Accountants for Landlords
Rental accounts, self assessment, Making Tax Digital and capital gains for buy-to-let landlords across North London and Hertfordshire. Fixed fees, one named accountant, and no surprises in January.
Landlord tax has changed more in the last decade than almost any other area of personal tax. Mortgage interest is no longer a simple expense. The furnished holiday lettings regime has gone. Capital gains on residential property must be reported and paid within 60 days of completion. And from April 2026, landlords with property income over £50,000 have to keep digital records and send quarterly updates to HMRC under Making Tax Digital for Income Tax.
We look after landlords with one flat and landlords with twenty. Most are in Barnet, Enfield, Potters Bar, Cheshunt and the surrounding parts of North London and Hertfordshire, though the work itself is done online and location is rarely a factor. Some hold property personally, some through a limited company, and a growing number are trying to decide which structure is right for the next purchase.
This page sets out what we do for landlords, the rules that matter most in 2026/27, and the questions we are asked most often by property owners who are looking for an accountant that understands rental income rather than treating it as an afterthought on a tax return.
What landlords usually need help with
Making Tax Digital for landlords
From 6 April 2026, landlords with combined property and self-employment income over £50,000 must keep digital records and submit quarterly updates, with the threshold falling to £30,000 in April 2027 and £20,000 in April 2028. We set up compliant software, map your bank feeds and handle every submission.
Mortgage interest relief
Individual landlords cannot deduct mortgage interest from rental profit. Instead they receive a tax credit worth 20% of the interest, which pushes many higher-rate taxpayers into paying tax on profit they never saw. We model the effect on your bill and on whether incorporation would help.
Allowable expenses
Letting agent fees, repairs, insurance, ground rent, service charges, accountancy and replacement of domestic items are deductible. Improvements are not, and the line between the two is where HMRC enquiries start. We keep the records straight from the outset.
Selling a property
Capital gains on UK residential property are taxed at 18% or 24% after the £3,000 annual exempt amount, and the gain must be reported and the tax paid within 60 days of completion. We calculate the gain, claim every relief available and file the 60-day return.
Company or personal ownership
A limited company deducts mortgage interest in full and pays corporation tax at 19% to 25%, but extracting the profit costs dividend tax and moving existing property in triggers stamp duty and often capital gains. We run the numbers for your portfolio before you decide.
Stamp duty on additional properties
Buying a second or further dwelling adds a surcharge of 5 percentage points to every SDLT band, and companies buying residential property pay it too. We factor the surcharge into purchase appraisals and check whether any relief applies.
Services for landlords
Personal tax and self assessment
Rental income pages, finance cost relief, property allowance and capital gains, filed on time with every deduction claimed.
Learn more →Tax planning
Incorporation modelling, transfers between spouses, timing of sales and inheritance tax planning for larger portfolios.
Learn more →Bookkeeping
Digital records for Making Tax Digital, with bank feeds per property so you can see the yield on each one.
Learn more →Accounting for property companies
Statutory accounts, corporation tax and Companies House filings for special purpose vehicles and property holding companies.
Learn more →VAT advice
Option to tax, commercial property and mixed-use questions for landlords with shops, offices or development projects.
Learn more →Management reporting
Portfolio-level reporting on yield, void periods and cash flow for landlords with several properties or a lender to satisfy.
Learn more →Making Tax Digital for landlords: what changes from April 2026
Making Tax Digital for Income Tax is the biggest change to landlord compliance since self assessment was introduced. If your gross rental income, added to any self-employment income, was over £50,000 in the 2024/25 tax year, you are in the first wave from 6 April 2026. The £30,000 threshold follows in April 2027 and £20,000 in April 2028. The test is on gross income before expenses, so a landlord with four modest flats can be caught even if the profit is small.
Under MTD you keep records in HMRC-recognised software, send a summary of income and expenses every quarter, and file a final declaration after the year end that replaces the tax return. Jointly owned property has its own rules on who reports what, and the quarterly deadlines fall in August, November, February and May.
We set clients up on Xero or a landlord-specific app, connect the bank feeds, categorise the transactions each quarter and submit the updates. You see the running tax estimate through the year rather than a bill in January.
- Software set-up and bank feed connection for each property
- Quarterly updates submitted on time, with a running tax estimate
- Final declaration filed with all reliefs and the finance cost credit claimed
- Joint ownership and spouse income splits handled correctly
Should you hold property in a limited company?
The question comes up in almost every first meeting with a landlord. The honest answer is that it depends on your marginal tax rate, how much of the rent you need to live on, how long you plan to hold the property and whether you already own it. A company deducts mortgage interest in full and pays corporation tax at 19% on profits up to £50,000, rising through marginal relief to 25% above £250,000. That is often a lower rate than a higher-rate taxpayer pays personally once the 20% finance cost credit is taken into account.
The costs sit on the other side. Dividends taken from the company are taxed again at 10.75%, 35.75% or 39.35%. Company mortgages carry higher rates and arrangement fees. Transferring property you already own into a company is a disposal for capital gains tax and a purchase for stamp duty, including the surcharge, unless incorporation relief or a partnership structure applies. For a landlord buying new property with borrowing who intends to reinvest the rent, the company often wins. For someone with one paid-off flat who draws the rent as income, it usually does not.
We model both routes with your actual figures, over the period you expect to hold the property, and show the after-tax position for each. Only then is it worth talking to a solicitor.
Selling a rental property: CGT and the 60-day rule
When you sell a buy-to-let, the gain is the sale price less the original cost, purchase and sale costs, and any capital improvements. Everyone has a £3,000 annual exempt amount for 2026/27. The remainder is taxed at 18% to the extent it falls within your unused basic rate band and 24% above that. Private residence relief and lettings relief can reduce the gain if you lived in the property at some point, but lettings relief has been tightly restricted since 2020.
The gain has to be reported to HMRC on a separate online return, and the tax paid, within 60 days of completion. Missing the deadline means an automatic penalty and interest even if the figures later appear on your self assessment return. We prepare the calculation before exchange, so you know the number, and file the return as soon as completion happens.
Why landlords choose IAK
- Fixed annual or monthly fee agreed in writing before we start
- One named accountant who knows your portfolio
- Making Tax Digital set-up included, not sold as an extra
- Incorporation modelled with your figures before you commit
- 60-day capital gains returns prepared ahead of completion
- Free review of your last two self assessment returns
Frequently asked questions
Do I need an accountant if I only have one rental property?
Not always, but it often pays for itself. A single property with a mortgage still involves the finance cost credit, the replacement of domestic items rules and, above £50,000 of gross income, Making Tax Digital. A missed deduction or a late 60-day capital gains return usually costs more than a year of fees. We will tell you honestly if your position is simple enough to handle yourself.
How much do you charge landlords?
A self assessment return with one or two properties starts around £250 a year. Landlords within Making Tax Digital, or with several properties, are usually on a fixed monthly fee that covers bookkeeping, the quarterly updates and the final declaration. We quote in writing before any work starts.
When does Making Tax Digital apply to me?
From April 2026 if your gross property and self-employment income was over £50,000 in 2024/25, from April 2027 if it was over £30,000, and from April 2028 if it was over £20,000. HMRC writes to landlords who are caught, but the obligation applies whether or not the letter arrives.
Can I still claim mortgage interest?
Not as an expense if you own the property personally. You receive a tax credit equal to 20% of the interest instead. A limited company deducts the interest in full against its profits, which is one of the main reasons landlords consider incorporating.
What happens if I move my properties into a company?
The transfer is treated as a sale at market value, so capital gains tax can be due on the growth to date, and the company pays stamp duty including the 5 percentage point surcharge. Incorporation relief can defer the capital gains where a genuine property business is transferred, but the conditions are strict. We assess whether it is worth it before anything is signed.
I own property jointly with my spouse. How is the rent taxed?
Income from jointly owned property is split 50:50 between spouses by default regardless of who paid for it. A different split needs a Form 17 election supported by a declaration of trust reflecting the actual ownership shares. Used carefully, this can move income to the lower-earning spouse.
Do you deal with non-resident landlords?
Yes. We register overseas landlords under the Non-resident Landlord Scheme so rent can be paid gross, file the UK return each year, and handle the non-resident capital gains reporting when a UK property is sold.
Guides and calculators on this topic
Free reading and tools from our insights library if you want the detail before you speak to us.
Landlord tax, handled properly
Send us your last return and a list of your properties. We will tell you what you are missing, what Making Tax Digital means for you and whether a company structure is worth it, free of charge.