Landlord personas
We will draw on the research described in this report to inform our future work addressing the role of private landlords in the clean heat transition. To support this process, we created four landlord personas. Personas are fictional characters capturing details of user groups that are frequently used in the design of new services and solutions. Based on research, they are intended to make it easier to empathise with potential users and respond to their particular needs and pain points.
We selected the four personas to be distinct in their characteristics, goals and barriers, therefore suggesting different attributes for potential solutions. Short persona descriptions are included below.
Persona 1: The professional portfolio landlord
This persona is a full-time property investor with a large, diverse portfolio including houses in multiple occupancy (HMO). They run letting as a business with an analytical, ROI-driven approach. They maintain strong professional networks and use trusted contractors, expecting clear financial justification for upgrades. They prioritise regulatory compliance and future-proofing while minimising tenant disruption.
- Maintain and grow long-term wealth through strategic investment
- Minimise running costs, especially for HMOs
- Minimise tenant disruption during upgrades
- Access technical expertise to inform complex decisions
- Future-proof properties to avoid repeated work
- Limited liquidity for unplanned capital expenditure
- Scepticism about heat pump ROI
- Trusted installers may lack relevant expertise
- Complexity of applying solutions across diverse property types
- Concern about tenant energy costs affecting rent affordability
- Portfolio size (smaller to larger): 5
- Financial planning horizon (shorter to longer): 3
- Property investment approach (less to more willingness to invest): 3
- Tenant interaction (less direct to more direct): 2
- Environmental motivation (lower to higher): 2
Persona 2: The passive income landlord
This persona is a couple owning a single rental property, who view being a landlord primarily through the lens of a long-term financial investment. They are busy professionals who want hands-off management, relying heavily on an agent for regulatory compliance, managing works, and tenant interactions. They care about the environment but are risk-averse, with limited borrowing appetite and a strong focus on financial stability.
- Maintain reliable tenancy
- Minimise their own personal involvement with property and tenant management
- Cover mortgage costs with modest, steady passive income
- Preserve and/or boost property value for future sale
- Make environmentally sound improvements where feasible
- Limited appetite for further investment and/or borrowing
- Dependence on the agent for technical and regulatory guidance
- Concern about tenant disruption during major works
- Uncertainty about the cost-effectiveness of energy upgrades
- Negative feedback from tradespeople about heat pumps
- Portfolio size: 1
- Financial planning horizon: 4–5
- Property investment approach: 2
- Tenant interaction: 1
- Environmental motivation: 4
Persona 3: The active committed landlord
This persona owns three properties and takes a hands-on approach to management and maintenance. They are keen to grow their portfolio but are constrained by finances and time, and frustrated by what they see as increasingly demanding regulation. They look for cost-effective compliance and reliable tradespeople, balancing DIY work with efficient solutions for larger projects. They draw on informal, local networks for advice and recommendations.
- Grow the size and value of the portfolio
- Complete work cost-effectively themselves
- Minimise void periods
- Understand what is needed to ensure regulatory compliance
- Identify reliable specialist tradespeople when needed
- Scepticism about regulatory fairness and complexity
- Limited access to heat pump expertise in networks
- High upfront costs of work relative to property values
- Time constraints for major retrofit work
- Concern about tenant communication and energy costs
- Portfolio size: 3
- Financial planning horizon: 4
- Property investment approach: 4
- Tenant interaction: 3
- Environmental motivation: 2
Persona 4: The ambivalent retiree landlord
This persona is a retiree landlord with one mortgage-free property providing essential retirement income. They find managing the property increasingly stressful and want minimal hassle. They are financially constrained and risk-averse, focused on short-term income and possibly selling rather than making major upgrades.
- Maintain steady rental income with minimal stress
- Retain good tenants and avoid void periods
- Meet compliance requirements as simply and affordably as possible
- Position property for potential sale
- Reduce administrative burden
- Low cash reserves and borrowing restrictions
- Scepticism about new technologies and regulatory changes
- Lack of trusted specialist contractors
- Concern about disruption and tenant satisfaction
- Feeling of limited control over imposed changes
- Portfolio size: 1
- Financial planning horizon: 2
- Property investment approach: 1–2
- Tenant interaction: 3
- Environmental motivation: 2
