Landlord portfolio software: how to choose the right tool

For years, most landlords ran their portfolios on a spreadsheet and a shoebox of receipts. In 2026 that is no longer enough for many of them. Making Tax Digital for Income Tax is now live, the Renters’ Rights Act has changed how tenancies work, and portfolios are more complex than they used to be. Landlord portfolio software, sometimes called a landlord CRM or property management software, pulls rent, expenses, compliance, tenancies, and documents into one place, so a portfolio runs on a system rather than on memory. This guide explains what these tools do, the features that matter, and how to choose the right one for your portfolio.

What is landlord portfolio software?

Landlord portfolio software is a tool that manages the running of a rental portfolio in one place. Depending on the product, it can track rent and arrears, record income and expenses for tax, store tenancy agreements and certificates, send reminders when compliance is due, log maintenance, and give you a single dashboard across every property you own.

The category goes by several names. Some tools call themselves accounting software, others property management software, landlord software, or a landlord CRM. They range from finance-only tools that focus on the books, through to full platforms that handle tenants, compliance, and maintenance as well. The right label matters less than what the tool actually does, and whether that matches how you run your properties.

Why 2026 is the year to get organised

Three things have converged to make manual record-keeping risky rather than simply old-fashioned.

Making Tax Digital for Income Tax is now live. Since 6 April 2026, landlords whose combined gross income from property and self-employment is over £50,000 must keep digital records and send HMRC a quarterly update through recognised software, instead of a single annual return. The threshold falls to £30,000 from April 2027 and £20,000 from April 2028, so most landlords will be brought in over the next few years. Importantly, qualifying income is gross rent before expenses, not profit, so more landlords are affected than expect to be. Property held in a limited company is outside these rules, because companies pay Corporation Tax instead. For anyone in scope, a spreadsheet alone no longer meets the requirement.

The Renters’ Rights Act has changed the rules. Since May 2026, assured shorthold tenancies have been replaced by periodic assured tenancies, Section 21 no-fault eviction has ended, and possession, rent increases, and property standards all work differently. There is more to stay on top of, and more that can go wrong if a certificate or a deadline is missed.

Portfolios are more complex. More landlords hold property through limited companies, run HMOs, or manage a mix of both, and the compliance burden, gas safety, electrical checks, EPCs, licensing, deposit protection, keeps growing. At a certain size, a spreadsheet stops being a tool and starts being a liability.

None of this makes software compulsory for every landlord. But it does mean the cost of staying disorganised has gone up.

The main types of landlord software

The market is easier to navigate once you see that tools fall into a few categories. Many landlords end up combining two, for example an accounting tool for tax and a separate tool for compliance.

• Accounting-led tools focus on the money: rent, expenses, and tax, usually with a live bank feed. They handle Making Tax Digital well but often leave tenancies and compliance to you. Hammock is a well-known example.
• All-in-one UK-native platforms aim to cover accounting, tenancies, and compliance in a single system built around UK legislation. Landlord Vision, Alphaletz, and August sit here, along with newer entrants such as Propell and LandlordOS.
• Management and operations platforms are strong on the day-to-day of running properties and larger portfolios, though some originate outside the UK and are lighter on UK tax and law. Arthur Online and Landlord Studio are examples.
• Compliance specialists concentrate on tracking certificates, licences, and deadlines, and are often used alongside an accounting tool. Letavo is one.
• HMO and room-level tools handle per-room rent, bills-inclusive lets, and the operational detail of houses in multiple occupation. Coho is built for this.

These are examples of each category rather than recommendations, and the market moves quickly, so the point is to recognise which category fits how you operate before you compare individual products.

The features that matter

Not every landlord needs every feature. Work out which of these apply to you, then judge tools on the ones that do.

• Making Tax Digital support. If you are in scope, the tool must keep digital records and submit quarterly updates, so check it is recognised by HMRC for Making Tax Digital.
• Open Banking and automated reconciliation. A live bank feed matches rent and expenses to the right property and tenant automatically, and flags when a payment is late or missing. This is the feature that saves the most time.
• Rent and arrears tracking. Clear visibility of what is due, what has been paid, and what is overdue, across the whole portfolio.
• Expense and tax categorisation. Recording expenses in the right categories, with mortgage and finance costs kept separate, which matters for how residential property finance is treated at tax time.
• Compliance tracking. Recording and chasing gas safety certificates, electrical checks, EPCs, licences, and deposit protection, with alerts before they expire. This is where fines are most often avoided.
• Renters’ Rights Act readiness. Handling periodic assured tenancies and the current possession and rent rules, rather than the old fixed-term model.
• Tenancy and tenant management. Tenant details, agreements, communication, and often a tenant portal or app.
• Maintenance logging. Tracking repairs and works from report to completion.
• Document storage. Agreements, certificates, and correspondence held against each property.
• Portfolio reporting. A dashboard across all properties, with per-property and, for HMOs, per-room reporting, plus yield and performance figures.
• Structure support. Handling HMOs natively, and supporting personal and limited company or SPV holdings, ideally in one place if you hold both.
• Accountant access and integrations. Letting your accountant into the system, and connecting to accounting software you already use.

How to choose the right tool for you

There is no single best tool, only the one that fits your portfolio and your biggest pain. Work through these.

Portfolio size. A single let has very different needs from a hundred-unit portfolio. Smaller portfolios are often well served by a free tier or a low-cost accounting-led tool. Larger or more complex portfolios usually justify a full platform.

Self-managing or using an agent. If a letting agent handles the day-to-day, you may only need something for the money and for Making Tax Digital. If you self-manage, the tenancy, compliance, and maintenance features earn their keep.

How you hold the property. Making Tax Digital applies to property held personally, not through a limited company, but you still want clean records either way. If you hold a mix of personal and company property, look for a tool that handles both without running two systems.

Property type. Single lets, HMOs, and a mix of the two have different needs. HMO landlords in particular should check for genuine per-room support rather than a workaround.

Your biggest pain point. Be honest about what actually costs you time or risk: chasing rent, missing compliance deadlines, the tax return, or managing the whole operation. Solve that first, and let it lead your choice.

Budget. Prices run from free tiers for small portfolios to £100 or more a month for larger operations, which is usually trivial against portfolio revenue. Do not over-buy features you will not use, and do not under-buy on compliance if that is your weak spot.

One tool or a stack. Some landlords want a single all-in-one platform. Others prefer a best-of-breed stack, for example an accounting tool for tax and a separate compliance tool, connected where possible. Both are valid.

Questions to ask before you commit

• Is it built for the UK market and kept current with UK legislation?
• Is it recognised by HMRC for Making Tax Digital, if you are in scope?
• Does it connect to your bank through Open Banking?
• Does it track the specific compliance that applies to your properties?
• Does it handle your structure, HMOs and limited company holdings, natively?
• Can your accountant access it, and does it work with software you already use?
• What will it cost as your portfolio grows, not just today?

Most tools offer a free trial or a free tier, so the best final step is to run a real month of your own data through your shortlist before deciding.

Frequently asked questions

What is landlord portfolio software?
It is a tool that manages a rental portfolio in one place, covering some or all of rent, expenses, tax, tenancies, compliance, maintenance, and documents. It is also called a landlord CRM, property management software, or landlord software.

Do I need software for Making Tax Digital?
If your gross income from property and self-employment is over the threshold, currently £50,000, you must keep digital records and submit quarterly updates through HMRC-recognised software, so a compatible tool is required. Below the threshold it is optional, though many landlords adopt it early.

Is a spreadsheet still enough?
For a very small portfolio outside Making Tax Digital, possibly. But a spreadsheet cannot submit to HMRC under Making Tax Digital, cannot chase compliance deadlines, and gets harder to trust as a portfolio grows. For most landlords in 2026 it is no longer the safest option.

What is the difference between accounting software and all-in-one landlord software?
Accounting-led tools focus on rent, expenses, and tax, and leave tenancies and compliance to you. All-in-one platforms add tenancy management, compliance tracking, maintenance, and reporting, aiming to cover the whole operation in one system.

Can landlord software handle HMOs and limited company portfolios?
Some can, natively. HMO landlords should look for genuine per-room rent and reporting, and incorporated landlords should check the tool handles company holdings, ideally alongside any personal property in a single system.

How much does landlord software cost?
Anywhere from free tiers for small portfolios to £100 or more a month for larger ones. The right question is not the monthly price but whether the time and risk it removes is worth more than it costs, which for most portfolios it is.

The takeaway

There is no single best landlord portfolio software, only the right fit for how you hold, run, and grow your properties. What has changed in 2026 is that getting organised is no longer optional for many landlords: Making Tax Digital requires it for those in scope, and the wider weight of compliance rewards it for everyone else. Start from your biggest pain point, match a tool to how you actually operate, and try before you commit.