Landlord resources

Running a portfolio is mostly record keeping.

Practical guides to the parts of letting that go wrong quietly: rent that does not reconcile, deposits with no evidence behind them, repairs nobody wrote down. Written for independent landlords and small property teams. No jurisdiction-specific legal advice — where local rules decide the answer, we say so and tell you what to go and check.

How to track rent payments and arrearsWhy spreadsheets break on part payments, how to allocate money across months, and how to produce an arrears figure you can defend.9 min read Security deposits: taking, holding and returning themThe condition report is the whole case. What to capture, how to make deductions that hold up, and the deadlines that catch people out.10 min read What records a landlord needs to keepThe documents that matter when a tenancy goes wrong, how long to keep them, and a filing structure that survives a portfolio growing.8 min read Handling maintenance requests without losing trackTriage by urgency, response times you can meet, and a record that answers “I told you about this months ago”.8 min read Rental bookkeeping that survives tax timePer-property accounts, the repair-versus-improvement line that catches everyone, and what your accountant actually wants in January.9 min read Lease renewals and rent increases: the arithmeticThe vacancy break-even calculation that decides most rent increases, when to start the conversation, and how to document the change.8 min read Tenant screening and referencing: a consistent review processBuild a consistent tenant application review: published criteria, consent, reference questions, missing evidence and a documented human decision.5 min read Managing void periods and re-letting without losing the handoverPlan a vacant unit from notice to the next move-in: readiness checks, repair owners, listing accuracy, showing schedules and a clear handover record.5 min read Shared housing and HMO administration: rooms, residents and common areasOrganize multi-occupancy property records around rooms, leases and shared spaces, with clear repair ownership, resident communication and privacy boundaries.5 min read Service-charge apportionment: an allocation you can explainDocument shared-cost allocation with a defined cost pool, eligible units, agreed weights, exact rounding and a review trail before posting charges.5 min read End-of-tenancy checkout: condition, keys and a complete recordPrepare a tenancy checkout with dated condition evidence, key and meter records, repair follow-up and a clear separation between findings and financial decisions.5 min read Choosing property management software for a growing portfolioEvaluate property management software using real workflows: partial rent, tenant access, multiple workspaces, maintenance, exports and predictable subscription limits.5 min read