Owning a property with someone else is common — whether it's with a spouse, a business partner, or a family member. But when it comes to Making Tax Digital, joint ownership adds a layer of complexity that catches many landlords off guard. Don't worry — RentalBux handles all of it automatically.
Why do Joint owners file separately
Under HMRC's rules, each individual landlord is responsible for their own tax affairs. If you and your partner jointly own a rental property, you each need to file your own quarterly MTD updates — separately, to your own HMRC Government Gateway accounts. You can't lump everything into one submission.
RentalBux is designed specifically for this. Once you've set up joint ownership and entered the profit-sharing split, the platform automatically generates separate quarterly figures for each owner for the shared property, for free.
Before you start — what each co-owner needs
Every co-owner who needs to file MTD must have their own:
RentalBux account (Created when linked to the shared property)
HMRC Government Gateway user ID and password
HMRC connection set up within RentalBux (MTD)
Quick Tip: If your co-owner isn't yet registered for MTD, they'll need to register with HMRC first. Visit https://www.gov.uk/guidance/sign-up-your-business-for-making-tax-digital-for-income-tax for the sign-up process. RentalBux can't submit on their behalf until they've connected their own Gateway account.
How RentalBux splits income and expenses between co-owners
When you set up a jointly owned property in RentalBux (refer guide: Setting Up Joint Ownership & Configuring Profit Splits — Managing Joint Property -Link guide 13, section 3), you enter a profit-sharing ratio — for example 50/50, or 60/40, or any other split. The platform then:
1. Records all income and expenses at the property level (no need to manually split anything).
2. Automatically calculates each owner's share of income, each owner's share of every expense category, and the net profit or loss per owner.
3. Generates a separate quarterly update report for each owner for the shared property.
4. Submits to HMRC separately, using each owner's individual HMRC connection.
A worked example — 60/40 split, one tax quarter
| Owner A (60%) | Owner B (40%) |
|---|---|---|
Rental income | £3,600 | £2,400 |
Repairs & maintenance | £360 | £240 |
Letting agent fees | £180 | £120 |
Insurance | £120 | £80 |
Net profit submitted to HMRC | £2,940 | £1,960 |
Both figures are submitted to HMRC within the same quarterly deadline. Owner A logs into their RentalBux account to submit; Owner B logs into theirs. Neither can file on behalf of the other.
What happens if one owner hasn't connected to HMRC yet?
If your co-owner hasn't yet set up their HMRC connection in RentalBux, their submission will be pending. You can still file your own quarterly update on time — you don't need to wait for them. However, your co-owner will need to complete their own submission separately before the deadline to avoid late penalties.
RentalBux shows the submission status for each owner, as per shared property on the MTD dashboard, so you can both see at a glance whether all filings are up to date.
Can I manage my co-owner's submission for them?
Not directly — each owner must submit through their own account. However, if you've been granted accountant or admin access to their RentalBux account, you can prepare the submission on their behalf and they can approve and submit it.
Joint ownership and MTD can feel complicated, but once both owners are set up in RentalBux, the day-to-day process is no different from a single-owner property. Everything splits automatically — you just review and submit.