Property Hawk told users to move
Looking for a Property Hawk alternative? Bring your portfolio across in an afternoon.
Property Hawk ran free since 2006 and did the basics well. It is not on HMRC’s Making Tax Digital software list, and its forms centre still lists Section 21 notices, which can no longer be served in England. LetCompliance is the built-for-2026 home for your portfolio: a CSV import, from £7.99 a month, and one property can stay free.
Property Hawk told users Property Manager was shutting down at the end of July 2026.
That date has passed. If you can still sign in, export your rent records, tenancy details and certificate dates today, while you still can. If you cannot, you can start from your own records: the LetCompliance import reads a CSV by its column headings, in any order, and tells you what it could not match rather than failing the whole file.
Prefer to watch?
See how it works
A screen tour of the whole let, end to end. No sign-up, no sales call. Just press play.
- Track rent and arrears, and draft the notice to get a property back
- Open the tenant portal (no password) and get the tax figures ready
- Add a property and watch the 0 to 100 compliance score appear
What’s happening to Property Hawk?
Property Hawk has been a free online platform for UK landlords since 2006: a digital rent book, tenant records, tenancy and notice forms and certificate reminders, with links to partner services. For a long time it was the default free choice, and it built a large landlord following.
It told its users it was shutting at the end of July 2026. For landlords who relied on it, that left two jobs at once: get the data out while it can still be reached, and choose a replacement that covers what has changed since 2006, most of all the post-Section-21 regime under the Renters’ Rights Act 2025 and Making Tax Digital for Income Tax, neither of which Property Hawk was built for.
This page is an honest guide to that move: exactly what Property Hawk did, how LetCompliance compares, how to export your data, and a checklist for the move. LetCompliance is not affiliated with Property Hawk; the closure details are based on its own announcement.
What Property Hawk did
Credit where it’s due: for a free tool, it covered the basics of running a tenancy:
- A digital rent book: record rent due and paid, with statements
- Tenant and guarantor records
- Assured Shorthold Tenancy agreements and a forms centre with Section 8, Section 13 and Section 21 notices
- Drag-and-drop property inventory forms
- Repeat task reminders for Gas Safety, electrical checks and EPCs (weekly / monthly email)
- Maintenance job logging and utility-account records
- Expense tracking by tax year and an annual Self Assessment land-and-property pre-population
- Tenancy reports, closing statements and meter readings
- Tenant referencing via a partner (lettingref.co.uk), plus a BTL mortgage search and a large landlord forum
What its software page does not list: a tenant portal, Making Tax Digital submission (Property Hawk is not on HMRC’s list), a dated record of what each tenant was given or a 0 to 100 score. Its forms centre still lists Section 21 notices, which can no longer be served in England.
Property Hawk vs LetCompliance
What carries over, and what you gain. For the full feature-by-feature view, see the head-to-head comparison.
| Capability | Property Hawk | LetCompliance |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free; links to partner services | From £7.99/mo; 1 property can stay free |
| Status in 2026 | Login page: shutting down end of July 2026 | Actively developed |
| Rent book, statements & receipts | Rent book + statements | Rent tracking, PDF receipts + arrears chasing you switch on |
| Tenant & guarantor records | Yes | Yes |
| Tenancy agreement | AST template | Post-RRA periodic + e-signature & sealed audit trail |
| Notices (post-Section-21) | Section 8 and 13 forms; Section 21 notices | Section 8 drafter (Ground 8 calc), Section 13, RRA 2025 Information Sheet |
| Certificate tracking | Email task reminders | 0 to 100 compliance score + 90/30/14/7/1 reminders + AI expiry detection |
| Timestamped evidence pack | Tenancy reports and closing statements | PDF pack + audit-logged tenant delivery |
| Tax / HMRC | Annual SA pre-fill; not on HMRC’s MTD list | SA105 pack + MTD updates sent to HMRC + Section 24 + mileage |
| Tenant portal | Not listed on its software page | Passwordless portal: rent, repairs, docs, meters, messages |
| Adverts, applications & viewings | Link to a Rightmove advertising partner | Full lettings funnel |
| Inventory check-in / check-out | Inventory forms | Photo inventory + tenant sign-off |
| Tenant referencing | Via lettingref partner | Credit-backed tenant and guarantor references, pay-per-check |
| Landlord forum / community | Large forum | Not offered |
What you gain by moving to LetCompliance
LetCompliance runs the whole let in one login, from the advert and the tenancy signed online to rent by Direct Debit and repairs, and covers the gaps Property Hawk users feel most: Making Tax Digital and the post-Section-21 toolkit.
- The whole lettings funnel: shareable adverts, applications and viewings, then convert an approved applicant to a live tenant in one click.
- E-signature on tenancy agreements and notices with a sealed audit trail, plus inventory check-in / check-out with photos.
- A passwordless tenant portal: rent balance and receipts, repairs, meter readings, notices and two-way messages.
- Making Tax Digital: quarterly updates sent to HMRC as recognised software, plus an SA105 pack, a one-click accountant CSV and Section 24 (Property Hawk pre-filled the annual return and is not on HMRC’s MTD list).
- The post-Section-21 toolkit: Section 8 drafter with the Ground 8 calculator, Section 13 rent increases, Awaab’s Law SLA timer, pet-request 28-day tracker and the RRA 2025 Information Sheet workflow.
- A 0 to 100 compliance score per property, with email reminders at 90/30/14/7/1 days (SMS too on paid plans) and AI expiry detection on uploaded certificates.
- Timestamped evidence: a PDF compliance pack and an audit log of every certificate served on the tenant, dated so you can show what was given and when.
Being straight with you: what changes
The move is not all upside. Three honest trade-offs:
- LetCompliance is £7.99/mo for a single property with the whole let on it and £14.99/mo for up to three, a fraction of what a managing agent takes from the rent each month. One property can stay on the free plan; a portfolio is paid.
- Tenant referencing is pay-per-check rather than a partner link: a credit-backed tenant or guarantor reference through a regulated UK credit reference agency, ordered from the tenancy.
- There is no public forum/community board. The product replaces the software, not Property Hawk’s discussion board.
Want the full feature-by-feature table? See the head-to-head comparison.
The MTD thresholds Property Hawk users now face
Property Hawk pre-populated an annual Self Assessment, and it is not on HMRC’s Making Tax Digital software list. From 6 April 2026, landlords whose qualifying income exceeded £50,000 in 2024/25 must keep digital records and send quarterly updates to HMRC. The threshold drops to £30,000 from April 2027 and £20,000 from April 2028, pulling in most UK landlords.
LetCompliance is on HMRC’s list of recognised software and sends your Making Tax Digital quarterly updates for UK property income to HMRC, with an SA105-shaped tax pack, a Section 24 mortgage-interest calculator and a simplified mileage log alongside. If you’re under the threshold, the MTD timeline shows exactly when (and whether) it applies to you, no panic required.
How to move off Property Hawk
The order matters: get your data out first, then import. The guide to what to export from Property Hawk sets out which records to save first. Most landlords are fully set up in under 20 minutes.
- 1
Log in while Property Hawk is still live
The closure date on its login page, the end of July 2026, has passed, so get your records out now while you can still sign in.
- 2
Download your properties and tenancies
Download your tenancy reports and rent statements from Property Hawk. If you can’t find what you need, contact Property Hawk support, or send a screenshot through the contact page for help picking out what to bring across.
- 3
Download every stored certificate and document
Save your Gas Safety, EICR and EPC PDFs and any tenancy paperwork to your own computer or drive. Once the service is offline, anything left only on Property Hawk is gone.
- 4
Keep the rent statements you need for tax
Download closing statements and rent records you’ll want for your Self Assessment, so your history survives the move.
- 5
Import into LetCompliance (or have it imported)
Put your properties into a CSV and upload it at /properties/import, or send everything through the contact page to have it set up for you. AI expiry detection reads the dates off your certificates as you upload them.
“Moved over from another system earlier this year and the transition was much smoother than expected. The team were helpful throughout and quick to respond…”
Moving off Property Hawk: your checklist
- Download your tenancy reports and rent statements
- Download every Gas Safety, EICR and EPC certificate
- Save tenancy agreements and prescribed-information documents
- Keep the rent statements you need for Self Assessment
- Set up LetCompliance and import your records
- Re-serve nothing; your existing certificates carry over; just upload them
Done-for-you migration
Can’t export it, or don’t want to set it up yourself? Have your properties added for you.
Send whatever you have: a Property Hawk export, an old spreadsheet, even a typed list of your addresses, tenancies, rents and certificate dates. Your portfolio is built in LetCompliance with your certificates loaded, and you get back an account that’s ready to use.
Send your detailsPrefer to do it yourself? The CSV import takes about 20 minutes.
Bring your Property Hawk portfolio across
Import your portfolio: properties, tenants, rents and certificate dates come across in one CSV. From £7.99 a month, with a 3-day trial and no card required.
Property Hawk migration FAQ
Has Property Hawk closed?
Property Hawk told its users it was shutting its Property Manager software at the end of July 2026, although its website is still up. It ran free since 2006, so its data export matters: if you can still sign in, export your properties, tenancies and rent records now, and keep any export you already saved.
How do I move my data from Property Hawk to LetCompliance?
Download your tenancy reports from Property Hawk, then put your properties into a CSV (address, postcode, tenant name, rent and any certificate dates). Upload it at /properties/import (the column matcher is forgiving), or send it through the contact page to have it mapped and set up for you. AI expiry detection then pre-fills Gas / EICR / EPC dates the moment you upload the certificates. Most landlords are fully set up in under 20 minutes.
What did Property Hawk do that LetCompliance does differently?
Property Hawk gave you a digital rent book, tenant records, tenancy and notice forms, certificate task reminders and an annual tax pre-population, all free. LetCompliance runs the whole let: the full lettings funnel, an e-signed tenancy, rent by Direct Debit and a tenant portal. It adds what the 2026 rules need: Making Tax Digital updates sent to HMRC and the RRA 2025 and Section 8 toolkit (Property Hawk’s forms page still lists Section 21 notices, which can no longer be served in England). A 0 to 100 score and timestamped evidence sit alongside.
Property Hawk was free: is paid software worth it?
Yes, once the let needs more than a list. A spreadsheet can hold the rent and the certificate dates, but it cannot get a tenancy signed online, collect the rent by Direct Debit, send Making Tax Digital updates to HMRC or draft a Section 8 notice. The stakes have risen too: since Section 21 was abolished (1 May 2026) possession runs on grounds and evidence, a missed deposit deadline stops a Section 8 order on every ground but 7A and 14, and one missed EICR can mean a £40,000 penalty. LetCompliance does all of it from £7.99 a month for one property, or £14.99 for up to three.
Does LetCompliance handle MTD for Income Tax?
Yes, for UK property income. LetCompliance is on HMRC’s list of recognised software and sends your Making Tax Digital quarterly updates to HMRC, with a Section 24 calculator, an SA105-shaped tax pack and a simplified mileage log alongside. Property Hawk is not on HMRC’s Making Tax Digital software list (checked 24 September 2026), so its users above the £50,000 threshold, or the £30,000 threshold from April 2027, need software that is.
Is LetCompliance free?
Paid plans start at £7.99 a month, each with Making Tax Digital, and one property can stay on the free plan with no card required. New accounts also get a 3-day trial, no card, which is enough to import your Property Hawk portfolio, set up the tenancies and the rent and upload your certificates before you decide.
Will I lose my data when Property Hawk closes?
Anything left only on Property Hawk goes when the service does. If you can still sign in, download your tenancy reports, rent statements and every stored certificate and document to your own computer now. If you cannot, start from your own records and the certificates themselves. Then import them into LetCompliance.
Is there a free Property Hawk replacement?
LetCompliance starts at £7.99 a month, and one property can stay on its free plan with the rent records, the tenant portal and the certificate dates. Every paid plan adds Making Tax Digital updates sent to HMRC (Property Hawk is not on HMRC’s list) and Section 8 and Section 13 notices on Forms 3A and 4A, the forms in use since 1 May 2026.
I’m a letting agent moving off Property Hawk: does that work?
Yes. Beyond the landlord plans, LetCompliance has one flat Agency plan (£129/mo, everything unlimited) with multi-branch workspaces, role-based access, landlord-client onboarding and Client Money Protection reconciliation. The same CSV import and free done-for-you migration apply.
Do my tenants need to do anything?
No. Once you import a tenancy you can issue a passwordless tenant-portal link: your tenant sees their rent balance, documents, repairs and notices, and can message you, but nothing breaks if you don’t. Their existing tenancy and your certificates carry over unchanged.
When did Property Hawk stop?
Property Hawk told its users its Property Manager software would shut at the end of July 2026. That date has passed, so there is no deadline left to plan around: move now, starting with whatever you can still export and the certificates you hold, so no renewal date lapses unwatched.
Last reviewed 24 October 2026. Property Hawk is an independent product; LetCompliance is not affiliated with it. Details of its closure are based on Property Hawk’s own announcement.
