For years, spreadsheets have been the quiet backbone of the UK buy-to-let market. Rent in one column, repairs in another, totals at the bottom, and everything handed to an accountant once a year. That approach is about to collide head-on with the reality of Making Tax Digital. From April 2026, landlords within scope will be expected to keep digital records and submit updates to HMRC every quarter. For anyone still relying on Excel or Google Sheets, those new Making Tax Digital deadlines will not just be inconvenient – they will be extremely easy to miss.
The problem is not that spreadsheets are bad at storing numbers. The problem is that Making Tax Digital deadlines require a live digital link between transactions, records and HMRC. Data cannot be copied and pasted, re-keyed, or “tidied up later”. HMRC wants a continuous digital trail from the moment rent hits your bank account to the moment the quarterly submission is sent. That is something spreadsheets were never designed to provide.
Why spreadsheets quietly break under MTD
Most landlords use multiple bank accounts. Rent might arrive in one account, mortgages leave another, and maintenance is paid from a credit card or joint account. In a spreadsheet world, that means logging into each account, downloading statements, manually categorising transactions and hoping nothing gets missed.
Under MTD, that manual process becomes a compliance risk. One missed transaction or one late update can mean the quarterly figures sent to HMRC are wrong. Multiply that by four quarters a year and the margin for error becomes huge. That is why so many spreadsheet-based landlords will struggle to hit Making Tax Digital deadlines even if they are trying their best.
This is where many people start looking at MTD bridging software as a quick fix.
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Why MTD bridging software is not a real solution for landlords
At first glance, MTD bridging software sounds like the answer. It allows you to take data from a spreadsheet and upload it to HMRC in the correct digital format. In theory, this lets you keep using Excel while still complying with the new reporting rules.
In practice, it creates a dangerous illusion of compliance.
Bridging tools only send what you give them. They do not connect to your bank accounts. They do not know which property a payment relates to. They cannot split income between joint owners. They cannot distinguish between capital and revenue costs. All of the same manual errors and omissions still exist — they are simply being transmitted to HMRC more quickly.
So while MTD bridging software might technically help you file something, it does not help you keep correct digital records or meet Making Tax Digital deadlines with confidence.
What landlords actually need under MTD
To survive MTD, landlords need more than a filing tool. They need a system that:
- Connects directly to all their bank accounts
- Automatically categorises rent, mortgages and expenses
- Links every transaction to the correct property
- Splits income correctly between joint owners
- Produces MTD-ready records in real time
This is exactly what RentalBux was built to do.
RentalBux is not a spreadsheet add-on or basic MTD bridging software. It is a full property accounting and management platform designed by accountants who specialise in landlords and sole traders. It pulls transactions straight from your bank, applies a property-specific chart of accounts, and keeps your digital records continuously updated in a way that HMRC expects.
That means when Making Tax Digital deadlines arrive, your quarterly submissions are already prepared. There is no mad rush to clean up spreadsheets, no manual reconciliations, and no panic.
Built for real-world landlord complexity
Most accounting software breaks down as soon as things get slightly complicated. RentalBux is built for complexity from day one. It handles:
- Multiple properties and portfolios
- Joint ownership with different profit-sharing ratios
- Overseas rental income
- Mortgage interest, service charges and shared costs
- Full MTD reporting for property and self-employment income
This is why it works for MTD for landlords in a way that neither spreadsheets nor MTD bridging software ever can.
Free MTD software for simple landlords
RentalBux also removes the cost barrier. If you are a landlord with just one property, you can use RentalBux completely free until March 2028. That means you can meet Making Tax Digital deadlines with professional-grade automation without paying for enterprise software.
As your portfolio grows, the platform scales with you — keeping everything compliant, connected and HMRC-ready.
The end of the spreadsheet era
Spreadsheets are not being banned, but they are no longer fit for purpose under MTD. Landlords who cling to them, even with MTD bridging software, will find themselves constantly scrambling to meet Making Tax Digital deadlines and increasingly exposed to HMRC penalties.
Those who switch to a true property-focused, MTD-compatible platform like RentalBux will find that MTD becomes a background process — not a quarterly crisis.
