Mortgage lenders and brokers have been too quiet over the Prudential Regulatory Authority’s (PRA) changes to buy to let lending, according to the National Landlords Association (NLA).

The NLA says that despite the significant regulatory changes to lending criteria and the application process for portfolio landlords, introduced by the PRA over the last 18 months, more than half (55 per cent) were still unaware.

The findings, from the NLA’s Quarterly Landlord Panel, shows that just eight per cent of landlords said their lender had been in touch about the changes, with 16 per cent saying they had been contacted by their broker.

Almost seven in 10 landlords (68 per cent) said neither their lender nor broker had made contact with them about the changes. However, the findings show that brokers and lenders may have concentrated their efforts on larger portfolio landlords, with 26 per cent of portfolio landlords saying their broker had been in touch, and nine per cent saying their lender had made contact.

Richard Lambert, CEO at the NLA said:

“The PRA’s changes will greatly affect the ability of landlords to find new finance and continue to provide good quality affordable housing to those who need it”.

The NLA says that it’s vital landlords are supported through the changes, having issued broad advice earlier in the year urging landlords to contact their mortgage broker or bank before committing to any new property or finance:

“We hope that that the reason such a significant number of landlords haven’t been contacted is because their existing deals are simply not yet close to expiry. However, it’s in lenders’ and brokers’ own interests to speak to landlords about the changes sooner rather than later, otherwise it could mean a missed opportunity in terms of new business.

“If landlords don’t get the right support and information about how the changes will impact their existing loans, then it could mean higher finance costs that many just won’t be able to absorb”.