Last updated: 15th October 2026
To choose the best letting agency CRM for 2027, look for software that manages compliance, client accounting and your day-to-day lettings work in one place, and is ready for the 2027 changes: Making Tax Digital for landlords earning over £30,000, the new private rented sector database and the proposed extension of Awaab’s Law.
According to the Office for National Statistics, the average monthly private rent in the UK reached £1,400 in August 2026, up 3.8% on the previous year. With rents continuing to rise and further regulatory changes approaching, accurate financial records and reliable compliance processes matter more than ever.
Agents also need software that can keep pace with the demands of a changing market. Connected communications, self-service portals and AI that can complete entire jobs can make a real difference to how your agency operates. You’ll also want to look closely at pricing, integrations, migration and support.
This guide covers the 10 things to look for in a letting agency CRM, how to compare costs and 20 questions to ask suppliers. We’ll also explain the regulatory deadlines shaping lettings in 2027 and what they mean for your choice of software.
What is a letting agency CRM?
A letting agency CRM is a central system for managing lettings and property management, covering everything from applicant enquiries and tenancy progression to compliance, maintenance and client accounting.
Depending on the provider, this can include:
- Applicant enquiries, property matching and viewings
- Tenancy progression, referencing and deposit management
- Compliance certificates and maintenance requests
- Rent collection, arrears and client accounting
- Landlord and tenant portals
- Property portal feeds and performance reporting
When comparing options, it’s important to realise that not all letting agent software is actually designed for lettings. There are three main types:
- Sales-first estate agency CRMs, which focus primarily on property sales, with lettings functionality added.
- Lettings-first CRMs, built to manage tenancies and rental portfolios.
- Landlord software, built for individual landlords managing their own portfolios.
All three have their place, but the right choice depends on how much of your business involves lettings and property management.
Don’t choose your 2027 CRM based on 2026 requirements
With the Renters’ Rights Act introducing major changes to tenancies in England from 1 May 2026, supporting those requirements should now be a basic expectation of any letting agency CRM. It shouldn’t be a headline selling point in 2027.
That includes:
- Managing the end of Section 21 evictions and the move to periodic assured tenancies.
- Tracking rent increases, notices and dates.
- Recording advertised rents and offers to support the rental bidding ban.
- Logging pet requests, responses and compliance records.
Making Tax Digital for Income Tax also began applying to landlords with qualifying income over £50,000 from April 2026, with more landlords coming into scope in 2027.
Of course, suppliers should be able to demonstrate how their systems support these rules, but meeting requirements that have been in place since 2026 isn’t enough to set a CRM apart.
With more major changes approaching, the key question is what your lettings software can handle in 2027 and beyond.
What does your letting agency CRM need to handle in 2027?
If you’re choosing a letting agency CRM in 2027, there are three important changes to plan around: the next Making Tax Digital deadline, the private rented sector database and the proposed extension of Awaab’s Law.
Key lettings dates for 2027 at a glance
| Date | Change | What it means for agents |
| 15 December 2026 | Private rented sector database opens (West Midlands first) | Landlords must register each property, at £65 per property a year |
| 18 December 2026 | Awaab’s Law consultation closes | Start date for private rented homes still to be confirmed |
| 14 March 2027 | West Midlands database registration deadline | First regional deadline, with other regions following in stages |
| 6 April 2027 | Making Tax Digital threshold drops to £30,000 | More landlords need digital records and quarterly updates |
| 14 November 2027 | Final database registration deadline | Every rental property in England must be registered |
| April 2028 | Making Tax Digital threshold drops to £20,000 | Even more landlords come into scope |
| 2028 (expected) | Landlord ombudsman membership becomes mandatory | Landlords expected to join a new ombudsman scheme |
| 1 October 2030 | Minimum energy efficiency standard (equivalent to EPC C) | Up to £10,000 per property, with work since October 2025 counting |
Making Tax Digital: April 2027
From 6 April 2027, Making Tax Digital (MTD) for Income Tax applies to landlords with qualifying income over £30,000, down from £50,000. The threshold falls again to over £20,000 in April 2028.
This means more of your landlords will need digital financial records and quarterly updates.
Although landlords remain responsible for their tax obligations, they’ll increasingly expect their letting agents to provide accurate, accessible financial information.
Look for a CRM that keeps client accounting records organised and makes it easy to produce clear landlord statements. Ask how those records can be shared with landlords or their accountants.
Private rented sector database: December 2026
Registration for the government’s private rented sector database opens on 15 December 2026. It starts in the West Midlands and rolls out region by region, with every landlord letting in England registered by 14 November 2027.
Registration is mandatory and costs £65 per property a year. Each region has its own deadline, starting with the West Midlands on 14 March 2027, so check when your landlords’ properties fall due.
Your CRM should hold complete landlord and property information, with compliance certificates attached to the correct records.
Ask suppliers how you’ll access the information needed for registration. Can the system produce it easily, or will your team have to gather it manually?
Awaab’s Law: proposed extension
On 9 October 2026, the government opened a consultation on extending Awaab’s Law to private rented homes. The consultation closes on 18 December 2026, and no start date has been confirmed yet.
The proposed rules would introduce set timescales for responding to certain property hazards.
Your CRM should record when an issue was reported, what action was taken and when, giving your team a clear history if a repair is questioned.
Don’t forget what’s coming later
Mandatory membership of a new private rented sector landlord ombudsman is expected from 2028, although no date has been confirmed. Landlords must also meet new minimum energy efficiency standards, equivalent to EPC C, by 1 October 2030. Spending is capped at £10,000 per property, and qualifying work carried out since October 2025 counts towards it.
Whichever CRM you choose, you need to feel confident that it can keep pace with changing requirements and continue supporting your agency as the industry evolves.
What should you look for in a letting agency CRM in 2027?
Look for a letting agency CRM that offers reliable compliance management, client accounting, useful automation and AI, clear reporting and the flexibility to support your agency as it grows.
It’s also important to understand how well the software works in practice, including its integrations, communication tools, migration process and customer support.
We’ve identified 10 areas to compare when shortlisting CRMs.
We recommend scoring each provider from 0 to 4 for each area. To help you do that, we’ve highlighted exactly what to base your score on.
1. Compliance that keeps you ahead
Your CRM should track gas safety certificates (CP12), EICRs, EPCs and licensing requirements, with reminders before anything expires.
Look for systems that proactively flag missing documents and can prevent certain actions until the issue is resolved. The best lettings CRMs actually handle certificate renewals on your behalf. Alto’s AutoCert, for example, runs the full renewal, from detecting the expiry to filing the verified certificate against the property.
Your software should also be able to flag properties below EPC C so you can plan improvements ahead of the 1 October 2030 deadline.
Score it on: How well it flags and prevents compliance issues.
2. Client accounting and rent management
Look for automatic rent matching, reconciliation using Open Banking, landlord statements, bulk contractor payments and prompt arrears alerts.
With Making Tax Digital expanding in April 2027, it’s also important that your CRM can provide accurate landlord figures for quarterly reporting.
Check whether client accounting is built in or requires a separate subscription, and how the system supports client money protection requirements.
Score it on: Whether it automatically reconciles rent and produces landlord statements.
3. Integrations that work with your existing tools
Your CRM should connect with the services your agency relies on, including property portals, accounting tools, referencing, inventories, e-signatures and deposit schemes.
An open API is useful, but make sure you check which integrations are live, how information moves between systems and who maintains the connections.
Ask for a list of working integrations rather than relying on partner logos.
Score it on: Whether it connects with your preferred tools.
4. Communication in one place
Emails, calls, SMS and WhatsApp conversations must be easy to find against the relevant property or tenancy.
That way, anyone on your team can pick up a conversation, even when a colleague is away or leaves the business.
Clear, date-stamped communication records also matter for compliance, and will be even more critical if proposed rules introduce stricter deadlines for responding to property hazards.
Score it on: How complete and accessible the comms history is.
5. Self-service portal for landlords and tenants
Landlords should be able to access statements, certificates and property information without calling your office.
Tenants should be able to report repairs, upload photos and check on tenancy details 24/7.
Ask to see your CRM’s portal on a mobile phone and desktop. They must be easy to use, or they won’t be used.
Score it on: How much landlords and tenants can do independently.
6. AI that can complete useful work
AI features vary widely. Some draft emails or listings, while others analyse agency data to identify opportunities or problems.
More advanced AI, such as Alto Intelligence can read your data, work out what needs doing and actually do it. It can complete a job then present the work ready for you to approve if needed.
Ask to see this type of AI working live with a real lettings scenario. Check if the AI is the supplier’s own or white labelled (the latter sometimes means usage costs).
Score it on: How much work AI can safely take off your plate.
7. Reporting and analysis
Directors need a clear view of arrears, void periods, fee income and compliance risks across their managed portfolio.
Look for live reporting that can be filtered by branch or property, without exporting data into spreadsheets. Don’t settle for screenshots of polished reports.
AI-powered tools like Alto IQ go a step further, letting agents ask questions about their agency’s performance in plain English and get instant answers and reports.
Check whether the CRM offers EPC reporting, which will be particularly useful when planning improvements across a large portfolio.
Score it on: How easy it is to pull together the reports you need.
8. Room to grow
Check whether the CRM supports multiple branches working from one property database, with suitable access permissions.
You’ll also want to understand how pricing changes as you add properties, users or branches.
Ask suppliers to calculate the cost if your managed portfolio doubled. Per-property charges can make a significant difference over time.
Score it on: Whether it supports growth at a manageable cost.
9. Migration that includes your history
Your agency’s historical data is valuable, especially as AI creates new ways to analyse it and put it to work. Don’t be persuaded to leave years of tenancy records, communications and accounting history behind.
Ask exactly what your CRM migration will include, how the supplier ensures data accuracy and whether you’ll retain access to your full history.
Be wary of migrations that take weeks or months. For comparison, Alto customers go live in 16 days on average. Check who’s responsible for the migration and whether there are extra costs for this.
Score it on: Data accuracy, history retained and time to go live.
10. Support you can rely on
Ask what training is included, whether you’ll have a named implementation contact and how support works after launch.
Check response times and opening hours, particularly for urgent issues.
Independent reviews on AllAgents, Kerfuffle and Trustpilot can also give you a clearer picture of how suppliers support their customers when it actually counts.
Score it on: The quality of onboarding and ongoing support.
How to score your letting agency CRM shortlist
Once you’ve shortlisted a few letting agency CRMs, use the 10 areas we’ve covered above to compare them. Give each provider a score from 0 to 4 for each area, then add up the scores to get a total out of 40.
Here’s a quick summary of the 10 areas and what to score each one on.
| Area | Score it on… |
| Compliance | How well it flags and prevents compliance issues |
| Client accounting and rent | Whether it automatically reconciles rent and produces landlord statements |
| Integrations | Whether it connects with your preferred tools |
| Communication | How complete and accessible the comms history is |
| Self-service portals | How much landlords and tenants can do independently |
| AI | How much work AI can safely take off your plate |
| Reporting | How easy it is to pull together the reports you need |
| Room to grow | Whether it supports growth at a manageable cost |
| Migration | Data accuracy, history retained and time to go live |
| Support | The quality of onboarding and ongoing support |
Use this simple scoring system:
0 = Doesn’t offer this functionality
1 = Very limited functionality
2 = Meets some of your requirements
3 = Meets most of your requirements
4 = Fully meets your requirements
Remember that some areas matter more than others. Even if a CRM achieves a good overall score, think carefully about any areas where it scores 0 or 1, particularly for essential functions such as compliance or client accounting.
Understanding your scores
As a guide:
35 to 40: A strong match for your agency’s needs.
30 to 34: A good option, with a few areas worth investigating further.
25 to 29: Some important gaps that may mean extra work or costs.
Below 25: Likely to involve too many compromises.
What questions should you ask during a letting agency CRM demo?
CRM demos can look impressive, but it’s easy to leave without getting the answers you really need. Use these 20 questions to see how each system would work for your agency.
Wherever possible, ask suppliers to demonstrate the functionality live. Don’t be afraid to follow up by email if you didn’t get a clear answer to something.
Compliance
- Can you show me exactly what happens when a mandatory certificate expires for a tenancy?
- Does the CRM automatically handle certificate renewals, and can I see this working?
- How will the CRM help us prepare for the private rented sector database?
- Can the system identify properties below EPC C and track improvement work?
Money
- Can you show me how rent payments are matched, reconciled and paid to landlords?
- What financial information can we give landlords to help with Making Tax Digital reporting?
- Is client accounting included in the price, and how does it support client money protection?
- Can you show me how the system tracks rent arrears and follows up on late payments?
Data and integrations
- Which integrations are available now, and who maintains them?
- Can you show me how emails, texts and WhatsApp messages are saved against a tenancy?
- Will we keep our communication history when a member of staff leaves?
- Can you build a live report showing arrears and compliance risks across our branches?
AI
- Can you show me your AI completing a task from start to finish?
- Can your AI spot something that needs attention without being asked?
- How does the AI use our agency’s data, and how do we check its answers?
- What happens if the AI makes a mistake, and who is responsible?
Pricing, migration and support
- What historical data won’t transfer to your CRM?
- How long will migration take, and when can we go live?
- What will the CRM cost us over three years, including any additional fees?
- What training and support will we get during migration and after launch?
Put these questions to us first. Book an Alto demo and we’ll show you the answers live.
Which letting agency CRM is best for your agency’s size?
The right lettings CRM will depend partly on the size of your agency. As your managed portfolio grows, so do the demands on your software.
Here’s a quick summary before we look at each stage in more detail.
| Agency size | What matters most | Likely shortlist |
| Fewer than 100 managed properties | Ease of use and affordable compliance tools | Specialist tools such as Arthur Online, Goodlord and Fixflo, or a full letting agency CRM if you plan to grow |
| 100 to 500 managed properties | Client accounting and compliance automation, plus AI that completes tasks | Alto, Street and Dezrez |
| 500+ managed properties or multi-branch | Cross-branch reporting and compliance automation | Alto and Reapit, with Apex27 depending on your needs |
Small but growing agencies (fewer than 100 managed properties)
When you’re building your agency, ease of use, essential compliance tools and affordable pricing are likely to be high on your list.
You might come across specialist tools such as Arthur Online for property management, Goodlord for tenancy administration and Fixflo for maintenance. These can support specific areas of your business, but it’s important to understand how they fit into your wider software setup.
If you’re planning to grow quickly, think beyond what you need today. A proper letting agency CRM may be a better long-term fit, particularly if you want to avoid managing several separate systems or switching software as your portfolio grows.
Medium-sized agencies (managing 100 to 500 properties)
As your managed portfolio grows, keeping on top of client accounting, compliance and communication becomes more demanding. You’ll need a CRM that can handle a busy lettings operation without creating extra work for your team.
Alto, Street and Dezrez are among the systems you’re likely to compare at this stage. Look closely at how much of the lettings process each one handles, particularly rent management, compliance automation and ongoing property management.
Check what’s included as standard, which features cost extra and how well everything works together. It’s also worth comparing their AI tools, particularly how good they are at handling complete tasks.
A CRM that covers more of the lettings process will give you more room to grow without relying on additional tools, so it’s worth putting the research in.
Large or multi-branch agencies (managing 500+ properties)
Managing a larger portfolio brings more complexity and greater compliance risks. You’ll need a CRM that gives you a clear view across branches, with shared property records, appropriate staff permissions and reporting you can rely on.
Compliance automation becomes especially important at this scale, as does AI that can take on more of the everyday workload and help your team manage a growing portfolio.
Alto and Reapit are likely to feature on your shortlist, while Apex27 may also be relevant depending on your agency’s needs.
Ask suppliers to demonstrate how their systems handle multi-branch operations, keep track of compliance across your portfolio and help your team spot potential risks before they become problems.
Want to compare specific platforms in more detail? This CRM comparison guide will help you weigh up all the options.
Letting agency CRM FAQs
What is the best letting agency CRM for 2027?
The best letting agency CRM for 2027 depends on the size of your managed portfolio. Agencies managing 100 to 500 properties usually compare Alto, Street and Dezrez, while larger and multi-branch agencies tend to shortlist Alto and Reapit. Score each one on compliance, client accounting, integrations, communication, portals, AI, reporting, room to grow, migration and support.
What should a letting agency CRM include?
A letting agency CRM should cover applicant enquiries and viewings, tenancy progression, compliance certificates, maintenance, rent collection, arrears, client accounting and landlord and tenant portals in one system. In 2027, it should also help you produce accurate landlord figures for Making Tax Digital and hold the property information needed for the private rented sector database.
When does Making Tax Digital apply to landlords in 2027?
From 6 April 2027, Making Tax Digital for Income Tax applies to landlords with qualifying income over £30,000, down from £50,000 in April 2026. The threshold falls again to £20,000 in April 2028. Landlords stay responsible for their own tax, but many will expect their letting agent to supply clear, accurate financial records.
When do landlords need to register on the private rented sector database?
Registration opens on 15 December 2026, starting in the West Midlands, where the deadline is 14 March 2027. Other regions follow in stages, and every rental property in England must be registered by 14 November 2027. It costs £65 per property a year.
Does Awaab’s Law apply to private landlords?
Not yet. The government opened a consultation on extending Awaab’s Law to private rented homes on 9 October 2026, and it closes on 18 December 2026. No start date has been confirmed, but agents should already keep a clear, date-stamped record of every reported hazard and the action taken.
How long does it take to switch letting agency CRM?
It depends on the supplier and how much data you’re moving. Alto customers go live in 16 days on average. Whichever supplier you choose, ask exactly what historical data will transfer and who is responsible for the migration.
How much does a letting agency CRM cost?
Costs vary by supplier and usually depend on the number of properties, users and branches. Ask each supplier for a three-year total that includes client accounting, integrations, migration and any per-property charges, and check how the price changes if your managed portfolio doubles.
Why Alto is the smartest choice for letting agents in 2027
Alto is the UK’s #1 estate agent CRM, trusted by over 6,000 agents. It brings lettings, property management and client accounting together in one system, helping agencies manage their day-to-day work and stay ahead of current and future challenges.
Its lettings features include rent collection and reconciliation, arrears management, tenancy progression, maintenance tracking and landlord and tenant portals. Alto’s AutoCert manages certificate renewals, from identifying an upcoming expiry to filing the completed certificate.
For agencies managing larger portfolios, Alto offers multi-branch reporting and integrations with specialist tools. Meanwhile, Alto skills carry out complete jobs using information already held in Alto, with agents able to review and approve the results.
Agents using Alto save more than 10 hours a week each and cut tenancy processing time by 65%. Around 90% of lettings applicants don’t go on to rent, so Alto’s AI screens enquiries automatically and saves about 10 minutes on each one.
Support calls are answered in under 60 seconds, and Alto has 250+ verified five-star reviews in 2026 alone.
But what matters most is how the software works for agents using it every day.
Graham Hall, Managing Partner at Aston & Co, says: “Those who are brave enough to run a lettings agency these days need good backup, and Alto provides it. Alto is hands down the best CRM for estate agents I’ve ever used.”
Steve Youldon-Piercy, Branch Manager at Brook Gamble, agrees: “After 30 years in the industry, I’ve learned that success comes down to time and money. Alto means we’re saving both.”
