Best property management software for landlords UK, 2025

For most small landlords, software is the difference between a calm, compliant portfolio and a string of avoidable headaches. The right platform centralises rent, expenses, compliance, documents and tenant communication, and it plays nicely with your accountant. The wrong one adds clicks, cost and confusion. This article sets out what “best” means for different landlord types, how to make a sensible shortlist, and how leading tools compare, including why many UK landlords choose August.

What “best” really means for you

Start with your portfolio shape, your financial workflow and your compliance posture. A simple single-let portfolio needs clean rent tracking, tidy exports and reminders for certificates. HMOs and mixed portfolios add complexity around room-level tenancies, utilities and licensing. Decide whether you prefer a finance-first approach or a full management suite with maintenance and tenant apps. Be clear on your compliance needs across England and Wales. Gas safety, EICR, deposit protection, right-to-rent and local licensing.

At August, we design specifically for UK landlords with a small portfolio. If that sounds like you, the sections on compliance and rent tracking below will be especially useful. Explore our landlord compliance journey and rent tracking to see how it works in practice.

The UK landscape at a glance

You will find two broad camps. Landlord-first apps focus on rent, expenses, statements and simple maintenance. Agency-grade systems add client accounting, works orders and advanced multi-user controls, but often come with steeper learning curves and higher pricing plans.

Where does August fits in? August is an all-in-one app created for small UK landlords. It brings together rent tracking, compliance checklist, document storage, tenant management, and smart reminders so you don't miss a beat. Because we’re UK-first, the product and wording reflect England & Wales legislation by default. You can also grab our free Landlord Compliance Checklist.

Must-have features in 2025 and how August covers them

Online rent tracking and reconciliation should be effortless. You’ll want incoming payments matched automatically to the right tenancy, clear handling of partial payments and arrears, and a clean arrears view. August’s rent tracking is designed for this, simple set-up, clear status, and tidy, property-level exports.

Compliance tracking must reflect UK rules, not generic templates. August’s compliance journey covers gas safety, EICR, licensing reminders and Right to Rent, and keeps documents together with dates, owners and audit history. If you prefer a starter overview first, download our free checklist.

Maintenance should be structured rather than ad hoc. Log an issue, assign it, and keep the tenant informed. August keeps maintenance simple for small portfolios, focusing on clarity, timestamps and documents in one place.

Documents need to live where you need them. Per-property folders with expiry alerts stop last-minute scrambles. August’s property vault keeps certificates, prescribed information and inventory files together, so renewals are predictable.

Suggested reminders that prevent slip-ups. August finds expiry dates on your documents and suggests reminders for you to accept before things go wrong. Gas safety due on 13th November, EICR renewal on 7th June next year. Suggested reminders are handy.

AI Property Assistant. Beyond reminders, landlords now expect software to provide answers based on their data. August Intelligence can do that. It answers any natural-language questions about a tenancy or property for example “How many times has Flat 12 paid late this year". It speeds up onboarding too, simply upload your tenancy document and it suggested your property and tenancy details to you.

Mobile matters. Quick expense capture, checks during viewings and messaging are faster on your phone. August’s mobile experience is built for everyday landlord tasks rather than agency workflows.

At-a-glance comparison

Pricing varies by tier and unit count. Use this as a directional guide, then confirm the latest plans on each provider’s site.

• Try August now - choose your plan

How to make your shortlist

Write down five outcomes you will not compromise on. For most landlords that is automated rent tracking, property-level statements, EICR and gas safety reminders, a simple maintenance log, and an AI assistant that knows your portfolio.

Run two live tests in each tool. First, add one tenancy and see six months of rent retrospectively by adding your bank account. Second, log and close a maintenance issue with a photo. If either test feels convoluted, expect that feeling to persist. You can try both quickly in August. it is intentionally streamlined for these flows.

Check UK-specific details. Make sure the software supports deposit protection workflows, prescribed information storage, Right to Rent checks and if relevant HMO licence renewals. August’s compliance journey covers the common England & Wales tasks out of the box, so you get reliable prompts rather than a blank to-do list.

Probe data portability. You should be able to export properties, tenancies, transactions and documents without hoops. August provides human-readable exports to keep you in control.

Invite your accountant. Read-only access and clean statements save hours at year-end. August’s reporting is designed for hand-off as standard.

Recommendations by landlord type

If you have one to three units, choose a landlord-first app with frictionless onboarding. You will care most about simple rent tracking, clear arrears and compliance reminders. August fits neatly here, especially if you want compliance woven into day-to-day tasks rather than a separate spreadsheet.

If you are growing towards five to thirty units or adding HMOs, prioritise software that strengthens compliance and maintenance without turning into a full-time job. August and tenant management help you keep standards high while keeping admin light.

If you manage mixed or semi-commercial stock, test an agency-grade system alongside August to check handling of service charges, commercial leases and multi-user roles. Some landlords still keep August for single-lets and use heavier tools only where necessary.

Implementation tips that actually save time

Migrate what matters. Bring across current tenancies and the present tax year, then archive older documents in the property vault. You will keep history without dragging clutter into your new system.

Standardise naming early. A simple property code convention makes reports and filters far easier down the line.

Automate reminders on day one. Set rent due dates, arrears triggers, tenancy end notices and certificate expiries. August’s compliance journey and rent tracking are built for this.

Pilot with one property. Run a full rent cycle and one maintenance workflow, then migrate the rest. August is built to make that pilot fast.

FAQs

Is free software enough for UK landlords?
A free tier can work for a single property if you only need light tracking. As soon as you want automated rent status, tenant payment reminders, compliant checklists and suggested reminders, a paid plan usually saves more time (and fines) than it costs. See August plans.

Do I need a tenant app?
If you manage more than a couple of units, yes. A tenant-side flow reduces back-and-forth on maintenance, documents and rent tracking and payments. August keeps the essentials in one place.

How do I switch without chaos?
Pilot with one property, and see how it works for you. August is designed for a clean, staged migration.