Landlord Studio – What You Need to Know
An in-depth look at Landlord Studio — features, strengths, limitations, and who it's best for.
At a Glance
Key facts about Landlord Studio at a glance.
| Feature | Landlord Studio |
|---|---|
| Software Type | Property/Landlord Platform s |
| Target Users | Landlords, Property Investors |
| Income Sources Supported | UK Property + Foreign Property only |
| Free MTD Software Plan | Free tier (up to 3 units) — MTD submission requires paid plan |
| MTD Quarterly Updates to HMRC | Yes |
| Final Declaration | Yes |
| Bank Reconciliation | Yes (Open Banking / bank feeds) |
| Automated Bank Feeds | Yes |
| Invoice Creation | No |
| Receipt Capture (OCR) | Yes |
| Expense Auto-Categorisation | Yes |
| Property Portfolio Management | Yes |
| Tenant Management | Yes |
| Joint Ownership & Profit Sharing | Yes (separate MTD submissions per owner) |
| Payroll | No |
| HMO Unit-Level Tracking | Yes |
| HMRC SA105 Box Pre-Mapping | Partial |
| Spreadsheet Import/Export | Yes |
| Platform | Web, iOS, Android |
| GDPR Compliant | Yes |
What Is Landlord Studio?
What Is Landlord Studio?
All-In-One Landlord Software
Landlord Studio is a cloud-based, mobile-first property management and rental accounting platform designed for UK (and international) landlords. Founded in New Zealand and now headquartered in San Francisco with a dedicated UK product, Landlord Studio combines property portfolio management, tenant management, maintenance tracking, real-time bank feeds, receipt scanning, and HMRC-integrated MTD submissions into a single platform. It is HMRC-recognised for Making Tax Digital for Income Tax covering UK property and foreign property income.
Landlord Studio's greatest strength is its mobile-first design and ease of use. The iOS and Android apps are widely praised by landlords for their intuitive interface, allowing income and expense logging, receipt capture via Smart Scan technology, and rent tracking on the go. The platform supports all major ownership structures including joint ownership, partnerships, and limited companies, with the ability to make separate MTD submissions for each owner from a single account.
Strengths
- HMRC-recognised for UK property, foreign property, and furnished holiday let income
- Excellent mobile-first experience (iOS and Android)
- Smart Scan receipt capture for on-the-go digitisation
- Real-time bank feeds via open banking
- Free tier (GO) for up to 3 units for property management
- Maintenance tracking and repair management included
- Separate MTD submissions per owner under joint ownership
- Tenant screening tools available (PRO plans)
- Xero integration for advanced accounting
- Strong user reviews across Capterra, GetApp, and Xero App Store
Limitations
- No sole trader/self-employment income support under MTD
- Free GO tier does not include MTD submission capability
- No agent filing — accountants can view but not submit
- No landlord-tailored chart of accounts
- No invoice creation or branded invoicing
- PRO plan costs scale per unit, which can add up for larger portfolios
- No sole trader income means landlords with mixed income need a second platform
- No formal accounting reports (balance sheet, trial balance)
- Per-unit pricing model less cost-effective at 10+ properties vs flat-fee alternatives
- No phone support — live chat and email only
Making Tax Digital Compliance
How Landlord Studio Handles MTD Compliance
Landlord Studio covers UK property income and foreign property income for MTD purposes, with quarterly updates and a final declaration submitted directly to HMRC via its direct HMRC integration. The platform handles separate MTD submissions for each owner in a jointly owned property, all from a single Landlord Studio account. However, Landlord Studio does not support sole trader income under MTD — landlords who also earn self-employment income would need a second MTD-compliant platform to cover that income stream. Landlord Studio also does not support agent filing; accountants and letting agents can be granted access to view records, but cannot submit MTD updates on a landlord's behalf.
| Feature | Landlord Studio |
|---|---|
| HMRC Recognised(MTD ITSA) | Yes |
| MTD Quarterly Updates | Yes |
| Final Declaration | Yes |
| Digital Record Keeping | Yes |
| Digital Links Compliant | Yes |
| Sole Trader Income | No |
| UK Property Income | Yes |
| Foreign Property Income | Yes |
| Multiple Income Streams | No |
| Agent Filing on Behalf | No |
Property Management
Landlord Studio: Mobile-First Portfolio and Tenant Management
Landlord Studio provides property portfolio management, tenant management, rent tracking, property expense allocation, and document storage across multiple properties. A standout feature is maintenance tracking: landlords can log repair requests, assign work orders, and track progress from within the app — functionality not currently available in RentalBux. Tenant screening tools are available on paid plans, allowing landlords to run reference checks from within the platform. Landlord Studio supports all ownership structures including joint, partnership, and limited company, and can generate separate MTD submissions per owner from a single account. However, joint ownership profit-splitting is not automated in the same way as RentalBux — each owner must manage their own proportional records.
| Feature | Landlord Studio |
|---|---|
| Property Portfolio Management | Yes |
| Tenant Management | Yes |
| Rent Tracking | Yes |
| Property Expense Allocation | Yes |
| Multiple Property Support | Yes |
| HMO Property Support | Yes |
| Joint Ownership/Profit Sharing | Yes (separate submissions per owner) |
| Maintenance Tracking | Yes |
| Tenant Screening | Yes |
| Compliance Document Alerts | Yes |
| Arrears Tracking | Yes |
Bookkeeping, Accounting & Digital Record Keeping
Landlord's Studio: Bookkeeping and Accounting Features
Landlord Studio provides a capable rental accounting layer: real-time bank feeds via open banking, receipt capture via Smart Scan, income and expense tracking per property, and exportable profit & loss reports. The platform categorises transactions against rental income and expense headings and supports cash basis accounting. However, Landlord Studio does not offer a dedicated chart of accounts tailored for UK property landlords, journal entries, or double-entry bookkeeping natively. For landlords who require a full accounting structure, Landlord Studio offers a Xero integration — though this requires a separate Xero subscription and adds cost and complexity.
| Feature | Landlord Studio |
|---|---|
| Cash Basis Accounting | Yes |
| Chart of Accounts (Pre-built) | No |
| Journal Entries | No |
| Bank Reconciliation | Yes |
| Automated Bank Feeds | Yes |
| Open Banking Integration | Yes |
| Double-Entry Bookkeeping | No |
| HMRC Box Pre-Mapping | Partial |
| Spreadsheet Import/Export | Yes |
| Digital Record Storage | Yes |
Invoicing, Expense Tracking
Landlord Studio: Smart Scan Receipt Capture and Automated Tracking
Landlord Studio's expense management is centred on its Smart Scan technology: landlords photograph receipts on their mobile device, and the platform extracts dates and amounts automatically. Transactions are categorised against property income and expense headings. Bank feed integration allows real-time reconciliation of transactions. However, Landlord Studio does not offer invoice creation or branded invoicing — the platform is focused on expense capture and tracking rather than billing. There is no AI-driven expense categorisation equivalent to RentalBux's automated system.
| Feature | Landlord Studio |
|---|---|
| Invoice Creation & Sending | No |
| Invoice Customisation/Branding | Pro andNo |
| Online Payment Collection | Yes |
| Payment Tracking/Reminders | Yes |
| Expense Tracking | Yes |
| Receipt Capture (OCR/Photo) | Yes |
| Expense Categorisation | Yes |
| Automated Transaction Matching | No |
| Mileage Tracking | Yes |
| AI Auto-Categorisation | No |
Reporting & Tax Forecasting
Landlord Studio: Rental Reports and Portfolio Dashboard
Landlord Studio provides a real-time portfolio dashboard, per-property profit & loss reports, income and expense summaries, and cash flow reporting. These reports are exportable and designed to give landlords a clear view of portfolio performance. The platform does not produce formal balance sheets or trial balances natively. A running tax estimate is not currently listed as a feature. For landlords requiring more advanced financial reporting, the Xero integration provides access to a wider accounting report suite.
| Feature | Landlord Studio |
|---|---|
| Profit & Loss Report | Yes |
| Balance Sheet | No |
| Trial Balance | No |
| Dashboard/Overview | Yes |
| Real-Time Financial Data | Yes |
| Cash Flow Reporting | Yes |
| Tax Estimate/Forecast | No |
| AI-Powered Features | No |
Collaboration & Mobile Apps
Landlord Studio's Collaborative Features
Landlord Studio is designed to be accessible to landlords working with accountants or letting agents, but their collaboration capabilities differ significantly — and this matters greatly under Making Tax Digital, where quarterly submissions must be timely and accurate. Landlord Studio also has a dedicated Accountants partner programme (landlordstudio.com/uk/partners/accountants) for practices managing multiple landlord clients.
| Feature | Landlord Studio |
|---|---|
| Accountant/Advisor Portal | Yes |
| Multi-User Access | Yes (role-based) |
| Agent Filing on Behalf | No |
| Bank Integration | Yes (Open Banking) |
| Platform | iOS, Android |
| Web Browser Access | Yes |
| FCA Regulated | Yes |
| GDPR Compliant | Yes |
Ease of Use, Support & Security
Landlord Studio: Ease of Use, Customer Support, and Security
Landlord Studio is praised extensively by users for its clean, intuitive mobile experience and responsive customer support. The platform offers live chat support during US and UK business hours and email support. No phone support is listed. Based on over 450 verified user reviews across Capterra, GetApp, Software Advice, and the Xero App Store, Landlord Studio receives consistently strong ratings for ease of use and customer service quality.
| Feature | Landlord Studio |
|---|---|
| Phone Support | No |
| Chat Support | Yes (US & UK business hours) |
| Email Support | Yes |
| Help Centre/Knowledge Base | Yes |
| FCA Regulated | Yes |
| Enterprise-Grade Security | Yes |
Unique Features Only Landlord Studio Offers
Maintenance Tracking and Work Order Management
Landlord Studio includes a full maintenance module: log repair requests, assign work orders to contractors, track progress, and store documentation. This operational capability makes Landlord Studio a more complete day-to-day portfolio management tool for landlords who handle their own maintenance coordination.
Tenant Screening Tools
Tenant credit and reference checks are available within the Landlord Studio platform on paid plans, reducing the need for third-party screening services.
Mileage Tracking
Landlord Studio includes mileage tracking for landlords who visit properties — an allowable expense that is often missed.
Mobile-First, Award-Winning App Design
Landlord Studio consistently receives top marks for its iOS and Android apps, with users citing ease of use as a primary reason for choosing the platform. The app is designed to make income and expense logging, receipt capture, and rent tracking genuinely fast from a mobile device.
Xero Integration for Advanced Accounting
For landlords who already use Xero or whose accountant works within the Xero ecosystem, Landlord Studio's native Xero integration allows seamless data transfer to a full accounting platform.
Who Should Choose Landlord Studio?
Landlord Studio is the better MTD software choice for:
Landlords Who Want the Best Mobile Experience
Landlord Studio's iOS and Android apps are widely regarded as among the best in the UK landlord software market. If managing your portfolio from your phone — logging receipts, tracking rent, managing maintenance — is a priority, Landlord Studio's mobile-first design gives it a clear edge.
Property-Only Landlords with No Self-Employment Income
If your qualifying income is entirely from UK or foreign property with no sole trader income, Landlord Studio covers your MTD requirements fully. The absence of sole trader support is only a limitation for landlords with mixed income.
Landlords Who Also Need Maintenance Management
Landlord Studio's maintenance tracking, work order management, and vendor coordination tools give it a meaningful operational advantage for landlords who manage repairs and contractors directly.
Landlords Whose Accountant Uses Xero
You self-manage your properties and want built-in property listing syndication and tenant application management with pre-screening tools --- features that help fill vacancies without using a separate lettings platform.
Small Portfolio Landlords (Up to 3 Units) Wanting Free Property Management
The GO free plan covers up to three units with property management, tenant tools, and receipt scanning — a strong free offering for landlords who do not yet need MTD submissions (i.e., below the £50,000 threshold).