Critical factual note on Landlord Vision: Landlord Vision's own MTD FAQ page (landlordvision.co.uk/using-landlord-vision-for-mtd.html, fetched July 2026) states in its FAQ: "Sign up with Landlord Vision to be notified when our MTD tools are ready to use." The same page describes direct HMRC submissions as a feature, creating an internal contradiction. Third-party sources list Landlord Vision as HMRC-recognised. Landlord Vision has published a step-by-step MTD blog guide. However, the FAQ language on its own consumer-facing page indicates the direct submission feature was not confirmed as fully live through that page as at July 2026. Readers must verify the current live submission status directly with Landlord Vision and on the HMRC compatible software register at tax.service.gov.uk before treating it as a confirmed live MTD filing platform.
FreeAgent and Landlord Vision are both mentioned as options for UK landlords preparing for Making Tax Digital for Income Tax. They operate on fundamentally different foundations. FreeAgent is a cloud accounting platform founded in Edinburgh in 2007, acquired by NatWest Group in 2018, with the longest track record of any UK accounting platform in HMRC's MTD for Income Tax pilot, having participated since 2023. Landlord Vision is a property management platform built specifically for UK landlords, with deep tenancy, compliance, and accounting tools, but an unresolved live MTD submission question that requires direct verification as at July 2026.
This article draws exclusively on each provider's own published pages, third-party authoritative sources, and HMRC's published guidance, all verified as at July 2026. Prices exclude VAT unless noted otherwise.
The MTD for Income Tax Mandate: The Essentials
Making Tax Digital for Income Tax became mandatory on 6 April 2026 for sole traders and landlords with combined qualifying gross income above £50,000 in the 2024 to 2025 tax year. The mandate extends to those with qualifying income above £30,000 from April 2027, and above £20,000 from April 2028.
Qualifying taxpayers must keep digital records, submit four quarterly updates due by 7 August, 7 November, 7 February, and 7 May each year, and file a Final Declaration by 31 January. HMRC has paused penalty points for late quarterly submissions during 2026 to 2027. Financial penalties for late Final Declarations apply from April 2026. From the 2027 to 2028 tax year, missed quarterly deadlines accumulate penalty points and a £200 fine applies after four points.
FreeAgent and MTD
HMRC Recognition and MTD Pilot Track Record
FreeAgent is HMRC-recognised for MTD for VAT and MTD for Income Tax. It has participated in HMRC's MTD for Income Tax pilot since 2023, giving it the longest live pilot track record of any UK accounting platform. Quarterly updates and the Final Declaration can be submitted directly to HMRC from within FreeAgent for sole traders and unincorporated landlords.
The Free Bank Account Offer
Free for qualifying bank customers: FreeAgent is free, with no feature restrictions and no time limit, for business current account holders with NatWest, Royal Bank of Scotland, Ulster Bank, and Mettle (NatWest's digital business bank). Approximately 40 per cent of FreeAgent's 200,000-plus UK customers access it this way. Optional add-ons, including unlimited Smart Capture receipt processing at £5 per month and Amazon Marketplace integration at £6 per month, remain chargeable. The core product including all MTD submissions, Self Assessment filing, bank feeds, payroll, and invoicing is unrestricted on the free tier.
Paid Pricing for Landlords and Sole Traders
For those without a qualifying bank account, FreeAgent's Landlord plan is £10 per month (regular price), with 50 per cent off for the first six months as an introductory offer, making the first-year effective cost £60 per year at monthly billing. The Sole Trader plan is £19 per month regular price, or £9.50 per month for the first six months. Annual billing offers a saving; the standard annual landlord price is £100 per year and the sole trader annual price is £190 per year, both with introductory 50 per cent discounts for the first year. A 30-day free trial is available with no card required.
What FreeAgent Covers for Landlords
FreeAgent covers UK property income for MTD quarterly updates and the Final Declaration. It includes bank feeds connecting to most major UK business bank accounts via Open Banking, expense categorisation, real-time Self Assessment tax estimates, and Self Assessment filing (SA100 with SA105 property pages) directly to HMRC without a separate tool. A dedicated FreeAgent for Landlords product is available for accountancy practices managing landlord clients at scale, with bulk actions and filing automations.
What FreeAgent Covers for Landlords
FreeAgent covers UK property income for MTD quarterly updates and the Final Declaration. It includes bank feeds connecting to most major UK business bank accounts via Open Banking, expense categorisation, real-time Self Assessment tax estimates, and Self Assessment filing (SA100 with SA105 property pages) directly to HMRC without a separate tool. A dedicated FreeAgent for Landlords product is available for accountancy practices managing landlord clients at scale, with bulk actions and filing automations.
Mixed Income: The Separate Account Requirement
Important: FreeAgent requires separate accounts for each income source. A landlord who also has self-employment income needs both a sole trader account and an unincorporated landlord account in FreeAgent, and submits quarterly updates from each separately. This is confirmed in FreeAgent's own support documentation.
What FreeAgent Does Not Offer Landlords
FreeAgent is not a property management platform. It does not handle Section 24 mortgage interest restrictions automatically, does not include tenancy management, has no compliance certificate reminders, no maintenance tracking, no tenant portal, no HMO support, no capital gains reporting, and no property-specific portfolio analytics such as loan-to-value or rental yield. Independent reviews are consistent on this point: FreeAgent is simpler and for NatWest Group customers potentially free, but landlords with complex portfolios are better served by a specialist landlord platform.
MTD for VAT
FreeAgent is HMRC-recognised for MTD for VAT across all plans including the free bank-funded tier. Standard, cash, and flat rate VAT schemes are supported. Landlord Vision does not include VAT submission on its Starter, Standard, or Premium plans; VAT is available on the Enterprise plan only. For VAT-registered landlords, FreeAgent covers both MTD for VAT and MTD for Income Tax within a single subscription.
Practice Tools
FreeAgent's Practice Dashboard is free for accountants and bookkeepers. It allows multi-client management, bulk operations, and client data migration. FreeAgent for Landlords is a dedicated accountant product with bulk filing automations specifically for managing landlord clients through MTD at scale. Accountants can submit quarterly updates and Final Declarations on behalf of clients. FreeAgent Partner practices also receive discounted client licences.
Landlord Vision and MTD
MTD Live Status: The Factual Position as at July 2026
Landlord Vision's own MTD page (landlordvision.co.uk/using-landlord-vision-for-mtd.html, fetched July 2026) contains an internal contradiction. The page describes direct HMRC submissions as a feature and has published a step-by-step MTD blog guide. However, the FAQ on the same page states: "We are updating our all-in-one landlord software to include user-friendly tools... Sign up with Landlord Vision to be notified when our MTD tools are ready to use." Third-party sources including augustapp list Landlord Vision as HMRC-recognised. This internal contradiction on Landlord Vision's own published pages means the live submission status cannot be confirmed from the website alone. Any client currently in scope for mandatory MTD filing must confirm the current operational status directly with Landlord Vision and on the HMRC compatible software register at tax.service.gov.uk.
Property Management Depth
Where Landlord Vision unambiguously leads FreeAgent is in landlord-specific property management. The features available across all plans, features that FreeAgent does not offer at any tier, include:
Full tenancy lifecycle management, including automated rent tracking and missed-payment alerts.
Compliance management with reminders for certificates, inspections, and legal obligations.
Document management and a legal document centre with e-signatures on Standard plan and above.
A tenant portal and service desk for maintenance requests on Standard plan and above.
Mortgage and loan tracking across the portfolio.
Capital gains reporting on all plans.
HMO support with per-room, per-tenant rent schedules.
Accounting Capability
Landlord Vision includes accruals-basis accounting across all plans, with a full reporting suite covering profit and loss, balance sheet, trial balance, nominal ledger, cash flow, and income tax reports. FreeAgent is cash or accruals basis depending on the account type, but does not provide the property management integration that Landlord Vision builds around its accounting. VAT support is available on Landlord Vision's Enterprise plan only.
Pricing
Landlord Vision Starter: £21.97 per month for up to four active tenancies. Standard: from £34.97 per month for up to 10 tenancies, with additional tenancies at £1.10 per tenancy per month. Premium: £44.97 per month for up to 15 tenancies. Enterprise: £84.97 per month for up to 25 tenancies, adding Xero integration, VAT support, agent statements, and an AI task assistant. A 14-day free trial is available.
Agent Access
Landlord Vision does not have a dedicated agent practice portal. Accountants access the platform by logging in to the landlord's account. There is no centralised multi-client dashboard for external accountants comparable to FreeAgent's free Practice Dashboard.
FCA Registration
Landlord Vision is registered with the Financial Conduct Authority under registration number 918962. FreeAgent is not FCA-registered for Open Banking connectivity in the same capacity; its bank feeds connect via the standard Open Banking framework under its banking partnerships.
Side-by-Side Comparison
All data is from each provider's own published pages, verified as at July 2026. The Landlord Vision MTD column reflects the factual uncertainty described in Section 3.1.
Feature | FreeAgent | Landlord Vision |
|---|---|---|
HMRC MTD ITSA recognition | Yes, confirmed; live since HMRC pilot 2023 | Listed on third-party sources; own FAQ (July 2026) still advises sign up to be notified |
MTD live submission status | Confirmed live; quarterly updates and Final Declaration operational | Verify directly with Landlord Vision before relying as live filing platform |
MTD pilot participation | Yes, since 2023; longest track record in UK market | Not confirmed in available sources |
Product category | Cloud accounting platform; UK-only | Property management platform with accounting features |
Free plan | Yes, free with NatWest, RBS, Ulster Bank, or Mettle; full product, no feature limits | No; 14-day free trial only |
Landlord paid price | £10/month (regular); 50% off first 6 months; £100/year (regular annual) | From £21.97/month (Starter, up to 4 tenancies) |
Self-employment income | Yes, requires separate FreeAgent account | No |
UK property income | Yes, core landlord feature | Yes, core use case |
MTD for VAT | Yes, all plans including free tier | Enterprise plan only |
Tenancy management | No | Yes, all plans |
Compliance reminders | No | Yes, all plans |
Document management / e-signatures | No | Yes, Standard and above |
Tenant portal and maintenance | No | Yes, Standard and above |
Capital gains reporting | No dedicated landlord tool | Yes, all plans |
HMO support | No | Yes, per-room/per-tenant |
Mortgage and loan tracking | No | Yes, all plans |
Self Assessment filing | Yes, SA100 with SA105 and SA106, direct to HMRC, all plans | Not confirmed on published pages as a direct SA filing feature |
Real-time tax estimate | Yes, all plans | Income tax report available; real-time estimate not confirmed |
Bank feeds | Yes, Open Banking, all plans | Yes, Open Banking, all plans |
Receipt capture | Yes; unlimited Smart Capture at £5/month add-on; 10 free per month on standard plan | Yes, data extraction from scanned receipts |
Agent / accountant portal | Yes, free Practice Dashboard; FreeAgent for Landlords for bulk filing | No dedicated portal; accountants log in as landlord |
Mobile app | Yes, iOS and Android, award-winning | Yes, iOS and Android |
Payroll | Yes, up to 10 employees, included in all plans at no extra cost | No |
Accounting basis | Cash and accruals | Accruals; nominal ledger, trial balance, balance sheet |
FCA registration | No | Yes, FCA Reg. No. 918962 |
Section 24 automation | No; confirmed in independent reviews | Not confirmed on published pages |
Prices exclude VAT. Always verify current pricing, plan features, and Landlord Vision's live MTD submission status directly with each provider before advising clients.
Pricing: A Direct Comparison
For NatWest, RBS, Ulster Bank, and Mettle customers
FreeAgent is the most cost-effective confirmed-live MTD route in this comparison for qualifying bank customers. The full product, including MTD quarterly submissions, Final Declaration, Self Assessment filing, bank feeds, payroll, and invoicing, is available at no cost for as long as the qualifying bank account is retained. Landlord Vision's cheapest plan is £21.97 per month. For landlords already banking with a qualifying institution, the cost comparison is settled before any feature comparison begins.
For all other landlords
FreeAgent Landlord at £10 per month regular price (£5 per month for the first six months) is substantially cheaper than Landlord Vision Starter at £21.97 per month. However, FreeAgent is a general accounting tool without any of Landlord Vision's property management features: tenancy management, compliance, documents, maintenance, and HMO support. A landlord who needs both MTD accounting and structured property management should compare the combined cost of FreeAgent plus a separate property management tool against Landlord Vision's all-in-one price.
Which Platform Is Right for Your Client?
Choose FreeAgent if your client:
Banks with NatWest, RBS, Ulster Bank, or Mettle and can access FreeAgent free with no feature restrictions.
Needs a confirmed, live MTD platform for UK property income, with the longest MTD pilot track record in the market.
Is VAT-registered and needs MTD for VAT alongside MTD for Income Tax from one platform, including the free tier.
Wants Self Assessment filing directly to HMRC without a separate tool, including SA105 property pages and SA106 foreign income.
Needs payroll for up to 10 employees included at no extra cost.
Does not need tenancy management, compliance reminders, or property-specific management tools within their accounting platform.
Works with an accountancy practice using FreeAgent's free Practice Dashboard for multi-client MTD management.
Choose Landlord Vision if your client:
Has a property-only portfolio with four or more tenancies and needs tenancy management, compliance, and document management alongside accounting.
Has HMO properties requiring per-room, per-tenant rent schedules and compliance tracking.
Wants accruals-basis accounting with capital gains reporting and a full nominal ledger, alongside property management tools.
Has confirmed directly with Landlord Vision that live MTD API quarterly submissions are currently operational for their account, as at the date of advice.
Does not need VAT submission (or is on the Enterprise plan), Self Assessment direct filing, or payroll from the same platform.
What Neither Platform Fully Resolves
Partnerships are not yet in scope for MTD for Income Tax. HMRC has not confirmed a start date.
MTD for Corporation Tax is not yet mandated. Limited company landlords are outside the scope of MTD ITSA.
Neither platform confirms automated Section 24 mortgage interest tax credit calculations within their standard MTD quarterly update workflows, based on published pages as at July 2026.
The Final Declaration covers qualifying business income but does not replace the need to declare employment income, dividends, or capital gains separately.
FreeAgent requires a separate account per income source; landlords with self-employment income must manage two accounts and submit eight quarterly updates per year.
HMRC has paused penalty points for late quarterly submissions during 2026 to 2027. Financial penalties for late Final Declarations apply from April 2026. Penalty points apply from the 2027 to 2028 tax year.
Conclusion
FreeAgent and Landlord Vision are not realistic alternatives for the same client in most cases. The decision depends on the landlord's banking relationship, income mix, portfolio complexity, and whether confirmed live MTD filing is the immediate priority.
FreeAgent is the stronger choice wherever confirmed, live MTD quarterly submission is required now. For NatWest, RBS, Ulster Bank, and Mettle customers, it is also free, making it the most cost-effective confirmed-live option in this comparison by a considerable margin. Its Self Assessment direct filing, VAT submission, payroll, and long MTD pilot track record make it a credible and complete compliance platform for sole traders and landlords with straightforward finances.
Landlord Vision is the stronger choice for landlords who need structured property management, tenancy lifecycle tools, compliance reminders, and formal accounting output in a single platform, provided they have confirmed directly with Landlord Vision that live MTD API submissions are operational for their account. Without that confirmation, no compliance reliance should be placed on the platform for clients currently in scope from April 2026.
For accountants advising clients, the practical sequence is clear: confirm Landlord Vision's live status before recommending it for mandatory filers, and consider FreeAgent as the free or low-cost confirmed-live alternative for landlords who do not need the property management depth that only Landlord Vision provides.
