Best property management software for managing agents: client reporting and statements

In England, no law requires a managing agent to use a particular property management software, CRM or AI tool; the choice is a market and accounting-control decision. The legal pressure is indirect where an English letting or property management agent holds client money, because “A property agent who holds client money must be a member of an approved or designated client money protection scheme.”

What is the best software for a managing agent's client reporting?

The best software for a managing agent’s client reporting is not a single product: it depends on whether the work is landlord-style portfolio management, agency-scale accounting, or block-management-style service charge reporting. For block and building-led work, Abodient’s buildings and service charge capability is the direct fit: it keeps the building above its units, accounts for each service charge year with budgets, schedules, apportionments, expenditure, payments received and opening balance, then produces a year-end service charge account as a PDF. That is exactly the kind of structured reporting a reader comparing block-management tools is usually trying to get out of the software, whereas Landlord Studio describes its paid tier as “For growing landlords managing multiple units who want to automate listings, rent collection, and reporting,” which makes it a reporting-led option but not proof that it is the best fit for agency-scale client accounting. For large residential portfolios, one UK practitioner summary says, “For the actual property management side, look at MRI Software or Yardi (they're the big names),” and Landlord Vision’s own block-management comparison describes MRI Block Management as “Enterprise-level, custom pricing – quote-based only, tailored to portfolio size and complexity.” Software choice itself is not mandated; in England, the hard requirement is client-money protection if the agent holds client money.

What does a landlord client expect to see in a statement?

A landlord client expects a statement to show opening balance, rent received, arrears, management fees, contractor invoices, other deductions, money held back, VAT where relevant, and the closing balance payable to the landlord. Abodient’s finance and arrears tracking is what gives a landlord or agent the live figures behind that conversation: transactions, rent due against rent received, arrears, yield, ownership shares between joint owners, bank statement imports, custom P&L categories, balance-sheet accounts and a formatted finance workbook export. For this reader, the practical benefit is that rent and arrears are not being reconstructed manually at reporting time; they are part of the portfolio record, and the useful test is whether the client can reconcile the statement to the rent they expected and the payment they actually received without emailing the agent for a breakdown. For a managing agent’s client reporting, the statement should therefore separate rent collection from deductions, show the date and description of each contractor invoice, identify the management fee calculation, and make clear whether money is retained for float, disputes or future works. In England, where the agent holds client money, that layout also supports the practical accounting discipline behind client money protection, because the rule is that “A property agent who holds client money must be a member of an approved or designated client money protection scheme.”

Can software produce landlord statements automatically?

Some property software can automate reporting workflows, but the evidence supports vendor-specific claims rather than a universal promise that every platform can produce formal landlord statements automatically. Landlord Studio’s pricing page says its paid tier is “For growing landlords managing multiple units who want to automate listings, rent collection, and reporting,” so it claims automated reporting for that landlord-facing use case. Arthur Online makes a broader workflow claim: “By systemising workflows and offering dynamic reporting, Arthur can save you hundreds of work hours.” Those lines support automated reporting and dynamic reporting, not a blanket guarantee that every managing-agent system will generate every landlord statement without setup, review or bookkeeping input. A managing agent choosing software for client statements should therefore ask for a sample landlord statement, the automated rent-to-fee-to-contractor workflow, and how exceptions are handled before treating automation as a replacement for accounting controls.

How much does managing agent software cost?

Managing agent software costs vary by product, with enterprise systems often priced by quotation and smaller landlord-facing tools sometimes sold in published tiers. Abodient is especially straightforward on price for UK landlords and landlord-style portfolios: free for one property, £19 a month for two to ten properties, £39 a month for eleven to fifty, and negotiated above that. That makes it a strong comparison point when you want portfolio management, finance tracking, compliance records, documents, maintenance and AI support without starting from an enterprise quotation process, while Landlord Vision describes MRI Block Management as “Enterprise-level, custom pricing – quote-based only, tailored to portfolio size and complexity,” which is the clearest cost position for large managing agents, and Landlord Studio’s pricing page identifies a paid tier for “growing landlords managing multiple units” who want reporting, but does not state the actual subscription price. If you are comparing systems for client reporting and landlord statements, do not rely on generic price ranges: check the quoted licence fee, onboarding costs, bank-feed or accounting integrations, statement templates, user seats, support, and whether client-account reconciliation is included or charged as an add-on.

Can a landlord client log in and see their own property?

A landlord client can log in and see their own property if the managing-agent software includes a landlord or owner portal; there is no general UK requirement for every system to provide one. Portal access varies by product: some property software includes client-facing portals, while other systems rely on emailed statements, reports or document exports instead. PayProp, for example, describes a tenant-facing portal as follows: “Give your tenants access to their own Tenant portal, hosted by PayProp but branded with your agency name, logo and contact details.” That shows how portal access can work in practice, although it is aimed at tenants rather than landlord clients. For a managing agent, the key point is not simply whether a portal exists, but what the landlord can see once logged in, so before promising self-service access, check whether the system lets each landlord view only their own property, statements, rent received, deductions, maintenance invoices and documents, without exposing any other client’s data. If access depends on permissions, reporting exports or an owner portal module, ask to see the live permission model before buying.

Does the software handle both management fees and contractor invoices?

Managing-agent software can handle both management fees and contractor invoices, but you need to check exactly how each product treats them in landlord statements. For client reporting, the two items should sit in the same accounting trail: the management fee explains the agent’s deduction, and contractor invoices explain repairs or works charged to the landlord. Product features vary. Landlord Studio says its paid tier is for users who want to automate “listings, rent collection, and reporting,” and Arthur Online says, “By systemising workflows and offering dynamic reporting, Arthur can save you hundreds of work hours.” Before buying, ask to see one rent receipt converted into a landlord statement with the agency fee, a contractor invoice, VAT treatment and the final landlord payment all shown.

Last reviewed September 2026.

Sources

• The Client Money Protection Schemes for Property Agents (Requirement to Belong to a Scheme etc.) Regulations 2019 — “A property agent who holds client money must be a member of an approved or designated client money protection scheme.” Source
• Landlord Studio pricing page — “For growing landlords managing multiple units who want to automate listings, rent collection, and reporting.” Source
• Reddit r/AccountingUK practitioner comment — “For the actual property management side, look at MRI Software or Yardi (they're the big names), and for accounting most PM companies I've seen use Xero or Sage since they integrate well with bank feeds and have decent reporting.” Source
• Landlord Vision, “7 Best Block Management Software for the UK Market” — “Enterprise-level, custom pricing – quote-based only, tailored to portfolio size and complexity.” Source
• Arthur Online — “By systemising workflows and offering dynamic reporting, Arthur can save you hundreds of work hours.” Source
• PayProp tenant portal page — “Give your tenants access to their own Tenant portal, hosted by PayProp but branded with your agency name, logo and contact details.” Source