5 Expenses Self-Managing Landlords Forget to Claim on Their Tax Return

What HMRC's own guidance says you can deduct from rental income, with the official source for each cost.

<h21. Landlord Software Subscriptions</h2 <pIf you use property management software, compliance tools, or accounting apps for your rental business, the subscription cost is an allowable expense. This includes tools like LetSentry, spreadsheet software, and cloud storage for documents.</p

<h22. Travel to Your Properties</h2 <pMileage or public transport costs for visiting your rental properties are deductible. This includes trips for viewings, inspections, meeting tradespeople, or collecting keys. Keep a log of each journey with the date, destination, and purpose.</p <pFor 2026/27, HMRC's approved mileage rate for cars is <strong55p per mile</strong for the first 10,000 business miles and 25p thereafter (45p applied up to 2025/26).</p

<h23. Home Office Costs</h2 <pIf you run your property business from home, HMRC's Property Income Manual allows a deduction for the part of your household costs incurred wholly and exclusively for the property business — worked out as a reasonable apportionment of the actual costs (PIM2205). The £6 per week figure often quoted is the allowance for employees working from home, not for a property business, so it should not be used here.</p

<h24. Landlord Association Memberships</h2 <pFees paid to organisations like the National Residential Landlords Association (NRLA), local landlord accreditation schemes, or property investor networks are allowable business expenses.</p

<h25. Professional Development &amp; Training</h2 <pTraining that updates or adds expertise in your <emexisting</em property business — for example fire-safety refreshers, HMO management updates, or landlord accreditation renewals — is usually an allowable expense. However, courses that give you a completely new qualification or specialisation are unlikely to be deductible, per <a href="https://www.gov.uk/hmrc-internal-manuals/business-income-manual/bim42526" target="blank" rel="noopener"HMRC's Business Income Manual (BIM42526)</a. When in doubt, check with HMRC or your accountant before claiming.</p

<h2Keep Records</h2 <pHMRC requires you to keep records for at least <strong5 years</strong after the tax return deadline. A proper expense tracking system — with receipts attached — makes self-assessment painless and ensures you never miss a legitimate deduction.</p

<p<emLast reviewed against official sources: 28 September 2026.</em</p

Sources: - https://www.gov.uk/renting-out-a-property/paying-tax - https://www.gov.uk/guidance/income-tax-when-you-rent-out-a-property-working-out-your-rental-income - https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/hmrc-property-rental-toolkit - https://www.gov.uk/hmrc-internal-manuals/property-income-manual/pim2205 - https://www.gov.uk/hmrc-internal-manuals/property-income-manual/pim2220 - https://www.gov.uk/expenses-if-youre-self-employed

Published: 2026-02-26.

Last reviewed: 2026-09-28.

General summary; not legal advice.