Best Practices for Landlords
These tips help you get the most out of Aarvo as a UK landlord filing property income returns.
Separate property income from other income
Aarvo tracks property income separately from your main business income. Make sure rental payments are categorised correctly so they flow into your property returns, not your general Self Assessment.
Capture property expenses immediately
Maintenance, repairs, letting agent fees, insurance, mortgage interest - these are all deductible against your rental income. Capture receipts as soon as you pay for anything property-related. The sooner it is in Aarvo, the sooner it is matched and accounted for.
Understand allowable expenses
Not everything you spend on a property is deductible. Capital improvements (extensions, conversions) are treated differently from repairs and maintenance. Aarvo categorises common property expenses automatically, but review them to make sure capital and revenue expenses are classified correctly.
Stay on top of quarterly updates
MTD for Income Tax requires landlords to submit quarterly updates to HMRC. Aarvo tracks your property income obligations and generates the figures for each quarter. Keeping reconciliation current means your quarterly submissions are ready when due.
Track your mileage automatically
If you drive to properties, viewings, or meetings, download the Aarvo mobile app and enable location services. Set permissions to "Always Allow" and Aarvo will automatically detect and log your trips in the background.
Swipe right on a trip to mark it as business, or left to mark it as personal. Business trips are calculated at HMRC's approved mileage rates and added to your deductible expenses automatically.
Handle mixed-use bank accounts
If your bank account is used for both property and personal spending, make sure to categorise each transaction correctly. Property-related transactions go through to reconciliation and appear in your returns. Personal transactions are excluded from all tax calculations and reports.
Keep reconciliation current
Your property return figures are only as accurate as your reconciled data. Unreconciled transactions are not included in reports or returns. Regular reconciliation keeps your numbers accurate and avoids a year-end scramble.