The 2025/26 tax year runs from 6 April 2025 to 5 April 2026. Landlords with UK rental income above £1,000 must file a Self Assessment tax return to declare that income. The online filing deadline is 31 January 2027 and any tax owed is payable on the same date. This guide covers everything a UK landlord needs to know to file accurately and on time.
Who needs to file Self Assessment for rental income?
You must register for Self Assessment and declare your rental income if:
- Your total rental income from UK property is more than £1,000 in the tax year (the Property Income Allowance threshold)
- You have furnished holiday let income in the UK or overseas
- You have rental income from overseas property
- Your rental income combined with other income pushes your total income above the Higher Rate threshold (£50,270 in 2025/26)
- You have made a rental loss that you want to carry forward to offset future profits
- HMRC has issued you a notice to file Self Assessment
- You are employed and your rental profits exceed £2,500 per year (under this threshold HMRC may be able to collect through PAYE)
The property income allowance — £1,000
The property income allowance allows you to receive up to £1,000 of rental income tax-free without filing Self Assessment. Important constraints:
- The allowance applies to total property income across all properties — not £1,000 per property
- If your total property income is over £1,000, you must file Self Assessment and declare the full amount
- If you claim the £1,000 allowance, you cannot also deduct any expenses — it is an alternative to expenses, not an addition
- Most landlords with buy-to-let properties will have expenses that exceed £1,000, making the allowance less useful than full expense deduction
- The allowance does not apply to furnished holiday lettings
Rental income — what to include
Include all income you receive from your property in the 2025/26 tax year:
- Rent payments received from tenants
- Service charges or administration fees charged to tenants
- Payments for maintenance, gardening or cleaning services included in the tenancy
- Insurance payments received for rental income protection
- Income from sub-letting by a tenant (if you receive it rather than the head landlord)
- Rent paid in advance — include it in the year you receive it, not the period it covers
- Payments received from tenants for damage where you have not actually carried out and paid for repairs (until you spend it)
Allowable expenses
You can deduct the following expenses from your rental income (not from mortgage interest — see Section 24 below):
- Letting agent fees: management fees, tenant-find fees, renewal fees, rent collection fees
- Property insurance: buildings insurance, contents insurance, landlord liability insurance, rent guarantee insurance premiums
- Repairs and maintenance: repairs that restore the property to its original condition — not improvements (an improvement is capital expenditure and goes on a separate capital allowances calculation)
- Professional fees: accountant, solicitor for tenant disputes, eviction costs, lease renewal costs
- Safety compliance costs: gas safety certificates, EICR inspections, fire alarm testing, PAT testing
- Advertising and referencing: tenant advertising, referencing fees, credit check costs
- Ground rent and service charges: ground rent (for leasehold), service charges payable to the freeholder or management company
- Council tax and utilities: if paid by the landlord during void periods or included in the rent
- Furnishings — Replacement Domestic Items Relief: you can deduct the cost of replacing domestic items (beds, sofas, white goods) for furnished properties — not the initial purchase
Section 24 mortgage interest restriction
Since April 2020, individual landlords can no longer deduct mortgage interest from rental income. The Section 24 restriction applies as follows:
- Calculate your rental profit as: rental income minus allowable expenses (excluding mortgage interest)
- You receive a 20% tax credit equal to 20% of your mortgage interest payments
- The 20% credit is applied after calculating your tax liability — it reduces your tax bill, not your taxable profit
- If you are a basic rate (20%) taxpayer, the effect is broadly neutral — but you still pay income tax on a larger profit before the credit is applied
- If you are a higher rate (40%) or additional rate (45%) taxpayer, you pay more tax than if you could deduct mortgage interest directly
- Company landlords are NOT affected by Section 24 — companies can still deduct mortgage interest as a business expense
- Example: rent £12,000, expenses (excluding mortgage) £2,000, mortgage interest £5,000. Profit = £10,000 (not £5,000 as pre-2020). Tax at 20% = £2,000. Less 20% credit on £5,000 mortgage interest = £1,000 credit. Tax payable = £1,000.
Replacement Domestic Items Relief
For furnished properties, the Replacement Domestic Items Relief (RDIR) allows you to deduct the cost of replacing domestic items:
- Applies to furnished residential lets — not furnished holiday lettings (which use capital allowances instead)
- Covers: beds, sofas, tables, chairs, fridges, freezers, washing machines, curtains, carpets, crockery and cutlery
- You can only claim for replacement items, not the initial furnishing of the property
- The deduction is for a like-for-like replacement — if you upgrade, only the equivalent cost is deductible
- Dispose of the old item — if you retain it, the relief is reduced proportionally
- Keep receipts and records of what was replaced, when, and the cost
Making Tax Digital for Income Tax — timeline
HMRC's Making Tax Digital for Income Tax Self Assessment (MTD for ITSA) will affect landlords from:
- April 2026: MTD for ITSA mandatory for self-employed individuals and landlords with total qualifying income over £50,000
- April 2027: mandatory for those with income over £30,000
- Later date TBC: for income between £20,000 and £30,000
- Under MTD you must use MTD-compatible software to keep digital records of income and expenses, and submit quarterly updates to HMRC
- At the 2025/26 Self Assessment filing deadline (31 January 2027), you may be approaching or already in the MTD regime if your income exceeds £50,000
- Sign up for a free HMRC-approved MTD software package now if your income approaches these thresholds
Key deadlines — 2025/26 tax year
Critical dates for the 2025/26 Self Assessment return:
- 5 October 2026: deadline to register for Self Assessment with HMRC if you are filing for the first time
- 31 October 2026: paper Self Assessment return deadline (if filing on paper)
- 30 December 2026: deadline to file online if you want HMRC to collect tax owed (under £3,000) via PAYE coding adjustment
- 31 January 2027: online filing deadline — automatic £100 penalty if missed
- 31 January 2027: tax owed must be paid — interest accrues from this date
- 31 July 2027: second payment on account deadline (if applicable)