Best Landlord Property Accounting Software UK 2026: Hammock vs LandlordVision vs Xero vs Zoho Books

From 6 April 2026, any UK landlord with gross rental income above £50,000 must use HMRC-recognised software to submit quarterly updates under Making Tax Digital for Income Tax (MTD ITSA). That threshold drops to £30,000 from April 2027 and £20,000 from April 2028. If you are still running your portfolio on spreadsheets, the window to sort this is narrowing.

The trouble is that most accounting software was built for businesses, not landlords. SA105 categories, property-level P&L, rent reconciliation against individual tenancies — none of that comes out of the box with a generic bookkeeping tool. This guide cuts through the noise and compares the four tools UK landlords are actually using in 2026: Hammock, LandlordVision, Xero, and Zoho Books. All prices in GBP excluding VAT unless stated.

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At a Glance: Which Tool Wins?

TL;DR:

• Hammock — best for individual landlords with 1–20 properties who want automated bank reconciliation and MTD compliance with minimal setup. From £7.88/month (billed annually).
• LandlordVision — best for landlords who want property management (tenancy agreements, compliance reminders, HMO tracking) alongside accounting. From £19.97/month.
• Zoho Books — best free option; full MTD ITSA and SA105 filing at no cost for sole-owner landlords.
• Xero — best for landlords with mixed income (property plus self-employment) or a limited company portfolio. From £18/month.

Comparison Table

What MTD ITSA Actually Requires in 2026

Before comparing tools, it helps to be clear on what HMRC is asking for. Under MTD ITSA, landlords above the income threshold must: keep digital records of all rental income and expenses; submit four quarterly updates to HMRC; submit a Final Declaration by 31 January each year. The soft landing for 2026/27 means HMRC is waiving penalty points for late quarterly updates in the first year — but the obligation to file is still live. Read the full breakdown of what the soft landing does and doesn't cover before assuming you're off the hook.

Critically, MTD applies per taxpayer, not per property. All your UK rental properties are treated as a single UK property business. You submit one set of quarterly figures covering the whole portfolio — not one submission per property.

Hammock: Built for Landlords, Nothing Else

Hammock was the first accounting software specifically built for UK landlords to receive HMRC recognition for MTD ITSA — a distinction that matters when you're choosing where to file legally. It is FCA authorised (Register No. 911254) and connects to more than 50 UK bank and credit card feeds via Open Banking.

The workflow is straightforward: connect your bank account, add your properties and tenancies, and Hammock starts reconciling rent payments against the correct property and tenant automatically. Outgoing expenses are categorised against HMRC's SA105 boxes in real time — no chart of accounts to configure, no journal entries to understand. The dashboard shows each property's occupancy, arrears, gross yield, loan-to-value ratio, and running tax estimate.

What it costs: £7.88/month for 1–3 properties (billed annually, inc VAT), £14.40/month for 4–10, and £24/month for 11–20. Monthly billing removes the 20% discount: £8, £15, and £25 respectively. All plans include MTD quarterly submissions and the Final Declaration. A 30-day free trial is available. A limited company reporting add-on costs £172.80/year.

Limitations worth knowing: Hammock handles property income only. If you also have self-employment income above the MTD threshold, you need a separate tool for that stream — Hammock won't consolidate it. There is also no built-in receipt OCR; contractor invoices and repair receipts must be attached manually. For landlords with active maintenance programmes and a steady flow of invoices, pairing Hammock with Dext fills that gap neatly — Dext's OCR captures receipts via mobile app or email and pushes them into your accounting records. The mileage tracking feature was still in development as of mid-2026.

Verdict: The cleanest, lowest-friction option for individual landlords with personal buy-to-let portfolios up to around 20 properties. If you want to switch from spreadsheets and spend less than 30 minutes a month on your books, Hammock is the most likely fit.

LandlordVision: Property Management Plus Accounts in One Platform

LandlordVision takes a different approach. Where Hammock is accounting-first, LandlordVision bundles a full property management suite — tenancy agreements with mail merge, e-signatures, compliance reminders for gas safety and EPC deadlines, a legal document library, a maintenance ticketing system — alongside double-entry bookkeeping and MTD ITSA filing. It is aimed at landlords running their portfolios as a structured business rather than a passive investment.

The accounting engine is genuinely thorough. It includes a nominal ledger, journal entries, bank feeds via Open Banking (through Nordigen), receipt OCR, full reporting (P&L, balance sheet, trial balance, cash flow, capital gains), and mortgage tracking built directly into the accounting layer. HMO unit-level tracking and per-room rent schedules are supported. MTD ITSA quarterly submissions and the Final Declaration are included on every plan.

What it costs: The Starter plan covers 4 tenancies at £19.97/month (currently promoted at £7.99/month with a stated two-year price guarantee — check the current site before committing). Standard covers 10 tenancies at approximately £34.97/month with extra tenancies at £1.10 each. Premium covers 15 tenancies at £39.97/month. Enterprise (£84.97/month, 25 tenancies) adds an AI task assistant and Xero integration. A 14-day trial is available.

Limitations worth knowing: LandlordVision is heavier than most sole-landlord portfolios need. If you have two buy-to-let properties and want to keep your books tidy, you'll be paying for capabilities you never use. The interface is also more dated than Hammock or Zoho Books. There is no native mobile app — it runs in a browser only. Xero integration, if you have an accountant who uses it, is restricted to the £84.97/month Enterprise tier.

Verdict: The right pick for landlords with five or more properties who are already managing tenancy documents, maintenance, and compliance tracking. If your current set-up involves a folder of PDFs, a shared calendar for certificate renewals, and a separate spreadsheet for accounts, LandlordVision replaces all three.

Zoho Books: Full MTD Compliance at Zero Cost

Zoho Books launched a dedicated Landlords edition in July 2026 — and it is free. For a sole owner of UK rental properties, the free plan includes SA100 and SA105 filing direct to HMRC, MTD ITSA quarterly updates, automated bank feeds (one bank account), 50 receipt autoscans per month via Zia AI, expense tracking, and a rental income dashboard. This is not a stripped-back teaser plan: it is genuinely functional for a landlord with straightforward finances. Read the full Zoho Books UK review for a deeper look at how it compares with paid tools across all use cases.

What it costs: Free for sole-owner landlords. The Standard plan at £12/month adds more bank account connections, additional autoscans, and expanded reporting. Professional and Premium tiers are available for businesses needing multi-currency or advanced workflows.

Limitations worth knowing: The Landlords edition is currently restricted to sole owners of UK properties. Joint ownership (including married couples who own property together) is in development but not yet available as of September 2026. Overseas property income is also not supported. If you're a landlord and a sole trader — perhaps you run a trade alongside your rental portfolio — Zoho Books can handle both income streams in one organisation, which gives it a meaningful edge over Hammock and LandlordVision for hybrid-income filers.

Verdict: The strongest free option available to UK landlords right now, and it earns that position honestly. The one structural caveat is joint ownership — if you co-own properties, you'll need to wait for that feature or look elsewhere.

Xero: For Landlords With Mixed Income or a Limited Company

Xero is not a landlord-specific tool. It has no property dashboard, no automatic rent matching against tenancies, and no SA105 template out of the box. What it does have is a complete accounting engine that handles any income combination — rental income, self-employment, VAT, payroll, limited company accounts — in a single organisation.

For landlords whose situation is more complicated than a straightforward personal BTL portfolio, Xero is often the right answer. If you run a trade, consult, or have other self-employment income alongside rental properties, Xero files both under one MTD ITSA submission. If you hold properties in a limited company, Xero handles corporation tax, directors' loans, and dividend records. The September 2026 pricing is: Ignite £18/month, Grow £39/month, Comprehensive £55/month. See how Xero compares with FreeAgent for a smaller, mixed-income freelancer or landlord set-up.

Limitations worth knowing: You'll spend more time configuring Xero for property income than you would with a purpose-built landlord tool. Most landlords using Xero either have an accountant who manages the setup or are running a commercial portfolio complex enough to need Xero's full feature set. For a simple personal BTL portfolio, it's more tool than the job demands.

FreeAgent: Worth Mentioning for NatWest Customers

FreeAgent launched a Landlord plan at £10/month — and it's completely free for customers of NatWest, RBS, or Mettle. It includes MTD ITSA filing, SA105 reporting, Smart Capture OCR for receipts, and bank feeds. If you bank with NatWest or a Mettle business account, this is a zero-cost, fully functional landlord accounting solution that most landlords in that position are unaware of. Read the full FreeAgent review for a detailed look at what the platform does and doesn't cover.

The Right Pick For…

• 1–3 properties, personal name, pure property income, NatWest/RBS/Mettle account: FreeAgent Landlord plan — free, MTD-ready, done.
• 1–3 properties, personal name, no NatWest account, want zero cost: Zoho Books free plan. MTD included, SA105 direct filing, 50 autoscans/month.
• 1–20 properties, personal name, want landlord-native software with investment analytics: Hammock (from £7.88/month annually). Auto-reconciliation, SA105 mapping, MTD from day one. Add Dext if you have high volumes of contractor invoices.
• 5+ properties, need tenancy management and compliance alongside accounting: LandlordVision (from £19.97/month). Tenancy documents, compliance reminders, HMO support, and MTD in one platform.
• Property plus self-employment income, or a limited company BTL portfolio: Xero (from £18/month). Handles mixed income streams in a single MTD ITSA submission; best if you already work with an accountant.
• Joint ownership, large portfolio, complex structure: Neither Hammock nor Zoho Books handles joint ownership cleanly yet. LandlordVision or Xero (with accountant support) are the safer bets here.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I need MTD software if my rental income is below £50,000?

Not yet for MTD quarterly submissions, but you still need to file Self Assessment. The £30,000 threshold arrives in April 2027 and the £20,000 threshold in April 2028. Using a digital tool now — especially a free one like Zoho Books — means you'll already be set up when the mandate applies. For more on what Making Tax Digital means in practice, see our full guide.

Can I use Hammock if I also have self-employment income?

Hammock covers property income only. If your self-employment income also exceeds the MTD threshold, you need a second MTD-compatible tool for that income stream — or you use Hammock's March 2026 QuickBooks integration to handle self-employment through QuickBooks while keeping property in Hammock. Zoho Books is the cleaner solution here if you want everything in one platform.

Is LandlordVision or Hammock cheaper for a 6-property portfolio?

For 6 properties (assuming roughly 6 tenancies), Hammock's 4–10 property tier costs £14.40/month annually (£172.80/year). LandlordVision's Standard plan at around £34.97/month covers 10 tenancies. Hammock is cheaper at this size, but LandlordVision includes tenancy management and compliance tools that Hammock doesn't offer at any price.

Does Zoho Books support joint ownership?

Not yet for the Landlords edition. Zoho Books confirmed joint ownership and overseas property support are in development as of September 2026. If you co-own property, use LandlordVision or Xero until that feature is released.

What is the soft landing for MTD ITSA quarterly submissions?

For the 2026/27 tax year, HMRC is waiving the penalty points that would normally accumulate from late quarterly updates. This does not mean you don't need to file — it means you won't be penalised for filing late in year one. The full points-based penalty system takes effect from April 2027. Read the full soft landing explainer before deciding how urgently you need to act.

Related Reading

• AI Bookkeeping for UK Landlords: Best Tools for Automating Your Property Accounting (2026)
• MTD ITSA Soft Landing 2026/27: What It Covers, What It Doesn't, and Why It Matters Now
• Best MTD Software for UK Sole Traders (2026) — Our Money Page

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