Read this first. The Landlord Alliance is an alternative to the NRLA and we sell a competing product. That is a reason to read this sceptically, so: every price below is from the provider’s own published page on 8 September 2026, we name several alternatives we do not own, and the section on what the NRLA does better than us is longer than the section on what we do better than them.
The short version
The NRLA is a membership body: campaigning, a helpline, training, document templates and discounted insurance, for around £95 a year. It is not software, and if what you actually need is a way to track a portfolio or file to HMRC, membership does not do that. The honest question is not “NRLA or X” but “what am I actually buying?” — because most landlords end up wanting two things from three different categories, and the cheapest sensible combination is usually a £12 a month software tool plus nothing else, or membership plus software.
What you are actually comparing
| Category | What it does | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| Membership body | Advice line, campaigning, training, templates, insurance discounts | NRLA, Scottish Association of Landlords, local landlord associations |
| Landlord accounting and tax | Records income and expenses, reconciles a bank feed, files to HMRC | Hammock, Landlord Vision, Landlord Studio, PaTMa |
| Portfolio and compliance | Value, equity, yield, compliance dates, documents, templates | The Landlord Alliance, Lendlord, Alphaletz |
What the NRLA does well, and where nothing else matches it
- The advice line. A trained adviser on the phone about your specific situation is genuinely valuable, particularly on possession and disrepair. No software replaces that, ours included.
- Campaigning and representation. Whatever you think of the outcomes, a body making the sector’s case to government is worth something to every landlord, including those who are not members.
- Training and accreditation. Structured, recognised, and useful for licence applications where councils recognise accreditation.
- Scale. Insurance and service discounts negotiated for a large membership.
If you want an expert to call when something goes wrong, membership of a landlord association is the product that does that, and no portfolio dashboard is a substitute.
What it does not do
- It does not track your portfolio’s value, equity, loan-to-value or yield.
- It does not reconcile a bank feed or produce your tax figures.
- It does not file quarterly updates to HMRC. If Making Tax Digital applies to you, you need recognised software regardless of membership.
- It does not track compliance dates across a portfolio for you.
The combinations that actually make sense
| If you want | Sensible answer | Rough annual cost |
|---|---|---|
| Advice on the phone, templates, training | NRLA membership | ~£95 |
| To file MTD and keep tax records | Hammock, Landlord Vision, Landlord Studio or PaTMa | £96–£180 |
| Portfolio tracking and compliance dates | The Landlord Alliance, Lendlord or Alphaletz | £0–£99 |
| Advice and MTD filing | Membership plus accounting software | ~£200–£275 |
| Everything, one property, tight budget | A free tier plus a local landlord association | Under £50 |
Where we fit, honestly
What we do
Portfolio dashboard with value, equity, LTV, yield and cash flow; a red/amber/green compliance tracker; rent, arrears, tenancies and maintenance; a document library; templates; an AI adviser; and a member community. £10 a month or £99 a year for 1–19 properties. No contract.
What we do not do
We are not a membership body. We do not campaign, we do not run accredited training, and we do not have a trained adviser on a phone line — our AI adviser is a different thing and we would not pretend otherwise. We are not on HMRC’s recognised software list and we do not file anything to HMRC. We have no free tier, while PaTMa, Lendlord and Landlord Studio do. If your problem is MTD, or you want someone to call, we are not the answer.
Read next
What is the best NRLA alternative?
It depends what you use the NRLA for. For advice and training, a local or regional landlord association is the nearest equivalent. For anything involving tax or portfolio tracking, you want software, not a membership.
Is there a cheaper landlord association?
Local and regional associations often charge less than a national body, with a more local focus. They tend to have smaller template libraries and fewer negotiated discounts.
Does NRLA membership include software?
Not accounting or MTD software. Membership includes documents, guidance and discounts.
Do I need both a membership and software?
Many landlords do, because they solve different problems. Budget for both rather than expecting one to cover the other.
Will membership help with an HMO licence?
Accreditation can, where a council recognises it — some offer reduced licence fees to accredited landlords. Check your own authority.
Are you saying we should not join the NRLA?
No. If you want a phone number to call when something goes wrong, that is a real product and we do not sell it.
Sources. Published membership and pricing pages for the NRLA, Hammock, Landlord Vision, Landlord Studio, PaTMa, Lendlord and The Landlord Alliance, read on 8 September 2026; HMRC find-software tool for MTD recognition. The Landlord Alliance is a product described on this page — treat our assessment of ourselves accordingly.
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