Landlord accounting software UK: a 2026 buyer’s guide for SA105 and MTD ITSA
One-line answer. Most UK landlord software was built for landlords with portfolios, agents, and multiple bank accounts. If you have one or two properties and just want a clean SA105 at year-end (and MTD ITSA quarterly updates from April 2026), most of those tools are overkill and overpriced. This guide walks through who each tool is actually for, where each one breaks down, and how to spot fake “free” tiers.
This is written by the team behind LetLedger, so it’s not pretend-neutral. We tell you when our tool is wrong for you. The goal is that you don’t waste a tax year on the wrong software.
The shortlist (UK, 2026)
| Tool | Best for | Price (mo) | MTD ITSA ready | SA105 export | Honest weakness |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| LetLedger | 1–3 properties, just want SA105 + MTD | £6 | Submission roadmap 2026 | Yes (PDF) | No tenancy/inventory features |
| Hammock | 2–10 properties, modern UI | £21 | Yes | Yes | Pricey for small landlords |
| Landlord Studio | Tenancy management + accounting | £12+ | Yes | Yes | Tenancy features bloat the workflow if you only want tax |
| Landlord Vision | Larger portfolios, full PMS | £15+ | Yes | Yes | Steep learning curve |
| FreeAgent | Sole-trader landlords already FreeAgent users | Free with NatWest/Mettle/RBS | Yes | Generic, not landlord-specific | Not built for landlords specifically |
| GoSimpleTax | DIY filers who want to submit, not bookkeep | £55/yr | Yes | Yes | Manual entry, no bank import |
| Spreadsheet | Single property, very disciplined landlord | £0 | No (requires bridging software for MTD) | Manual | Time sink in January, error-prone, no MTD |
What follows is a real read of each option, not a review-farm regurgitation.
How to choose: three honest questions
1. How many properties?
- One property: Spreadsheets still work, but MTD ITSA quarterly submissions kill them from April 2026 (>£50k income), April 2027 (>£30k), and April 2028 (>£20k). Pick a tool that handles MTD now.
- Two to four properties: This is the sweet spot for lightweight tools (LetLedger, FreeAgent). Heavier suites are overkill.
- Five plus: You probably want a property management suite (Landlord Vision, Arthur, Hammock) — tenancies, deposits, and accounting in one place.
2. Do you already use an accountant?
- Yes: You need software your accountant can read from. CSV/PDF export is critical. Avoid tools that lock you into their reporting.
- No: You need software that produces an SA105 figure you can trust without reading HMRC’s manuals. AI-assisted categorisation (LetLedger, Hammock) is genuinely useful here. GoSimpleTax goes one step further and submits for you.
3. Do you have a separate bank account for the let?
- Yes: Any tool will work. You can rely on bank-statement imports.
- No (mixed personal/rental account): You need a tool with explicit “personal expense” categorisation. Most generic accounting tools (FreeAgent, Xero) assume a clean business account and stumble on mixed feeds.
Tool-by-tool, honestly
LetLedger — £6/mo
Built for: the accidental landlord. One to three residential lets. You want the SA105 done, you do not want to learn double-entry bookkeeping.
What it does well:
- Upload a CSV from any UK bank, AI tags every transaction to the SA105 box it belongs in.
- Year-end PDF summary that mirrors the SA105 layout (rent income, repairs, finance costs, etc.).
- Flags low-confidence categorisations and capital items so you can’t accidentally deduct a new kitchen.
- £48/year if paid annually. First tax year free for early users.
What it does not do:
- No tenancy management, no inventory, no rent reminders, no deposit protection.
- No accountant collaboration tools (yet).
- MTD ITSA submission is on the roadmap for 2026, not live today.
Wrong choice if: you manage tenancies and want one tool for the whole landlord workflow. Use Landlord Studio or Hammock instead.
Hammock — £21/mo
Built for: tech-friendly landlords with 2–10 properties who want everything in one app on their phone.
What it does well:
- Great mobile UI.
- Open Banking feed (no CSV uploads needed, transactions arrive automatically).
- HMRC-recognised, full MTD ITSA support.
Where it’s expensive: £21/mo = £252/year. For a single £15k-rent property, you’re spending ~1.7% of rental income on software. That stings.
Landlord Studio — £12/mo
Built for: landlords who manage tenancies themselves (no agent).
What it does well:
- Tenancy management: leases, rent reminders, late-fee tracking, document storage.
- Decent accounting layer.
Where it’s a bad fit: if you use a letting agent for tenancy admin, you’re paying for features you’ll never click. The accounting part alone is more expensive than several lighter alternatives.
Landlord Vision — £15/mo and up
Built for: 10+ property portfolios.
What it does well: full property management suite, multi-property reporting, tenancy + accounting integration, mortgage tracking.
Where it falls down for small landlords: steep learning curve and a UI that assumes you have an actual property business. Two-property landlords give up in week one.
FreeAgent — free for some bank customers, £19/mo otherwise
Built for: small businesses and sole traders generally — landlords are a side use case.
What it does well: solid accounting fundamentals, MTD-ready, easy bank feeds, free if you bank with NatWest, RBS, Ulster or Mettle.
Where it falls down for landlords: it’s not landlord-specific. You’ll be manually mapping accounting categories to SA105 boxes yourself. The “free with bank account” deal is real but only if you’re already a customer of those banks.
GoSimpleTax — £55/yr
Built for: people who hate bookkeeping but need to submit.
What it does well: HMRC-recognised submission, walks you through the SA105 page step by step.
Where it falls down: no bank import, no AI categorisation. You type figures in. Fine if your records already exist on a spreadsheet; punishing if you start from a year of bank statements.
Spreadsheet (Excel / Google Sheets) — free
Built for: very disciplined landlords with one property and a non-mixed account.
What it does well: zero cost, total flexibility.
Where it falls down:
- Manual data entry is the single biggest source of SA105 errors.
- MTD ITSA needs digital records and quarterly submissions. From April 2026 onwards, a spreadsheet alone won’t be enough — you’ll need bridging software (HMRC’s list) on top, which usually costs more than a dedicated tool.
- Time sink: most landlords spend a full weekend in January reconstructing the year. £6/mo software pays for itself in the first hour saved.
“Best free landlord accounting software” — the honest answer
Searches for “landlord accounting software free” usually end in disappointment. Here’s the truth:
- FreeAgent is genuinely free if you bank with NatWest, RBS, Ulster, or Mettle. Nothing landlord-specific, but the price is right.
- Trial periods (Hammock, Landlord Studio, Landlord Vision) let you do a year for free if you cancel before the trial ends. Risky.
- LetLedger offers the first tax year free during the 2026 beta — that’s a real free year, not a trial gotcha.
- Anyone advertising “free landlord software” with no bank deal usually means freemium — free until you actually want the SA105 export, then paywalled.
Free is a great way to start, but factor in that MTD ITSA from April 2026 requires recognised software. A free tool that does not handle MTD is a dead end.
What to look for if you’re buying in 2026
A short checklist:
- HMRC-recognised for MTD ITSA, or a credible roadmap to recognition before April 2026.
- CSV upload from your specific bank — Barclays, HSBC, Lloyds, NatWest, Santander, Monzo, Starling all have different formats.
- SA105 export that uses the actual box numbers (20, 25, 27, 29, 44), not generic “income/expenses”.
- Section 24 finance-cost handling — at minimum, the tool should put mortgage interest in box 26 and not double-count it.
- Replacement of domestic items kept separate from box 25 repairs (different relief, different rules).
- Capital vs revenue separation — a tool that lets you put a new kitchen in “repairs” is a tool that will get you an HMRC enquiry.
- Plain-English audit trail — when HMRC asks why you put £849 in box 25, you should be able to show why.
- Export-ability — can you leave with all your data in CSV/PDF? If not, walk away.
What about MTD ITSA specifically?
From April 2026, landlords with rental income above £50,000 (combined with self-employment income) must:
- Keep digital records.
- Send quarterly updates to HMRC.
- File a final declaration at year-end.
The threshold drops to £30,000 in April 2027 and £20,000 in April 2028. By 2028, ~1.7 million UK landlords will be in scope.
Spreadsheets alone won’t cut it. You’ll need either:
- A standalone MTD ITSA tool (Hammock, Landlord Studio, FreeAgent — anything on HMRC’s recognised list).
- A spreadsheet plus bridging software.
- A combined bookkeeping + filing tool like LetLedger (filing roadmap 2026).
If you’re below the threshold today, you have time. If you’re above £50k of combined self-employment + rental income, the deadline is real and now.
Detailed MTD ITSA guide → Making Tax Digital for landlords
How LetLedger fits in
LetLedger is the cheap, narrow option. It does one thing: turn a year of UK bank statements into a clean SA105 you can hand to your accountant or use to file yourself. £6/mo or £48/yr. Free for the 2026 tax year if you sign up before April 2027.
It is the right choice if you have 1–3 residential lets, no agent or already have one, and just want the tax side handled without learning double-entry bookkeeping.
It is the wrong choice if you need tenancy management, deposit protection, or full property management features. Use Landlord Studio or Landlord Vision.
FAQ
Is FreeAgent really free? If you bank personally with NatWest, RBS, Ulster, or Mettle, yes. Otherwise it’s £19/mo.
Can I use Xero or QuickBooks for landlord accounting? Yes, but you’ll be manually mapping categories to SA105 boxes. They’re built for businesses, not landlords. Often overkill and expensive.
What’s the cheapest UK landlord accounting software? For paid tools, LetLedger at £6/mo or GoSimpleTax at £55/yr (~£4.60/mo). FreeAgent is free if you bank with the right bank.
Do I need landlord-specific software, or will general accounting software work? General accounting tools work but require manual SA105 mapping. Landlord-specific tools save hours in January.
What changes with MTD ITSA in April 2026? You’ll need digital records and quarterly submissions if your combined self-employment + rental income is over £50k. Threshold drops to £30k in 2027 and £20k in 2028.
Can I switch software mid tax year? Yes, but you’ll lose continuity. Best to switch at the start of a tax year (6 April).
Does LetLedger handle Section 24 / mortgage interest restriction?
Yes — mortgage interest is tagged as loan_interest_residential (SA105 box 26) and the year-end PDF flags the 20% restriction. See Section 24 explained for full background.
This article is editorial guidance, not financial or tax advice. Software pricing and HMRC rules change. Verify current prices on each vendor’s site before deciding.