Free landlord software UK 2026: what you actually get | August

Free landlord software exists in the UK, but "free" covers a wide range of reality, from a genuinely unlimited tier to a time-bombed trial dressed up as permanent access. This guide cuts through the marketing. It covers the six genuinely free options available to UK landlords in 2026, what each tier actually includes, what it withholds, and the specific points at which a free tool stops being sufficient. If you manage one or two properties and have straightforward needs, the right free tier will serve you well. If you manage more, or if Making Tax Digital applies to your income, you need to understand exactly where free runs out before committing.

What counts as genuinely free

For the purposes of this guide, a free tier means indefinite access, not a 14-day trial, not a free month that auto-converts to paid, and not a platform that calls itself free but bills you once you connect a bank account or add a second tenant.

The platforms reviewed below all offer free access with no time limit for at least one property or tenancy. Some cap properties. Some cap features. All of them have limits, the question is whether those limits matter for your portfolio.

One other filter applies: US-only platforms. Several tools that appear in "free landlord software UK" search results, including Stessa, Baselane and TurboTenant, are built for the US market and do not support UK compliance obligations, UK tax categories or HMRC requirements. They have been excluded.

The six genuinely free options compared

August Free

August's free tier covers up to two tenancies with no time limit and no credit card required. Within that limit it includes rent tracking, expense logging in HMRC-aligned categories, compliance checklists, document storage with expiry date tracking, smart reminders, and the AI property assistant. The tenant app is included on the free tier, giving tenants a way to submit maintenance requests and receive documents without the landlord acting as intermediary.

What the free tier does not include: Open Banking bank feed integration, MTD quarterly submission capability, and more than two tenancies. These require the Growth plan at £8.99 per month.

The free tier is designed as a permanent option for landlords with one or two properties and simple needs, not as a hook to force an upgrade. If you manage two tenancies and do not yet fall within the MTD threshold, the free tier covers the core workflow.

Best for: Landlords with one or two properties who want UK compliance reminders, document storage and rent tracking without paying anything.

RentalBux Free

RentalBux is the most feature-complete free tier available to UK landlords in 2026. It offers unlimited properties, direct HMRC integration for MTD submissions, Open Banking bank feeds, property-level income and expense tracking, and Section 24 mortgage interest handling — all at no cost. It is newer and less established than the other platforms on this list, with a smaller user community and less third-party support material, but its free tier breadth is genuinely unusual in the market.

The platform has stated that its free tier will remain free at least through 2028. After that, pricing has not been confirmed. If you plan to use RentalBux primarily because of its free MTD capability, it is worth tracking that commitment as the 2028 date approaches.

Best for: Landlords above the MTD threshold who want full MTD compliance at no cost and are comfortable with a newer, less-established platform.

Landlord Studio GO

Landlord Studio's free tier (branded GO) covers one property with income and expense tracking, receipt scanning and basic tax reports. It is one of the better-designed mobile apps in the market, the receipt scanning is fast and the interface is clean. It does not include compliance reminders, MTD submission, or a bank feed on the free tier.

The platform is US-origin but has a UK-localised version with appropriate tax categories. For a UK landlord with a single buy-to-let who primarily wants expense tracking on their phone, GO is a practical option. Beyond one property, it requires a paid plan.

Best for: Single-property landlords who want a clean mobile app for expense logging and basic tax reports.

Hammock Free

Hammock's free tier covers one property and includes automated bank reconciliation via Open Banking, a meaningful feature to offer for free, and one that most platforms charge for. It does not include MTD submission or compliance certificate tracking on the free tier. Hammock is built primarily around financial management, and its free tier reflects that: the bank feed and basic income/expense tracking are solid, but the broader compliance and document management features require a paid plan.

Best for: Single-property landlords who want automated bank reconciliation and financial tracking as their primary need.

Rentila Free

Rentila covers two properties on its free tier with income and expense tracking, basic document storage and a tenant portal. It is a European platform with a UK presence and partial UK compliance awareness, it does not track gas safety, EICR or EPC renewal dates, and it does not support MTD. For a UK landlord, the absence of UK compliance tracking is a meaningful gap given how consequential those obligations are. It suits landlords who primarily want a simple rent ledger and tenant communication tool.

Best for: Landlords who want a simple rent ledger and basic tenant communication for up to two properties, with no compliance tracking requirement.

Spreadsheets

A well-structured spreadsheet is technically free and can track income and expenses accurately for a small portfolio. HMRC's own guidance acknowledges spreadsheets as a record-keeping tool, and for landlords below the MTD threshold with one or two properties, a spreadsheet plus a calendar reminder system covers the compliance basics.

What spreadsheets do not provide: automated bank reconciliation, compliance certificate expiry tracking, tenant communication, document storage with audit trails, or MTD quarterly submission. They require consistent manual discipline that most landlords find difficult to sustain across multiple properties or over several years.

From working with landlords who have moved to August from spreadsheets, the failure mode is almost always the same: the spreadsheet works for year one, then falls progressively behind as tenancies change, receipts go missing and the annual catch-up becomes a multi-day project. The switch to software typically happens after one difficult self-assessment, not before.

The hidden costs of free software

Free does not mean zero cost. Every free platform on this list involves at least one of the following trade-offs.

Manual data entry. Without a bank feed, every transaction must be entered manually. For a landlord with two properties and four rent payments per month, that is manageable. For a landlord with ten properties and forty monthly transactions, it becomes a material overhead, and one that compounds across every expense, repair and insurance payment.

No MTD compliance. Most free tiers do not include MTD quarterly submission capability. From April 2026, landlords with gross property income above £50,000 must submit quarterly updates using HMRC-recognised software. From April 2027 the threshold drops to £30,000, and from April 2028 to £20,000. If you are currently below the threshold, check when you will cross it. The cost of separate MTD software on top of a free property management tool often exceeds the cost of a single platform that does both. Our cheapest MTD software guide covers the options in full.

No UK compliance tracking. Gas safety, EICR, EPC, Right to Rent, the obligations that carry the most severe penalties for non-compliance. Several free tiers do not track these at all. A landlord managing two properties with no compliance reminder system is relying entirely on their own memory or calendar. That works until it does not.

Support limitations. On free tiers, support is slower and less comprehensive than on paid plans. If something goes wrong at a critical moment, a quarterly MTD deadline or a deposit dispute, the support queue matters more than it seems when you first sign up.

Data portability. If you start with a free tool and later decide to switch, how easily can you export your data? August provides clean human-readable exports of properties, tenancies and transactions on all tiers including free. Not every platform does.

When does free stop being enough?

There are four clear trigger points where a free tier stops being the sensible choice.

You have more than two or three active tenancies. Most free tiers cap at one to three properties or tenancies. Beyond that, the only genuinely unlimited free option is RentalBux, which comes with the caveats noted above.

You cross the MTD threshold. Currently £50,000 gross property income, dropping to £30,000 in April 2027 and £20,000 in April 2028. Once MTD applies, a free tier without submission capability means paying for separate bridging software or a filing tool on top, often costing more than simply upgrading to a paid landlord platform.

You have a tenant arrears situation. Managing an arrears case, serving notices, and maintaining a clean audit trail requires timestamped records and document storage that most free tiers do not provide at the depth needed for possession proceedings. Under the Renters' Rights Act 2025, which came into force on 1 May 2026, possession requires a Section 8 claim and a clean evidential record, the importance of organised documentation has increased materially. See the Renters' Rights Act hub for what the Act means for landlords in practice.

Your accountant is spending time on your data. If your accountant bills by the hour and regularly asks you to reformat or re-explain your financial records, a paid plan with clean property-level P&L exports and accountant-ready reports will save more per year than it costs.

August Free: what you get in full

For landlords who want to start with August's free tier, here is exactly what is included with no time limit and no credit card required.

Rent tracking for up to two tenancies, with payment status, partial payment flagging and rent history. Expense logging with HMRC-aligned categories. Compliance checklists covering gas safety, EICR, EPC, deposit protection and Right to Rent. Document storage with expiry date tracking across all compliance certificates. Smart reminders that read expiry dates from uploaded documents and generate renewal prompts. AI property assistant for natural-language questions about your own tenancy data. Tenant app for maintenance requests, document access and communication. Access on iOS, Android and web.

What requires upgrading to Growth at £8.99 per month: Open Banking rent tracking via Plaid, MTD quarterly submission capability, and more than two tenancies.

Start for free, no credit card, no time limit.

Frequently asked questions

Is there genuinely free landlord software in the UK?

Yes. August, RentalBux, Landlord Studio GO, Hammock and Rentila all offer indefinite free tiers with no time limit. The scope of what each free tier includes varies significantly, see the comparison table above.

Can free landlord software handle MTD?

RentalBux is the only platform offering MTD quarterly submission on a free tier, with the caveat that its free tier is confirmed through 2028 and not beyond. August includes MTD submission from the Growth plan at £8.99 per month. All other free tiers on this list require a paid upgrade or a separate filing tool for MTD compliance. For a full comparison of MTD costs, see our cheapest MTD software guide.

Is free landlord software safe to use?

Yes, provided the platform is UK-based or has a UK-verified legal entity, stores data in accordance with GDPR, and has FCA authorisation for any Open Banking functionality. August is regulated as an agent of Plaid Financial Ltd, an FCA-authorised payment institution. Check the data and regulatory position of any platform before uploading tenant or financial data.

What is the best free landlord app in the UK?

For most UK landlords with one or two properties, August's free tier offers the best combination of compliance tracking, document storage and smart reminders. For landlords above the MTD threshold who want free MTD submission, RentalBux is the only option in 2026. For landlords who primarily want mobile expense tracking for a single property, Landlord Studio GO has the best mobile experience.

When should I upgrade from free to paid?

The clearest triggers are crossing the MTD threshold, adding a third tenancy, or reaching a point where manual bank reconciliation is taking more than an hour per month. At August's Growth plan price of £8.99 per month, the upgrade pays for itself in a small number of avoided admin hours.

Written by the August editorial team. Last reviewed: May 2026. Platform features and free tier limits are subject to change, verify current offerings directly with each provider before committing.