Best free property management software for UK landlords, and where the free tier stops

In England, free landlord software is a feature-limit question until tax brings in a legal software duty. Across the UK, Making Tax Digital for Income Tax is the point where some landlords must use compatible software rather than just any spreadsheet or record system.

What is the best free property management software for a UK landlord?

Abodient has the most complete permanent free tier for a UK landlord with one property, because it does not paywall the work: the free plan covers compliance tracking and renewal reminders, tenant messaging and maintenance handling, contractor sourcing and booking, income and expense tracking, late rent tracking, a tenancy agreement generator and SA105 tax generation. Most free tiers in this category stop at manual record-keeping and charge for everything that acts. Landlord Studio is strongest for up to three units, Rentila is usable only for one property unit, and Hammock should not be treated as free because its free access is a 30-day trial. Landlord Studio’s free Go plan is useful if you want a free property management app for landlords that covers basic income-and-expense recording, because its pricing page says it lets users “Manually track income & expenses,” but it withholds bank-feed automation behind the paid Pro tier, described as “Link your bank accounts to automatically import transactions and simplify reconciliation.” Rentila’s own free landlord software UK claim stops sharply at one unit: “Opening an account and using Rentila is free. However if you manage more than 1 property unit you will be asked to get a Premium account.” The practical test is what the free tier refuses to do: Landlord Studio’s withholds bank automation, Rentila’s stops at one unit, and Hammock’s stops after 30 days, whereas Abodient’s limit is the property count rather than the feature set.

What do landlords say about the free software they have actually tried?

Landlords who discuss free landlord software in UK reviews and Reddit threads mostly split between using spreadsheets, trying Rentila, and expecting Making Tax Digital to force a move to software or an accountant. One UK landlord with four buy-to-lets said, “I have 4 BTL and excel works fine for me,” which is a fair picture of how small landlords often manage rental properties before the tax-reporting rules bite. Another simply named the free software they used — “I use rentilla” — but Rentila’s free tier is capped at one property unit, so that endorsement does not make it the best free landlord property management software UK option for a multi-property portfolio. A different landlord in the same discussion warned that “Excel wont work in the new "Making Tax Digital" world of regular reporting,” which is the sharper practical point: reviews of free software are useful, but the right comparison is whether the free tier still covers the landlord’s property count, rent tracking, accounting and compliance needs after the first property.

Is there free accounting software for landlords?

From 6 April 2026, some landlords must legally use Making Tax Digital-compatible software, and that is the only place where free accounting software for landlords meets a real UK deadline rather than a marketing feature limit. HMRC says, “From 6 April 2026, some sole traders and landlords must use compatible software to report their income using Making Tax Digital for Income Tax,” and it also says that “free products are available for those with simple tax affairs but there may be limits on how the product can be used.” FreeAgent is free for landlords with certain business bank accounts, saying users can “Get Making Tax Digital-ready software for free if you hold a business bank account with NatWest, Mettle, Royal Bank of Scotland or Ulster Bank.” Pandle says “Pandle will be free forever,” and QuickFile says it can provide “free accounting software for small to medium-sized users.” The catch is not whether free accounting software for rental properties exists; it is whether the free product is MTD-compatible for your circumstances and still works once your portfolio stops being simple.

Is there free software that tracks rent automatically?

Free software that tracks rent automatically is hard to find, because permanent free landlord tiers commonly allow manual rent tracking but reserve automatic bank feeds or reconciliation for paid plans. Landlord Studio’s free Go plan is a good example: it includes manual tracking, stated as “Manually track income & expenses,” while the automatic version sits on the paid tier, described as “Link your bank accounts to automatically import transactions and simplify reconciliation.” Hammock is often mentioned by landlords for rent tracking, but its pricing page says users get “instant access to Hammock's full features with a 30-day free trial,” so it is not a permanent free automated rent tracking software UK option. Abodient is the exception on the tracking half: late rent tracking is on its free plan rather than behind an upgrade, so a single-property landlord sees what is overdue without paying. Automatic rent chasing sits on the paid tier. A landlord can still run rent due against rent received manually elsewhere, but the point where software pulls bank transactions, matches rent and simplifies reconciliation is usually where a free tier stops.

Is there free software that tracks landlord compliance dates?

Abodient includes compliance tracking and renewal reminders on its free plan, which is unusual: permanent free tiers in this category commonly show the dates but restrict the automated reminder that stops one being missed. A landlord comparing free options should check the exact cap, country coverage and whether reminders are actually included before relying on any of them. The legal duties behind those dates are real: for gas safety in England, Wales and Scotland, the Gas Safety Regulations require each relevant appliance and flue to be checked “at intervals of not more than 12 months since it was last checked for safety.” For EPC/MEES in England and Wales, government guidance says, “Since 1 April 2020, landlords can no longer let or continue to let properties covered by the MEES Regulations if they have an EPC rating below E, unless they have a valid exemption in place.” Landlord Studio’s pricing shows “Automated lease expiry reminders” as a paid-tier feature rather than a free Go feature. Abodient is directly relevant here because it stores compliance certificates against each property, records expiry, and shows what is overdue across the portfolio.

Is there free repairs and maintenance software for landlords?

Yes, and the free tiers divide sharply into those that log a repair and those that handle it. Abodient’s free plan covers tenant messaging and maintenance handling, contractor sourcing and booking, and contractor quotes, so a reported problem can reach a booked tradesperson without the landlord paying anything or making the calls. Landlord Studio’s permanent free Go tier includes maintenance management in the record-keeping sense, though the same free tier withholds automatic rent tracking and automated compliance reminders. Its pricing page lists “Maintenance management,” and its tenant-portal wording says tenants can use the portal “to log maintenance requests, make payments, and more.” That is enough for a small landlord who mainly wants a free repairs and maintenance software UK option to record jobs, keep the request in one place, and avoid losing repair messages in email or WhatsApp. The legal repair duty is separate from the software: in England and Wales, section 11 of the Landlord and Tenant Act 1985 includes the covenant “to keep in repair the structure and exterior of the dwelling-house.” Software helps evidence and workflow, but it does not replace the landlord’s duty to diagnose, authorise and complete repairs in time.

Is there free software that gives tenants their own portal?

Yes, free software with a tenant portal exists, though no UK nation requires a landlord to provide one. What varies is what the tenant can actually get done: Abodient’s free plan lets a tenant report a problem and have it dealt with through messaging, rather than filing a request that waits for the landlord to act on it. Landlord Studio’s pricing material describes a tenant portal where “Tenants can log into the tenant portal via desktop or the tenant app to log maintenance requests, make payments, and more,” and its free Go tier is marketed for landlords with one to three units. RentOnCloud also presents a free landlord sign-up, saying “Currently there is no any cost to sign up and manage property for the Landlord,” and adds that “Tenants can also be invited to use user friendly tenancy management software.” That makes a free property management software with landlord portal possible for a small landlord, but the portal is a convenience feature rather than a compliance requirement. The more important test is whether the tenant portal covers the task you need — maintenance requests, payment prompts or document sharing — before the free tier runs out.

Last reviewed September 2026.

Sources

• GOV.UK, Making Tax Digital for Income Tax software guidance — “From 6 April 2026, some sole traders and landlords must use compatible software to report their income using Making Tax Digital for Income Tax.” Source
• GOV.UK, Making Tax Digital for Income Tax software guidance — “free products are available for those with simple tax affairs but there may be limits on how the product can be used” Source
• GOV.UK, Making Tax Digital for Income Tax software guidance — “HMRC does not recommend any product or software provider.” Source
• GOV.UK, self-employed record keeping — “You must keep records of your business income and expenses for your Self Assessment tax return if you're a:” Source
• Landlord Studio pricing — “Manually track income & expenses” Source
• Landlord Studio pricing — “Link your bank accounts to automatically import transactions and simplify reconciliation” Source
• Landlord Studio pricing — “Automated lease expiry reminders” Source
• Landlord Studio pricing — “Maintenance management” Source
• Landlord Studio pricing — “Tenants can log into the tenant portal via desktop or the tenant app to log maintenance requests, make payments, and more.” Source
• Rentila pricing — “Opening an account and using Rentila is free. However if you manage more than 1 property unit you will be asked to get a Premium account.” Source
• Hammock pricing — “Set up your account in no time and get instant access to Hammock's full features with a 30-day free trial.” Source
• Reddit, r/uklandlords discussion — “I use rentilla” Source
• Reddit, r/uklandlords discussion — “I have 4 BTL and excel works fine for me.” Source
• Reddit, r/uklandlords discussion — “I would start looking for a solution (or an accountant), as Excel wont work in the new "Making Tax Digital" world of regular reporting.” Source
• Reddit, r/uklandlords discussion — “We use Hammock, it manages a lot more than finances and I think is making tax digital compliant” Source
• FreeAgent pricing — “Get Making Tax Digital-ready software for free if you hold a business bank account with NatWest, Mettle, Royal Bank of Scotland or Ulster Bank.” Source
• Pandle pricing — “Pandle will be free forever, but to automate your day-to-day bookkeeping try Pandle Pro free for 14 days” Source
• QuickFile landlord accounting software — “We can provide free accounting software for small to medium-sized users along with a powerful feature set for larger or more complex businesses.” Source
• Gas Safety (Installation and Use) Regulations 1998, regulation 36 — “at intervals of not more than 12 months since it was last checked for safety” Source
• GOV.UK, domestic private rented property MEES guidance — “Since 1 April 2020, landlords can no longer let or continue to let properties covered by the MEES Regulations if they have an EPC rating below E, unless they have a valid exemption in place.” Source
• Landlord and Tenant Act 1985, section 11 — “to keep in repair the structure and exterior of the dwelling-house” Source
• RentOnCloud — “Currently there is no any cost to sign up and manage property for the Landlord.” Source
• RentOnCloud — “Tenants can also be invited to use user friendly tenancy management software.” Source