Comparison

Do you need full property management software — or a compliance tool?

They sound similar and get lumped together, but they solve different problems. Here’s the honest way to choose — including when the answer is “both” or “neither”.

Full property management platforms

e.g. COHO, Landlord Vision, Alphaletz

Run the whole operation: rent collection and arrears chasing, maintenance tickets, tenancy workflows, accounting and tax exports — with compliance as one module among many.

Right for you if:

• You manage many tenancies or HMO rooms and rent/maintenance admin eats your week
• You want accounting and rent ledgers inside the same system
• You’re happy paying more for breadth and spending time on setup

Compliance & proof tools

e.g. HouseFile

Do one job deeply: every legal document organised per property, expiry dates tracked, documents delivered to tenants through a link that creates timestamped, court-ready proof of receipt.

Right for you if:

• Your rent and repairs are under control — what worries you is compliance and evidence
• You want something working in minutes, not a migration project
• Post-Section 21, you want possession-grade proof documents were served

The honest guidance

Most landlords with 1–10 properties don’t need a full platform. Rent arrives by standing order, repairs go through a trusted trades list, and the accounting is an annual spreadsheet for the accountant. Paying for — and learning — a system that manages all of that is solving a problem you don’t have.

What those landlords do have, since the Renters’ Rights Act, is an evidence problem: possession now runs through Section 8, courts examine document service, and “I emailed it at some point” doesn’t hold up. That’s a compliance-tool problem, and it’s the entire reason HouseFile is built the way it is.

The two aren’t exclusive. Larger operators sometimes run a management platform for rent and maintenance alongside HouseFile for the document trail — the platforms are good at operations; proof of delivery is our specialism. And if you’re genuinely drowning in rent and maintenance admin across a large portfolio, a full platform is the right call: start there, and add proof when possession risk matters to you.

Work out where you actually stand first — the free RRA readiness checker and fine calculator take two minutes each and don’t need an account.

If your problem is proof, try the specialist.

Set up your first property in minutes — documents, deadlines and delivery evidence from day one. From £4.99/month.

Start your free 14-day trial

No card required · Proof, not paperwork.