The deadline for Making Tax Digital (MTD) for Income Tax is just around the corner and if you are still managing rental property finances in spreadsheets, you may soon be in for a shock.
From April 2026, landlords with gross income exceeding £50,000 will need to comply with MTD and they need to have HMRC-compliant software in place that allows them to record and report their finances accurately each quarter.
Our app of the month, Hammock, is a UK landlord-focused accounting platform designed to bring rental income, expenses, and tax compliance into one easy-to-manage platform.
It offers bookkeeping, property tax statements, and portfolio metrics, including profit and loss, loan-to-value ratio, rental yields, arrears balances, and occupancy rates.
Hammock stands out as one of only a handful of platforms built specifically for landlords to provide the same functionality as more generalised accounting software.
The platform is recognised by HMRC as MTD-compatible, supports quarterly and annual submissions, provides real-time tax estimate forecasting and includes reminders for filing deadlines and expiring documents, such as insurance policies and gas safety certificates.
For landlords with more complex arrangements, Hammock also highlights support for ownership structures, including joint ownership.
This piece of cloud software is designed to reduce admin while giving landlords a clearer view of their portfolio’s performance and tax position throughout the year.
We already use this platform with a number of our landlord clients, so if you would like to learn more about how you can use it to meet your MTD obligations and more, please get in touch.
Selling a property during the probate process – A quick guide
When a loved one dies, the immediate focus is often on dealing with the grief and preparing their funeral arrangements, but if you are an executor or an administrator for the estate, you also have obligations in relation to the deceased’s property.
Selling a home that is in probate is similar to an ordinary property sale in some ways, but there are additional legal and administrative steps that must be dealt with first.
If you find yourself in this position, here are some of the points you will need to consider.
Confirm who has the authority to sell
Just because someone has died, it doesn’t mean that the property can be immediately sold.
You must first confirm who has the authority to deal with the sale of the home.
This would normally be the executor where a Will exists or in the case of intestacy, where there is no Will, an administrator.
Beneficiaries may have an interest in the estate, but the legal responsibility for handling the sale sits with these personal representatives.
Applying for Grant of Probate
Before the sale can be completed, the executor will usually need a Grant of Probate, which is the legal document confirming authority to deal with the deceased’s estate.
You can begin preparing for the sale before probate is granted, but contracts cannot usually be exchanged until the Grant has been issued.
If you haven’t dealt with a person’s estate before, you need to be aware that the Grant of Probate can take time, so this should be dealt with as soon as possible after a person’s death.
Obtaining a probate valuation
The property should be valued based on its market value at the time of death, as this is important for tax and probate purposes.
Even if the eventual sale price differs slightly, an immediate valuation should be the first step that is taken.
A proper valuation helps demonstrate that the executor or administrator is acting in the interests of the estate.
Personal representatives have a duty to act in the best interests of the estate, which usually means taking all reasonable steps to secure market value for the property for the benefit of beneficiaries.
Accepting an offer that is clearly too low could expose the executor to criticism or, in some cases, a claim from beneficiaries. A quick sale is not always the same as a proper sale.
Check the title and legal position
Before marketing the property, you must confirm the legal title and identify any issues that could affect the sale.
Issues that typically come up include restrictions on the title, existing mortgages, shared ownership arrangements or other defects that need to be resolved.
Put the property on the market
Once all of the groundwork is done, the property can be marketed.
Being clear with agents and buyers about likely timescales helps manage expectations and avoid unnecessary delay later.
Whilst the property is up for sale, you should ensure that you have property insurance in place to protect the estate. This is a point that is often overlooked.
Need help managing the sale of a probate property?
Getting the right advice early can make the process smoother, reduce delays and help executors feel more confident that they are meeting their duties properly.
If you are dealing with a probate property sale and need support with the estate, valuations or the wider administration process, speaking to our probate team can help.
