STOP using Spreadsheets - Landlords Turn to Software in 2026, Driven by Compliance Pressure and Rising Admin Demands
- My Property Organiser
- Dec 14, 2025
- 3 min read
For years, spreadsheets have been the foundation of landlord finances across the UK. Easy to create and familiar to almost everyone, they became the default tool for tracking rental income, expenses and mortgage figures. But in 2026, a noticeable shift is taking place across the sector, with landlords increasingly abandoning spreadsheets in favour of dedicated property software.
Industry analysts say the trend isn’t motivated by technology enthusiasm, but by necessity. The administrative burden facing landlords has grown significantly over the past three years, particularly in the wake of stricter enforcement, expanded licensing schemes and heightened expectations from lenders, insurers and tenants.
“Spreadsheets were never designed to manage compliance,” says one lettings consultant based in Manchester. “And that’s where landlords are now feeling the pressure. Ten years ago you could track everything in a single workbook. In 2026, the volume of documentation and renewal cycles is simply too much for manual systems.”
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Landlords report that the biggest issue isn’t the spreadsheet itself, but the ecosystem around it. The problem is that there is no central system for things such as Gas Safety Certificates, EICRs, EPC renewals, Local licences and not forgetting expenses which now need to be reconciled every three months for some landlords.
The shift toward software accelerated in late 2024 and throughout 2025 as interest rates fluctuated and refinancing became more documentation-heavy. Lenders began asking for clearer financial histories and more structured evidence of compliance. Spreadsheets, which provide static information, cannot present the detail required.
A mortgage advisor from Birmingham stated:
“Banks want clarity, they want to see rental performance, outgoings and proof that the property has been consistently compliant. That’s hard to extract from a spreadsheet unless landlords are extremely meticulous. Software is simply easier.”
But the most significant pressure driving change in 2026 continues to be compliance. Local councils across the UK expanded selective and additional licensing schemes throughout 2025, with more expected this year. Council officers now request EICRs, EPCs, gas safety evidence and licensing documents with greater frequency, and often with short notice. For many landlords, retrieving the correct paperwork quickly isn’t as easy as it sounds.
Julie from Nottingham said this:
“I had the certificates somewhere, I just couldn’t find them. Some were in emails, others sent from my agent, and a couple were saved as photos on my phone. It took me almost a full day to pull everything together. That was when I realised I needed a proper system.”
Although many landlords still feel loyal to spreadsheets, the practical limitations are becoming harder to ignore. Manual data entry leaves room for error. Multiple properties create multiple sheets. Renewal dates are difficult to track. And very few spreadsheets include automated reminders, document storage, compliance alerts or performance insights.
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Property software, by contrast, consolidates all data into a single dashboard. Certificates sit in one place, renewal dates trigger alerts automatically, and financial information can be synced directly from bank feeds. For multi-property landlords in particular, the difference is described as “night and day.”
The move away from spreadsheets does not signal that they are obsolete. They continue to serve for simple data management, but the broader direction of the market is clear. As regulatory oversight increases and administrative standards rise, landlords are adapting their processes accordingly.
2026 may be remembered as the year where the landlord landscape formally outgrew the spreadsheet. Not because the tool changed, but because the environment around it did.
