The HMRC Making Tax Digital (MTD) requirement means anyone with combined qualifying income from property or self-employment needs to have software to upload quarterly updates to HMRC. In reality that means by 2028 almost all landlords will need to submit quarterly returns to HMRC, with many having to submit their first return in July 2026.
Happily the statements we email Owners have all the detail needed for tax returns. Sadly these statements are not in a format that can upload to HMRC.
We’ve solved that for you with our MTD Portal service, which has 2 essential components so MTD becomes easier!:
We’re working with MTD partner Nexus. Nexus take the statements we produce for you directly from our software and convert those statements into HMRC compliant format – ready to upload. You can then check the detail before confirming they can be uploaded to HMRC.
Before uploading you can add other expenses you’ve met directly, such as insurance.
The Nexus guidance notes provide more detail.
To support the Nexus account and ensure you can meet your obligations to keep robust records, our Owner Portal contains copies of all your:
Plus it provides you with a Custom Statement builder, meaning you can generate a full Statement of all the rent and costs we’ve handled for you, for any time period you choose. Very useful for year-end statements going to accountants!
You will still get all your statements and other documents by email as you do now, but the Owner Portal means these documents are automatically filed for you in your own account.
If you own your properties through an incorporated company, MTD does not affect you, yet.
If your annual income (i.e. rent from all your rental properties combined), plus any self employed income is £50,000 or more in the 2025/26 year, you will need to have done your first quarterly HMRC upload between 6 July 2026 and 5 August 2026, or receive a fine. £50,000 p.a. is £4,167 per month
If you jointly own your rental property, “your” income is the rent split by the same split as the ownership. So if you own the property 50%/50%, only 50% of the rent is “your” income.
For more details on MTD from HMRC visit: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/making-tax-digital-for-income-tax-for-businesses-step-by-step
Q – How soon can you get me set up?
A – Our service started 1 April 2026 – if you email us now we will make sure you are set up from then.
Q – How far back will my records go?
A – Nexus will take all our record since the start of the last tax year, with the earliest date being April 2025. The Maxine Lester Owner Portal will have records since January 2024.
Q – I jointly own my properties with my husband- will we both need to take the MTD Portal Service?
A – That depends on how you intend to complete your quarterly uploads, assuming you both qualify for MTD. You may choose to take the MTD Portal Service, your husband may decide they prefer to have their accountant do the work (for which they will doubtless charge)
Q – Is the monthly charge per property?
A – No – as tax records are by each person, this service is personal to you, regardless of how many properties you have. It means if you have 3 properties, the cost is just £5 per property per month.
Q – Will I still get my statements emailed to me as normal?
A – Yes! However these will now also appear in your Nexus account, converted so they can upload to HMRC, and they will be automatically saved in the Owner Portal and document vault, along with copies of any relevant invoices.
Q – Can I still get an annual statement if I need it?
A – If you take the MTD Portal service, you will not need to. Within the portal you can generate a full statement for any time period you choose at no additional charge. If you don’t take the MTD Portal Service you can ask us to produce you a statement at year end, for which we make a £65 charge per property to cover the repeat work – or you can collate the statements we email you each month.
Q – Why do I need this service as my accountant does my tax return?
A – Your accountant will doubtless need to charge to manage the quarterly uploads. Their charge may be higher if you give them 12 statements to interpret and covert, than if you give them access to your records through Nexus or the Owner Portal.
Q – Can I take just the Owner Portal and Document Vault?
A – Of course! The charge for that will be just £9.00 per month including VAT – just let us know you only want the Portal when you email us
Very professional organisation that gives good service to both the tenants as well as the landlord. Highly recommended.
Roger Steel
Landlord
All staff at Maxine Lester Residential Lettings are trained to a high standard and I have always found Lisa Gadsby very efficien
Phil Green
Landlord
Every time we have contacted Maxine Lester everyone has been so helpful. We have always had any issues dealt with promptly and...
Jake Benstead
Tenant
Excellent service all round, keeping us informed regularly on our property, always contactable and willing to help with any query.
Paula Frame
Landlord
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