettings industry.
The Lettings Industry Council is calling for mandatory competency standards, enforceable conduct rules and a public register for letting professionals.
Its 2025 research found that 65% of agents surveyed held no property qualification, while 82% believed regulation would improve professionalism within the lettings industry.
The debate will inevitably focus on letting agents.
But I think there's another question worth asking.
What does an increasingly professional property industry mean for landlords who choose to manage their properties themselves?
Because DIY property management isn't disappearing.
But the days when DIY could mean a filing cabinet, a spreadsheet and remembering when the Gas Safety Certificate expires are increasingly difficult to justify.
Property is becoming more professional
Calls for regulation of property agents aren't new.
A government working group chaired by Lord Best recommended back in 2019 that a future regulatory framework should include minimum entry requirements, continuing professional development and a legally enforceable code of practice for property agents.
Seven years later, that conversation hasn't disappeared.
If anything, it's becoming more relevant.
And landlords are experiencing their own version of the same transition.
The Renters' Rights Act has already changed significant parts of the private rented sector in England. From 1 May 2026, existing ASTs generally moved to assured periodic tenancies, alongside other changes affecting how properties are let and managed.
The government's next phase goes further.
From late 2026, the government plans to begin rolling out the new Private Rented Sector Database. Registration is intended to become mandatory for PRS landlords, with information expected to include property details and safety information such as Gas Safety, electrical and Energy Performance Certificates.
Whatever your opinion of those reforms, the direction is difficult to ignore.
Being a landlord is becoming more structured.
Does that mean DIY landlords should give their properties to an agent?
No.
And I think this is an important distinction.
Professionalisation does not have to mean outsourcing.
There are plenty of landlords who know their properties extremely well, have good relationships with their tenants and are perfectly capable of managing their own portfolios.
But there's a difference between:
doing it yourself
and
doing everything manually.
That's where I think the future of DIY property management changes.
What does a professional DIY landlord look like?
You don't necessarily need an office.
You don't need a team of property managers.
And you certainly don't need 100 properties.
You might own one.
You might own five.
What matters is whether you know what's happening with them.
Can you quickly see when your Gas Safety Certificate expires?
Can you find your EICR?
Do you know what repairs are outstanding?
Can you find the relevant tenancy records?
Can you see what happened with a repair six months ago?
Do you have important property information organised somewhere other than your memory?
That's professionalism too.
"I manage it myself"
I've heard this phrase throughout my time in property:
"I manage it myself."
But I've started to think the word manage can mean two very different things.
Manage can mean:
run, organise and control.
Or it can mean:
cope.
And there are landlords doing a lot of coping.
Coping with certificates.
Coping with deadlines.
Coping with repairs.
Coping with emails.
Coping with changing legislation.
Coping with documents stored in six different places.
That isn't a criticism of landlords.
It's a sign that the job has changed while many of the tools being used to do it haven't.
DIY landlords need better tools, not more admin
This is the opportunity I see.
As regulation increases, the answer shouldn't automatically be another spreadsheet, another folder or another expensive service.
Technology should allow independent landlords to operate more professionally without taking control away from them.
A landlord should be able to open a property and understand what's happening.
Property details.
Tenant information.
Compliance dates.
Documents.
Repairs.
Photos.
Reminders.
One property record instead of information scattered everywhere.
That's the principle behind 360Rent.
Why we built 360Rent
360Rent isn't intended to turn landlords into letting agents.
And it isn't designed to tell experienced landlords how to run their businesses.
It's about giving landlords better infrastructure to do what many already want to do:
manage their own properties properly.
If the industry is moving towards greater accountability, landlords should have tools that help them move with it.
That's why we're building around three simple principles:
Stay Organised.
Know where your property information is.
Stay Compliant.
Keep important dates and records visible.
Stay In Control.
You make the decisions. Technology deals with more of the administration around them.
The landlords who adapt will have an advantage
Property people are some of the most adaptable businesspeople I've encountered.
Interest rates change.
Tax changes.
Markets change.
Regulations change.
And somehow the industry adapts.
Some landlords will understandably decide that increased regulation means property is no longer for them.
Others will adapt their businesses around the new environment.
They'll streamline.
They'll use technology.
They'll create better records.
They'll automate repetitive administration.
And they'll spend more of their time actually making decisions about their properties.
Those are the landlords I believe will define the next generation of the private rented sector.
DIY doesn't have to mean amateur
Perhaps that's the most important point.
DIY landlord shouldn't mean amateur landlord.
You can manage your own properties and still operate professionally.
You can retain control without carrying every deadline around in your head.
You can use technology without handing your portfolio over to someone else.
And you can adapt before regulation forces you to.
The property industry is becoming more professional.
Maybe that's not something independent landlords should fear.
Maybe it's an opportunity to become better at what they already do.
Stay Organised. Stay Compliant. Stay In Control.
That's the future we're building 360Rent for.
Related Articles
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- Could Poor Record Keeping Cost You Your Tenant's Deposit?
- The £0 Mistake That Can Cost Landlords Thousands
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