Making Tax Digital Record Keeping for Joint Property Owners

Joint ownership does not turn two taxpayers into one. Under HMRC’s current Making Tax Digital for Income Tax guidance, each joint landlord needs digital records for their share of relevant property income and expenses.

From 6 April 2026, MTD for Income Tax applies to qualifying sole traders and landlords over the relevant income threshold. HMRC’s digital-record guidance includes specific simplifications for jointly let property, but the individual still needs an accurate basis for their own reporting.

Create one property record, then allocate shares

Keep the property-level source evidence once: tenancy, rent receipt, invoice and ownership record. Then record each owner’s attributable amount or agreed allocation basis. This avoids duplicate receipts while preserving the individual reporting view.

Record these fields

• property and income-source type;
• owner and ownership or reporting share;
• transaction date and amount;
• income or expense category;
• owner-attributable amount;
• receipt, invoice or statement;
• adjustment and explanation;
• review and submission status.

Understand HMRC’s joint-property simplifications

HMRC says a landlord with jointly let property only needs digital records relating to their share. Current guidance also describes options for less detailed records and, in some circumstances, not including joint-property expenses in quarterly updates before adding them for the tax return. Read the current conditions carefully; a simplification changes the recording workflow, not the need for a correct final position.

Keep quarterly and final review states separate

A useful system should show whether a transaction is recorded, categorised, allocated, reviewed and included in an update or year-end position. “In the spreadsheet” is not the same as “ready to report”.

Plan the accountant handoff

Agree who records transactions, who checks allocation, who corrects errors and who submits. Give the accountant source-linked records rather than a total with no evidence. Preserve review notes and any changes.

Common joint-owner mistakes

• Recording the full rent for both owners.
• Applying one split to all properties without checking ownership.
• Allocating income but forgetting expenses.
• Losing the relationship between the owner’s figure and the original transaction.
• Assuming software’s default split is tax advice.

How Tendmere supports the record

Tendmere can represent ownership shares, record property income and expenses, and prepare review information for an accountant. Its production HMRC filing rail is not currently enabled, so it must not be treated as a live submission service.

Read the broader MTD landlord guide and the record-retention framework.

Tax treatment depends on your facts and current HMRC rules. This guide is general information, not tax advice. Confirm ownership and reporting treatment with a qualified adviser.