Spreadsheets vs letting agent software: what breaks at 50 properties
Where a lettings spreadsheet works, the seven things that break at about 50 managed properties, the yearly compliance and rent maths, and how to move.
A spreadsheet runs a surprising number of UK letting agencies. One tab for properties, one for tenancies, one for certificates, a shared inbox for repairs and a WhatsApp group for contractors. It works, until it does not, and the point where it stops working is usually somewhere around 50 managed properties.
This guide sets out what the spreadsheet does well, what breaks at that size and why, the yearly numbers behind the strain, and how to move without losing anything. We make Letfold, whose Starter plan is sized for exactly this stage, and we say so at the end. Legal points were checked against gov.uk on 31 October 2026.
What the spreadsheet does well
Be fair to it. A spreadsheet is free, everyone knows how to use it, it has no login to forget and no supplier to ring. For a landlord with five properties or an agency with twenty, a well-kept sheet with a certificates tab and a rent tab is honest and adequate.
It fails for structural reasons rather than through carelessness. A spreadsheet is a table; a lettings business is a set of events with deadlines, people who need to see different parts of the same record, and money that has to match.
The seven things that break
1. Nothing reminds you
A cell that says 14 March does not do anything on 14 March. Someone has to open the sheet, sort by date and notice. At 50 properties the certificates tab has gas safety, EICR, EPC, HMO licence and Right to Rent follow-up dates on every row, and a missed one is a legal problem rather than an admin one.
2. Two people cannot work on it at once
Shared sheets either lock, overwrite each other, or fork into "rent roll v3 FINAL" and "rent roll v3 FINAL (Sam's copy)". Once a second person is doing property management, the sheet stops being the single source of truth.
3. There is no audit trail
Who changed the rent on flat 4 from £1,150 to £1,100, and when? A spreadsheet does not know. A landlord dispute, a deposit deduction or a tribunal question about a rent increase needs a record of who did what and when.
4. Arrears are discovered late
A rent tab shows what should have been paid. It does not know what arrived in the bank until someone types it in, line by line, from the bank statement. At 50 properties that is roughly 600 rent payments a year to match by hand, and arrears show up when the landlord asks rather than on the day.
5. Landlord statements are rebuilt every month
Each statement is a copy-and-paste from the rent tab, the repairs invoices and the fees row. A mistake in one is a mistake the landlord finds.
6. Tenants, landlords and contractors cannot see anything
Every "has my rent gone through", "has the plumber been" and "can you send me the gas certificate" is a phone call or an email, answered by the person who also holds the spreadsheet.
7. Documents live everywhere except with the record
The gas certificate is in an email, the tenancy agreement is on a desktop, the EPC is on the EPC register, the inventory is a PDF the inventory clerk sent. The sheet links to none of them.
The maths at 50 properties
| Item | Rule | Per year at 50 properties |
|---|---|---|
| Gas safety record | Every 12 months where there is gas | Up to 50 renewals |
| EICR | At least every 5 years | About 10 renewals, plus remedial follow-ups |
| EPC | 10-year validity | About 5 renewals, plus every new let or sale |
| Rent payments | Monthly | About 600 payments to match to tenancies |
| Landlord statements | Monthly or quarterly per landlord | 300 to 600 statements |
| Tenancies starting | Typical turnover | Dozens of agreements, deposits to protect within 30 days, Right to Rent checks and move-in money to receipt |
None of these numbers is large on its own. Together they are a part-time job that the spreadsheet cannot share, remind or reconcile.
Why the stakes rose in 2026
The cost of a missed date is higher than it was. Under the Renters' Rights Act, councils in England can impose civil penalties of up to £7,000 for breaches and up to £40,000 for serious or repeat offences, and they can fine letting agents and anyone acting on the landlord's behalf. From 1 May 2026 new tenancies are periodic, Section 21 has gone and rent increases use Form 4A once a year with two months' notice, so the dates on each tenancy matter more. From 15 December 2026 landlord registration opens in the West Midlands and rolls out region by region, with registration numbers required on adverts. Each is one more dated field that a spreadsheet will not chase for you. See our Renters' Rights Act guide for the detail.
Spreadsheet versus software, side by side
| Need | Spreadsheet | Letting agent software |
|---|---|---|
| Expiry reminders | Manual check | Automatic, before the date |
| Several users | Conflicts or copies | Roles and permissions on one record |
| Audit trail | None | Who changed what, when |
| Arrears | Typed from the bank statement | Rent schedule with bank reconciliation |
| Landlord statements | Rebuilt by hand | Generated from the records |
| Tenant and landlord questions | Calls and emails | Portals |
| Documents | Scattered | Filed against the property and tenancy |
| Cost | Free | From a flat monthly plan |
When a spreadsheet is still the right answer
If one person manages fewer than about ten properties, has no staff, and keeps a disciplined weekly review of dates, a spreadsheet plus a calendar is a reasonable choice. The signal to move is any one of: a second person, a missed certificate, an arrears surprise, or a landlord asking for statements you cannot produce quickly.
How to move without losing anything
- Clean the sheet first. Remove ended tenancies, duplicate landlords and sold properties. Fix dates stored as text.
- Standardise the columns. One row per property, one per tenancy, one per landlord, one per certificate, with consistent headings.
- Export to CSV and import with the software's migration tool, starting with landlords, properties and current tenancies, then certificates with their expiry dates.
- Check ten records by hand against the sheet before you trust the rest.
- Run a short overlap where the new system is the source of truth for anything new, and the sheet is read-only.
- Send one email to landlords and tenants with their new portal logins.
Our buyer's checklist covers how to compare systems before you choose one.
How Letfold helps
Letfold's Starter plan is £29 a month for up to 50 properties, 5 users and one branch, with a 30-day free trial and no card to start. It stores every certificate with its expiry and sends reminders before it lapses, holds rent schedules with arrears and a bank CSV reconciliation, produces landlord statements from the records, and gives tenants, landlords and contractors their own portals. A CSV migration wizard brings the spreadsheet in. See pricing.
Frequently asked questions
How many properties can you manage on a spreadsheet?
There is no fixed limit, but most agencies feel the strain between 30 and 50 managed properties, when reminders, a second user, arrears and landlord statements all need more than a table.
What is the biggest risk of using a spreadsheet for lettings?
A missed compliance date. The sheet does not remind anyone, and in England civil penalties now reach £7,000 for breaches and £40,000 for serious or repeat offences.
Can I import my spreadsheet into letting agent software?
Usually, through a CSV import. Clean the data first, standardise the columns, and import landlords, properties and current tenancies before certificates and documents.
How much does letting agent software cost at 50 properties?
Letfold's Starter plan is £29 a month for up to 50 properties. Other vendors price per user, per unit or by quote, so compare the annual total at your size.
Sources
Checked on 31 October 2026:
- Enforcement measures for landlords: Renters' Rights Act 2025 (gov.uk)
- Stronger protections and greater confidence for renters, 9 September 2026 (gov.uk)
- Guide to the Renters' Rights Act (gov.uk)
- Landlords' responsibility for gas safety and Gas safety: tenants (HSE)
- Energy Performance Certificates (gov.uk)
- Electrical safety standards in the private rented sector: guidance for landlords (gov.uk)
- Deposit protection (gov.uk)
This article is general information for England, not legal advice.
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