#small-landlords

#small-landlords

As 2025 ends, the U.S. housing market is revealing a new reality. Homeownership is slipping farther out of reach for many, while the pool of renters and small landlord investors expands. For agents, that shift transforms rentals from a fallback option into a primary business opportunity. 2026 will not be another patch year. It will be the year agents fully embrace rentals as a central pillar of their business strategy, client relationships, and long-term growth.

The real estate investment landscape in the United States is not solely dominated by institutional buyers such as Wall Street giants-rather, small landlords with fewer than 11 properties make up more than 90% of investor-owned homes in the country. The latest Investor Pulse report by CJ Patrick Co. and BatchData reveals that even in states with high rates of investor ownership, it is primarily small landlords who are driving this trend, particularly in Maine, Montana, Alaska, and Hawaii.

The Coalition must introduce lower tax rates for small landlords as a way to keep them in the market and not further exacerbate the rental crisis, the Society of Chartered Surveyors Ireland (SCSI) has claimed in a submission to government.

Amid New York City's housing crisis, small landlords face rising costs and tenant issues, feeling unsupported by city laws that favor tenants.