The Hidden Workload HMRC Isn’t Telling Landlords About (and Why Small Portfolios Need Better Tools)

For years, landlords have assumed that Making Tax Digital (MTD) would be little more than submitting figures through an online form once every few months. And at first glance, HMRC’s messaging makes the process seem simple. After all, there are many HMRC free MTD software that allow landlords to submit quarterly updates and stay compliant without paying for commercial platforms. 

But here’s the truth. The real workload of MTD has nothing to do with pressing “submit”. 
The hard work is everything that comes before it and this is precisely why the smart money is shifting towards property management software for small landlords, not bare-bones tools that only deal with the final submission. 

In practice, MTD compliance comes with daily administration. And that’s the part most landlords haven’t prepared for. 

HMRC Free MTD Software Will Only Cover Submissions, Not the Workload That Leads Up to Them 

While HMRC free MTD software platforms will technically let landlords file quarterly figures, it will not: 

• Track rent due dates 
• Record partial payments 
• Link expenses to specific properties 
• Generate real-time portfolio profit summaries 
• Reconcile multiple bank feeds 
• Handle repairs, arrears or communications 
• Provide a full audit trail for MTD digital record-keeping rules 

And yet, these tasks are the very foundation of accurate reporting. 

This is why professionals increasingly rely on property management software for small landlords that integrates rent tracking, expense logs, automated reminders and accurate digital records into a single workflow. 

RentalBux is a perfect example of this — giving landlords not only MTD-ready bookkeeping but also complete property management support in one place. 

Quarterly Updates Mean More Pressure, More Often 

Under MTD, landlords must report: 

• Digital income records 
• Digital expense records 
• A quarterly summary every three months 
• A final declaration 
• A final Self Assessment requirement 

None of which is handled automatically by HMRC free MTD software. 
You will still need to produce, categorise and maintain all records throughout the year. 

This is where RentalBux steps in. Its automation tools dramatically reduce the admin that MTD imposes. 

For most small landlords, these features are the difference between spending five minutes per month on admin and spending hours. 

Juggling Spreadsheets + HMRC Tools = Mistakes Waiting to Happen 

Landlords who try to combine HMRC free MTD software with: 

• Excel 
• Notes apps 
• Shoeboxes of receipts 
• Stand-alone rent trackers 

quickly realise the system falls apart. 

Spreadsheets do not meet MTD digital record-keeping standards unless used with compatible tools. And manual data entry multiplies the risk of errors, missed figures and non-compliance. 

A dedicated property management software for small landlords, on the other hand, keeps everything in one ecosystem, ensuring every transaction, rent update and digital record automatically stays compliant. 

That’s RentalBux’s core advantage: it brings together property management, accounting, and MTD-ready records in a single, simple dashboard. 

RentalBux Solves the Work HMRC Can’t 

RentalBux is designed specifically for landlords. That’s why its USPs give landlords practical solutions others are simply not offering: 

• Complete rent & property tracking 
• Smart expense management with receipt uploads 
• Automated digital record-keeping for MTD compliance 
• Real-time portfolio and tax insights 
• Built-in communication & task management 
• A single dashboard for all properties 
• HMRC-compatible data exports 

Where HMRC free MTD software only handles the filing, RentalBux handles everything leading up to the filing, the part that actually consumes time. 

The Future Belongs to Landlords Who Automate Early 

When MTD fully rolls out, many landlords will scramble to integrate systems they should have set up years earlier. Those who adopt a proper property management software for small landlords now will glide through the transition while others drown in new administrative pressure. 

RentalBux gives landlords the ability to: 

• Keep perfect digital records 
• Automate repetitive tasks 
• Report quarterly figures with confidence 
• Understand profit and tax liabilities in real time 
• Manage all properties and compliance tasks in one place 

And that makes it far more than just tax software. It’s your property portfolio’s operating system. 

Conclusion 

The message is simple: HMRC free MTD software will help you press “submit”. 
But it won’t help you prepare. 
It won’t help you stay organised. 
It won’t help you manage your tenants, rents or properties. 

If you want to avoid administrative chaos under MTD, you need a platform designed specifically for landlords, a true property management software for small landlords that automates the workload behind compliance. 

That’s exactly what RentalBux delivers.