Editorial round-up · 2026

Best free landlord software (UK, 2026)

The free-landlord-software landscape just changed: Property Hawk, the free tool many UK landlords relied on since 2006, is closing its free service at the end of July 2026, leaving its users looking for somewhere to move their records. This guide covers the tools with a real free tier a UK landlord can still use, what each one includes, where the free tier stops, and — because it explains a lot — how each makes its money. Most UK landlords own one or two properties, so the free tier that covers a single property well often beats a paid plan you do not need yet.

Property Hawk, long the go-to free tool, is closing its free service at the end of July 2026, so its users need a new home. Of the tools still running, LetCompliance is free forever for one property with a real 0-100 compliance score, and most others give a free tier then charge as you add properties or use add-ons.

Last reviewed:10 July 2026Editor: Erdem Volkan

How we picked

We used the free tier of every tool below as a landlord with one rental would, without upgrading, and checked three things: what you actually get for nothing, the exact point the free tier stops (usually a property count or a paywalled feature), and the monetisation model behind the free offer (referral fees, referencing charges or an upgrade path). We did not score marketing pages; we signed up. We also excluded Property Hawk from the ranking because it is closing its free service at the end of July 2026 — see the FAQ on what its users should do. Free-tier limits and pricing change often, so verify the current terms on each provider before you commit. Reviewed July 2026.

Top picks

1Best free tier for a single-property landlord

LetCompliance

Free forever for one property — with real compliance depth.

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2Best free tier for income and expense tracking

Landlord Studio GO

Free bookkeeping tier of a paid platform.

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3Best free tier for finding a tenant

OpenRent

Free to advertise, monetised by add-ons.

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At a glance

Feature	LetCompliance	Landlord Studio GO	OpenRent	Rentila
Free for more than one property LetCompliance is free forever for one property; a second needs a paid plan. Rentila and Landlord Studio GO cover a small number of properties free.		Limited	N/A (marketplace)	Limited
0–100 compliance score (free)
Certificate expiry reminders (free)		Basic		Basic
Income / expense tracking (free)
Section 8 / Section 13 drafting No free tier on the market ships RRA-era possession drafting; on LetCompliance it is a paid feature (free during the 14-day trial).	Paid
No card required to start
Monetisation model	Paid plans for 2+ properties	Paid PRO upgrade	Paid add-ons	Paid plans

The full ranking

1 Best free tier for a single-property landlord

LetCompliance

Free forever for one property — with real compliance depth.

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LetCompliance is free forever for a single property, with no card required and no time limit, and the free tier is not a stub: you get a live 0-100 compliance score, certificate tracking for Gas Safety, EICR and EPC with reminders before they expire, document storage and a deposit-protection deadline tracker. That is more genuine compliance depth than any other free tier we tested, and it is built for the post-reform world rather than bolted on. The honest limit is property count: the free plan covers one property, and a second needs a paid plan (Solo, up to 3, is £14.99/mo). Every new account also gets 14 days of full access to the paid features first, so you can see the Section 8 drafter and rent collection before deciding. It is #1 here because, per property, it gives you the most of what actually matters — but if you want many properties free and can live with lighter tooling, read the Property Hawk entry.

Strengths

Free forever for one property, no card, no time limit.
Live 0-100 compliance score, not just a reminder list.
Certificate tracking + expiry reminders for Gas / EICR / EPC and deposit deadlines.
14 days of full paid access up front, so you can trial Section 8 drafting and rent collection.

Gaps

Free tier is one property only — a second property needs a paid plan.
Section 8 / Section 13 drafting and Direct Debit rent collection are paid features (free for the 14-day trial, then a paid plan).

Pricing: Free for 1 property, forever. Paid from £14.99/mo (Solo, up to 3) (2026).
Best for: A landlord with one property who wants real compliance tracking, not just reminders, for nothing — including anyone leaving Property Hawk.

2 Best free tier for income and expense tracking

Landlord Studio GO

Free bookkeeping tier of a paid platform.

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Landlord Studio GO is the free entry tier of Landlord Studio, and it is strongest on the money side: income and expense tracking, receipt capture and simple reporting that make self-assessment less painful. It is a capable free bookkeeping tool. The limits are that the deeper features — richer reporting, some automation and higher property allowances — sit behind the paid PRO plan, and the compliance and possession side is light. If your main pain is keeping the numbers straight rather than the legal paperwork, the free tier does a real job; if it is the Renters’ Rights Act legal layer, it is not the tool for that.

Strengths

Strong free income/expense tracking with receipt capture.
Cleaner, more modern app than the older free tools.
A sensible free on-ramp if you may upgrade later.

Gaps

Deeper reporting and higher property limits need the paid PRO plan.
Compliance and Section 8 / Section 13 tooling is not the focus.

Pricing: Free (GO tier); PRO plans paid (2026).
Best for: A landlord whose main need is bookkeeping — tracking income, expenses and receipts for self-assessment.

3 Best free tier for finding a tenant

OpenRent

Free to advertise, monetised by add-ons.

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OpenRent is not a management platform so much as a low-cost letting marketplace, and its free layer is about getting a property let: you can advertise and take enquiries at no cost, then pay for the pieces that make the let happen — a Rightmove/Zoopla listing boost, tenant referencing (around £20 per tenant), a tenancy agreement, and rent collection. That à la carte model is transparent and cheap, and for a landlord who mainly needs to fill a void it is excellent value. But once the tenancy is running there is little ongoing compliance or possession tooling — OpenRent’s job largely ends where day-to-day management begins.

Strengths

Free to advertise and collect enquiries.
Transparent, cheap pay-as-you-go add-ons (referencing, listings, rent collection).
Excellent for filling a void quickly without an agent.

Gaps

Little ongoing compliance or possession tooling after the let starts.
The useful parts (referencing, portal listing) are paid, not free.

Pricing: Free to advertise; add-ons paid (referencing ~£20/tenant) (2026).
Best for: A landlord who mainly needs to fill a void quickly and cheaply without a high-street agent.

4 Best free tier for simple multi-property records

Rentila

Free tier for a small portfolio.

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Rentila offers a free tier that covers a small number of properties with tenancy records, rent tracking and basic document storage, then moves to a paid plan as you scale. It is a reasonable, no-frills free option for a landlord who wants simple record-keeping across a couple of units without the ad experience of the older tools. Like the others in this list, it is not built around the UK’s current compliance and possession regime, so the Renters’ Rights Act legal layer is not something you should expect it to carry.

Strengths

Free tier covers more than one property (small portfolios).
Simple, clean record-keeping and document storage.
Clear upgrade path if you grow.

Gaps

Free tier is capped, and paid plans kick in as you add properties.
Not built around UK RRA 2025 compliance or Section 8 / Section 13.

Pricing: Free tier (limited properties); paid plans as you scale (2026).
Best for: A landlord who wants simple, ad-free record-keeping across a couple of properties.

FAQs

Is Property Hawk still free, and what should its users do?

Property Hawk is closing its free service at the end of July 2026. If you have used it for tenancy records, rent history and compliance certificates, export everything before access ends and move to another tool — our step-by-step Property Hawk migration guide walks through the export. Its free users are the reason this guide exists: for a single property, LetCompliance is the closest free replacement with more compliance depth (a live 0-100 score, certificate reminders); for many properties on a budget, Rentila or Landlord Studio GO’s free tier are worth a look. Do not leave your records in a service that is shutting down.

Is there genuinely free landlord software in the UK?

Yes. Several tools have a real, indefinite free tier — LetCompliance (free forever for one property, with a live compliance score), Landlord Studio GO (free bookkeeping) and Rentila (free for a small portfolio). OpenRent is free to advertise a property and charges for add-ons. Note that Property Hawk, long the best-known free option, is closing its free service at the end of July 2026. The catch with the rest is usually the property count or a paywalled feature, not a hidden card charge.

What is the best free landlord software for one property?

For a single property, LetCompliance gives the most genuine compliance depth for free: a live 0-100 compliance score, Gas / EICR / EPC tracking with expiry reminders, document storage and a deposit-deadline tracker, forever, with no card. If you mainly need bookkeeping rather than compliance, Landlord Studio GO’s free tier is a strong alternative.

What is the catch with free landlord software?

It is usually one of three things: the free tier caps you at a certain number of properties (LetCompliance at one, others at a small portfolio), the useful features are paywalled (drafting, rent collection, richer reporting), or the tool is funded by advertising or referral fees (Property Hawk, OpenRent add-ons). None of the tools here require a card to start, so the honest question is not "is it free" but "where does free stop for me".

Can free landlord software handle the Renters’ Rights Act 2025?

Only partly. No free tier we tested ships the post-1-May-2026 legal drafting — a Section 8 notice with the correct Schedule 2 ground wording, or a Section 13 rent increase. Free tiers are good for tracking certificates and rent; the possession and rent-increase paperwork is a paid feature on the tools that offer it at all. LetCompliance includes that drafting on its paid plans (and free for the 14-day trial).

Do free landlord tools include tenant referencing?

Generally no — referencing is a paid add-on because the credit reference agency charges a fee per report (typically £20–£30). OpenRent, for example, is free to advertise but charges around £20 per tenant to reference. Remember you cannot pass a referencing fee to the tenant: it is a prohibited payment under the Tenant Fees Act 2019, so the cost is the landlord’s.

Is a free plan enough, or should I pay?

For a single, straightforward tenancy a good free tier is often enough to stay on top of certificates and rent. Paying earns its keep when the stakes rise: a Section 8 possession, a Section 13 rent increase, several properties, or wanting rent collected by Direct Debit with the arrears trail built for you. One missed EICR (up to a £30,000 penalty) or a botched notice costs far more than a year of any of these tools.

Try LetCompliance for free

14-day free trial, no card needed. See how the compliance score and Section 8 toolkit handle your portfolio before committing.

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