Making Tax Digital for Income Tax began on 6 April 2026. If your qualifying income for 2024 to 2025 exceeded £50,000, your first quarterly update is due by 7 August, which is roughly 14 weeks away. While HMRC has paused penalty points for late quarterly submissions during the 2026 to 2027 tax year, the year-end deadline still applies.
Landlord Vision and Hammock are two of the names that come up most often when landlords search for a solution. Both are on HMRC's official recognised software list. Both were built specifically for UK landlords. Both have a credible product. So why do so many landlords end up regretting their choice within six months?
The mistake isn't picking the wrong product. It's picking on the wrong basis. Landlords compare these two on price, MTD compliance, and feature lists, and miss the thing that actually predicts whether the software will fit their life: which bottleneck they're trying to solve. Landlord Vision and Hammock weren't designed to compete with each other. They were built for different problems entirely, and a landlord who picks the wrong one ends up paying for capacity they don't need or missing the workflow that would have saved them hours.
This article walks through what each one actually does well, where each falls short, what they cost in the real world, and which type of UK landlord each one was built for. The aim isn't to tell you which is better. It's to make sure you don't pick on the wrong basis.
Product Overview: Landlord Vision vs Hammock
Hammock describes itself as the first landlord accounting platform recognised by HMRC for Making Tax Digital. It is FCA authorised (Register No. 911254), connects to over 50 UK bank and credit card feeds, and is recognised as an industry supplier by Propertymark. The platform is built around real-time reconciliation: rent payments and expenses are matched to the right property and tenant automatically through Open Banking, with push notifications when transactions arrive or go missing.
Landlord Vision is a desktop-first property management suite that bundles accounting, tenancy agreements, document signing, and compliance reminders into one platform. It is FCA registered (918962) and aimed at landlords who run rentals as a structured business with substantial admin alongside the accounting itself. It handles per-room HMO setups and multi-portfolio structures within a single subscription.
Here's a side-by-side overview before we get into the detail.
Features | Landlord Vision | Hammock |
|---|---|---|
Built to solve | Admin-heavy portfolio management | Property accounting and MTD compliance through automation |
Best for | Landlords running rentals as a structured business | Landlords who want their finances on autopilot |
Free trial | 14-day trial | First 30 days free |
Entry paid price | £21.97/month (Starter, 5 tenancies) | From £8/month (per-property pricing) |
Annual discount | Not advertised on pricing page | Save 20% on annual subscription |
HMRC-recognised for MTD ITSA | Yes | Yes (first landlord platform recognised) |
Open Banking / live bank feeds | Yes | Yes, 50+ UK bank and credit card feeds |
Mobile experience | Web-based, no native app | Mobile-first, iOS and Android apps |
Tenancy agreements & e-signing | Yes, mail merge and document signing built in | Not a core feature |
Compliance reminders | Yes, comprehensive (gas safety, EPC) | Notifications for expiring documents |
Investment analytics | Standard reporting | LTV, rental yields, occupancy rates, arrears balance |
Self-employment MTD filing | Property focus only | Property focus only (sole trader filing not supported) |
FCA registered | Yes (918962) | Yes (911254) |
QuickBooks integration | Not advertised | Yes, deep integration launched March 2026 |
What Problems Does Landlord Vision Solve?
Landlord Vision was built for landlords whose biggest bottleneck isn't filing taxes, it's everything else: tenancy paperwork, gas safety renewals, and the document trail that comes with running rentals as a real business. Here's what it actually solves.
The "my tenancy admin is eating my weekends" problem
Tenancy agreements with mail merge, integrated document signing, and a regularly updated legal template library mean you can issue, sign, and store agreements without leaving the platform. For a landlord with 10 or more tenancies, this is genuinely hours back per month.
The "I keep missing compliance deadlines" problem
Built-in reminders for gas safety certificates, EPCs, electrical inspections, and tenancy renewals fire automatically on the dates that matter. Landlords running portfolio rentals know that a missed gas safety renewal can void insurance, and Landlord Vision treats compliance as a first-class workflow rather than an afterthought.
The "I'm running two portfolios in two places" problem
If you're mid-incorporation and running a limited company portfolio alongside a private one, Landlord Vision handles both in a single subscription. You don't pay twice and you don't keep two systems in sync.
The "I don't know where to start" problem
Every paid plan includes a free 20-minute onboarding call. For landlords new to accounting software, this is the difference between getting set up properly and giving up on the first night.
The "my HMO is too complicated for normal software" problem
Per-room tenant assignment, separate rent rolls per unit, and unit-level financial reporting handle HMOs natively. Most landlord accounting tools force HMOs into a workaround structure. Landlord Vision treats them as a primary use case.
What Problems Does Hammock Solve?
Hammock was built around a single belief: landlords should not be doing manual bookkeeping in 2026. ICAEW recognises Hammock as the first landlord software recognised by HMRC for MTD, and the platform is built around live bank feeds and real-time reconciliation. Here's what it solves.
The "I'm drowning in spreadsheets" problem
Hammock connects to your bank accounts via Open Banking and reconciles rent payments and property expenses in real time. Once you've added your properties and tenancies, the system automatically identifies recurring rent payments, categorises expenses against HMRC's SA105 categories, and matches transactions to the right property and tenant. There's no chart of accounts to configure and no monthly reconciliation routine.
The "I want to know my numbers right now" problem
The dashboard delivers real-time investment metrics: loan-to-value ratios, rental yields, occupancy rates, profit and loss per property, and per-tenant arrears balances. Most landlord accounting tools generate a quarterly report and call it a day. Hammock lets you check your portfolio performance from your phone at any point in the year.
The "I'm scared I'll be hit with a tax bill I can't pay" problem
Hammock provides a running estimate of your total expected tax bill throughout the year, with an option to set aside funds progressively. For landlords who've previously been blindsided by their Self Assessment bill, this turns tax planning into something passive rather than something to dread.
The "I want a tool I can trust with my financial data" problem
Hammock is FCA authorised (Register No. 911254) and connects bank feeds via Truelayer (also FCA regulated). It is recognised as an industry supplier by Propertymark. For landlords who want regulated financial infrastructure rather than a startup with a bank-feed widget, this matters.
The "I run my admin from my phone" problem
Hammock is built around a mobile-first experience, reflecting its fintech origins. The iOS and Android apps are full-featured, with real-time push notifications for incoming rent, missing payments, and document expiries. Receipts can be photographed and attached to transactions on the spot.
The "I work with an accountant and we both need access" problem
Hammock is widely used by UK accountancy practices, from sole practitioners to top 100 firms, and integrates with QuickBooks via a deep integration launched in partnership with Intuit in March 2026. Your accountant can access up-to-date data at any time, which removes the year-end scramble of pulling figures together.
What Problems Does Landlord Vision Miss?
Landlord Vision is a strong product for the audience it was built for, but it doesn't solve every landlord problem equally well. Here's where it falls short.
The "I run my admin from my phone" problem
There's no native mobile app, only the web platform on a phone browser. For landlords who handle admin during the day rather than at a desk, this is real friction. It shows up consistently in user reviews as the single most-flagged limitation.
The "I have one property and just want MTD" problem
There's no free plan and no single-property tier. Landlords with one or two properties pay £21.97 a month minimum from day one for capacity they won't use, since the Starter plan covers 5 tenancies. For a £52,000-rent landlord testing MTD compliance, that's £263 a year for headroom they don't need.
The "I want real-time investment analytics" problem
Standard accounting reporting is solid, but the platform doesn't surface live LTV ratios, rental yields, or occupancy rates as a primary feature in the way that Hammock does. Landlords focused on investment performance rather than tenancy admin will find the analytics layer thinner than they want.
The "I want to be set up in 20 minutes" problem
The learning curve is steeper than competitors. Long-time users mention it isn't easy to get going at first, though the platform becomes powerful once mastered. The 20-minute onboarding call helps, but landlords who'd rather self-serve in an evening will find Hammock quicker to live.
The "I want to be set up in 20 minutes" problem
The learning curve is steeper than competitors. Long-time users mention it isn't easy to get going at first, though the platform becomes powerful once mastered. The 20-minute onboarding call helps, but landlords who'd rather self-serve in an evening will find Hammock quicker to live.
What Problems Does Hammock Miss?
Hammock is excellent at what it was built to do, but it isn't a full property management platform. Here's where it falls short.
The "I need proper tenancy agreements" problem
Hammock isn't a tenancy management tool. There's no integrated tenancy-agreement builder, no e-signing, and no legal template library. Landlords who need this functionality will run a second tool alongside Hammock, which adds cost and admin.
The "I have self-employment income alongside my rentals" problem
Hammock supports MTD for property income, but it does not support sole trader (self-employment) income filing. Landlords with hybrid income need a second piece of MTD software for the self-employment side, or they need to use the QuickBooks integration to bridge the gap. The Independent Landlord article from March 2026 noted that the full "tax return" capability covering non-property income is still in development across most MTD platforms, including Hammock.
The "I want OCR receipt scanning" problem
Receipts can be attached to transactions manually, but there is no OCR or AI-driven categorisation. For a platform that emphasises automation, this is one of the few manual steps that hasn't yet been automated.
The "I want my accountant to file on my behalf" problem
Hammock does not currently support agent filing. The landlord or their accountant must submit directly through the platform itself, rather than the accountant filing from their own software using your data.
The "I run a complex multi-entity structure" problem
Hammock supports multiple properties, joint ownership, partnerships, and limited companies with multiple shareholders. But it doesn't bundle separate ownership structures into one subscription the way Landlord Vision does. If you're running a Ltd portfolio and a private portfolio together, the cost-per-property model can add up.
Filing a Q1 MTD update: How Each Workflow Looks In Practice
To compare the two products on something concrete, here's how the MTD filing workflow runs in each one. The walkthroughs below combine the documented workflow from each provider with hands-on testing of both products by our team in April 2026.
Test Scenario:
A Manchester landlord with three buy-to-lets averaging £1,500 per month each, gross annual rental income of £54,000 (above the £50,000 MTD threshold). One property is held 50/50 with a spouse. The landlord also receives part-time consultancy income outside MTD scope. Q1 covers 6 April to 5 July 2026, submission deadline 7 August. The £1,500 figure sits within the typical Manchester rental range; ONS reports the average Manchester rent at £1,347 in March 2026, with postcodes such as M14 and M21 averaging significantly above this.
Filing in Landlord Vision: The Workflow
Onboarding starts with a 20-minute call included in every paid plan. Reviewers on Capterra consistently flag this call as the difference between getting set up properly and giving up, particularly for landlords new to accounting software. The agent walks through setting up properties, units, and tenancies in the correct order. Once set up, transactions are pulled in via bank feed and grouped by property, then categorised against UK Self Assessment categories. Joint ownership splits are configured at the property record, with the ownership percentage applied when generating the quarterly report.
MTD submission runs from the platform's filing module: review pre-filled SA105 categories, confirm figures, submit to HMRC.
What This Means In Practice:
Landlord Vision treats the quarterly submission as one task within a broader property management workflow that also includes tenancy agreements, document signing, and compliance reminders. Self-employment income falls outside Landlord Vision's MTD scope, so hybrid-income landlords need a second tool or accountant for that side.
Filing in Hammock: The Workflow
Sign-up offers a 30-day free trial with full functionality. Bank feeds connect via Truelayer, which is FCA regulated, with support for over 50 UK bank and credit card feeds. Hammock's bookkeeping runs in real time rather than at quarter-end. Once properties and tenancies are added, the system identifies recurring rent payments, categorises expenses against SA105 categories, and matches transactions to the right property and tenant automatically. Joint ownership is allocated automatically based on the percentage set on the property.
Because reconciliation runs continuously, the MTD submission itself is a review-and-confirm of figures that have already been tracking live throughout the quarter, rather than a quarterly build-from-scratch.
What This Means In Practice:
Landlords whose biggest pain is bookkeeping spend less time at quarter-end because the platform has been working in the background since their bank feed was connected. Hammock's March 2026 deep integration with QuickBooks (announced at Intuit's London Get Connected event) addresses the self-employment gap for landlords willing to run two subscriptions.
Pricing With Worked Examples
Hammock prices per property in tiers: £8 a month for 1 to 3 properties, £15 plus VAT (£18) for 4 to 10, and £25 plus VAT (£30) for 11 to 20 (verified directly with Hammock, April 2026), with a 20% discount on annual subscriptions and 30 days free. Landlord Vision uses tenancy bands: £21.97 a month covers 5 tenancies on the Starter plan; £34.97 a month covers 10 tenancies on Standard, with extra tenancies at £1.25 each. Here's how that plays out across three realistic profiles, calculated annually using monthly pricing.
Profile 1: One buy-to-let, single landlord, £52,000 gross rent
Landlord Vision: £21.97 × 12 = £263.64 a year. The Starter plan covers 5 tenancies, so significant unused capacity.
Hammock: From £8/month for the first property = £96 a year on monthly billing. With the 20% annual discount, around £77 a year.
Two-year cost gap: Hammock is roughly £335 to £373 cheaper over two years at this size, depending on whether you take the annual discount.
Profile 2: Three properties, one held jointly, £85,000 gross rent
Landlord Vision: £21.97 × 12 = £263.64 a year on Starter (3 tenancies fits within 5).
Hammock: 1 to 3 properties tier at £8/month = £96 a year on monthly billing, or roughly £77 a year with the 20% annual discount.
Two-year cost gap: Hammock is £335 to £373 cheaper than Landlord Vision over two years at three properties. Choose Landlord Vision only if its tenancy and document features genuinely save you the price gap in admin time.
Profile 3: Twelve properties, mixed structures
Landlord Vision: Standard plan £34.97 a month (10 tenancies) plus £1.25 × 2 extra tenancies = £37.47 a month, or £449.64 a year.
Hammock: 11 to 20 properties tier at £25 plus VAT = £30/month, so £360 a year on monthly billing, or roughly £288 a year with the 20% annual discount.
Two-year cost gap: Landlord Vision is £179 to £323 cheaper over two years at 12 properties. The decision flips at this size: Hammock's larger-portfolio tier carries a step up that brings it above Landlord Vision's tenancy-band pricing. Choose Landlord Vision if you want bundled tenancy admin alongside the accounting. Choose Hammock if real-time analytics and accountant integration justify the premium.
Three Things You Won't Read On Either Marketing Site
1. Hammock partnered with QuickBooks in March 2026, which changes the calculation for hybrid-income landlords
In March 2026 Hammock and Intuit QuickBooks launched a deep integration unveiled at Intuit's London Get Connected event. The integration links Hammock's property accounting with QuickBooks' small business platform via a connection that allows users to move between platforms without duplicating data. For landlords with both rental income and self-employment income, this is the closest thing to a one-stop solution that Hammock currently offers, though it requires two subscriptions.
2. Landlord Vision's demo doesn't include bank reconciliation
Multiple Capterra reviewers have flagged this. If you're trialling Landlord Vision specifically to see how messy real bank data feels in the system, you can't. The bank reconciliation feature is disabled in the demo environment. You only see how it handles your transactions once you've paid for a subscription. Hammock's 30-day free trial includes the full live bank feed experience, which is a meaningful difference when evaluating.
3. Hammock charges per property, not per tenancy, which matters for HMOs
In a customer testimonial on Hammock's site, an HMO landlord notes: "because they charge me by property, rather than by tenancy, it's incredible value for money." For an HMO with five tenants in five rooms, Landlord Vision's tenancy-based pricing counts that as five tenancies. Hammock counts it as one property. Across a portfolio of HMOs, this can be a significant cost difference.
Which Landlord Type Each One Actually Suits
Landlord Vision is the right call for:
Portfolio landlords with 10 or more tenancies running rentals as a structured business
HMO operators who want per-room tenant assignment and unit-level reporting
Landlords whose admin time is dominated by tenancy agreements, document signing, and compliance chasing
Landlords mid-incorporation who need to run a Ltd portfolio and a private portfolio in one subscription
Anyone who values bundled tenancy admin alongside the accounting
Hammock is the right call for:
Landlords whose biggest pain is bookkeeping, reconciliation, and tax compliance rather than tenancy admin
Landlords who want real-time investment analytics: LTV, rental yields, occupancy rates
HMO landlords who'd benefit from per-property rather than per-tenancy pricing
Mobile-first landlords who handle admin between meetings, not at a desk
Landlords who already work closely with an accountant and want them to have live access to the data
Landlords who value FCA-authorised financial infrastructure and the longer MTD track record
Conclusion
Landlord Vision and Hammock aren't really competing for the same landlord, even though they're both HMRC-recognised and both built specifically for UK property income. Hammock solves the problem of property accounting through automation, with live bank feeds, real-time reconciliation, and investment analytics built in. Landlord Vision solves the problem of running rentals as a structured business, with tenancy agreements, document signing, and compliance reminders bundled alongside the accounting.
If your weekends disappear into tenancy paperwork, gas-safety chasing, and tracking down contractor invoices, Landlord Vision will buy back hours. If they disappear into bank statements, manual categorisation, and trying to work out what your tax bill is going to look like, Hammock removes most of that work entirely.
And if your real bottleneck is having both rental income and self-employment income, with eight quarterly updates a year stretching across two systems, neither of these is fully built for that yet. Hammock's QuickBooks integration is the closest stitched-together answer on the market today. A proper end-to-end solution for hybrid-income landlords is still being figured out across the sector.
FAQs
Last updated April 2026. Pricing and feature data verified from primary sources. RentalBux is HMRC-recognised for MTD for Income Tax. This article reflects independent comparison in April 2026 and does not constitute financial or tax advice.
