This is an emotional time for many as lockdown restrictions are easing, overnight stays are allowed again and hugging is officially back.

Of course, we still have to be selective about how we embrace (pardon the pun) these new developments and, on a personal level, this comes at a good time as I bid farewell to colleagues to whom I have grown so close during my time at Dynamo.

However, this is not a time to be too self-indulgent as I leave a company at the top of its game and a buy-to-let (BTL) sector that remains in rude health. Nevertheless, one of the legacies I like to think I have left at Dynamo is our progression with technology — something also reflected across the BTL sector.

Huge progress

It’s been 15 years since I set up The Buy to Let Business — before rebranding — and the sector has undergone huge changes in that time, while some elements have hardly altered.

The importance of technology has come to the fore as a result of the pandemic, and its evolution continues by integrating systems, tools and solutions to help advisers better interact with clients and collate a raft of information from various sources.

For example, we have just seen the return of intermediary-only specialist BTL lender CHL Mortgages. A major component of its new offering is significant investment in its technology platform.

In addition, Accord Mortgages has just announced that it has successfully moved its BTL business to a new mortgage sales-and-originations platform. The system has a range of features, including software that reduces the need to repeat information, decision-in-principle certificates, and the facility to view and print offers, which the lender says could now be available within 24 hours of an application.

A strong tech infrastructure not only enables firms to maintain greater internal control but also opens the door to integrating external systems and solutions that better support employees, the advice process and the end-client.

It has become the main crutch for all businesses and its value has been magnified. But so too has the value attached to the advice process for a range of landlords — one of the vital elements I mentioned earlier that has remained the same over the years.

The intermediary market has been at the heart of the BTL sector for as long as I have known, and there is no sign that this will change soon. If anything — as the market becomes ever more complex — its significance will only grow. And, while I will certainly miss them, you can be sure that property, BTL and the advice process will all remain close to my heart.