Buyer comparison
Best HMO Software in 2026
HMO software is a compliance problem first and a billing problem second. Per-room lets, per-council licensing, Right to Rent checks, deposit protection, and a stack of safety certificates all have to be tracked per property. We compared the tools that handle it.
| Platform | Per-room billing | Licensing tracker | Right to Rent | Compliance certs | Pricing model | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| JumboTiger | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | Custom | Multi-property HMO operators |
| COHO | Yes | Limited | Limited | Limited | Per room | UK HMO landlords |
| PayProp | Limited | No | No | No | Per unit | Payment automation add-on |
| Arthur | Workaround | No | No | Limited | Tiered | Mixed residential + HMO |
| Spreadsheets | Manual | No | No | No | Free | 1-3 properties |
The platforms in detail
1. JumboTiger
CustomPer-room billing, per-council licensing trackers with renewal alerts, Right to Rent, deposit protection, and certificate management. Best for portfolio HMO operators.
Best for: Multi-property HMO operators
See the platform →2. COHO
Per roomPurpose-built HMO management platform. Strong on room lets and compliance, lighter on multi-country or institutional reporting.
Best for: UK HMO landlords
3. PayProp
Per unitLettings payment + reconciliation platform often used alongside an HMO tool. Not a full PMS.
Best for: Payment automation add-on
4. Arthur
TieredUK residential PMS with HMO support. Good all-rounder, per-room is workable rather than native.
Best for: Mixed residential + HMO
5. Spreadsheets
FreeWhere most HMO landlords start, and where licensing renewals get missed once you cross a handful of properties.
Best for: 1-3 properties
Buyer's guide
How to choose HMO software in 2026
Houses in Multiple Occupation carry a compliance load no other small-portfolio category matches. The best HMO software tracks licensing and safety obligations per property while handling per-room lets and shared bills.
Licensing and compliance is the core job
HMOs are defined by their regulatory load: mandatory and additional HMO licensing, Article 4 directions, selective licensing, and per-property conditions that vary by council. The single most valuable thing HMO software does is track every licence and its renewal date across the portfolio, with alerts well before expiry, so a lapsed licence never becomes a fine.
On any demo, ask to see a portfolio-wide compliance view with licence status and expiry per property. If that is not front and centre, the tool is a general PMS with HMO in the name.
Safety certificates and right to rent
On top of licensing, HMOs carry gas safety, EICR, EPC, and fire-safety obligations, plus right-to-rent checks per tenant. Missing a certificate renewal is both a legal and a safety failure. Software that tracks each certificate per property with advance alerts, and captures right-to-rent evidence per tenant, removes the highest-risk manual work in HMO management.
Confirm the platform tracks each certificate type with configurable advance warnings, not just a single reminder, and logs right-to-rent per tenant.
Per-room lets and shared-bill management
HMOs are let by the room with shared facilities and often all-inclusive rents, which means billing has to split utilities and services sensibly and track rent per room, not per property. A residential PMS built around a single tenancy per property forces workarounds the moment you let rooms individually.
Look for per-room inventory and the ability to handle all-inclusive or split-bill rents, so the finances match how the house actually operates.
Small-portfolio economics
Many HMO operators run smaller portfolios where an enterprise platform is overkill and its cost cannot be justified. The right tool is proportionate: it removes the compliance risk and the per-room admin without an implementation project or an enterprise price tag.
Weigh total cost against the size of your portfolio. For a handful of houses, a focused compliance-and-lettings tool often beats a heavier platform; the calculus changes as you scale.
Spreadsheets, a focused tool, or a configurable platform
At the smallest scale, disciplined spreadsheets plus calendar reminders can work, though they carry real compliance risk. Focused HMO and lettings tools add licence and certificate tracking. Operators scaling a serious HMO portfolio, or running HMOs alongside other formats, who want the compliance, per-room, and resident workflows in one system shaped to their operation, fit a configurable platform such as JumboTiger, live in about thirty days.
The verdict
Single-property HMO landlords can get by with a spreadsheet or a tool like COHO. Operators running HMOs across multiple councils, where licensing variance and renewal tracking become a real risk, are a strong fit for a configurable compliance-first platform like JumboTiger.
FAQ
Frequently asked questions
What is the best HMO software in 2026?
The best HMO software tracks licensing and safety compliance per property, handles per-room lets and shared bills, and does so proportionately to a smaller portfolio. Focused HMO and lettings tools cover the basics, while operators scaling a serious portfolio or running HMOs alongside other formats fit a configurable platform such as JumboTiger. At the smallest scale, disciplined spreadsheets can work but carry compliance risk.
What compliance does HMO software need to track?
HMO software should track mandatory and additional HMO licensing with renewal dates, plus gas safety, EICR, EPC, and fire-safety certificates, and right-to-rent checks per tenant. Because Article 4 directions and selective licensing vary by council, per-property tracking with advance expiry alerts is the core requirement, since a lapsed licence or certificate is both a legal and a safety failure.
Can general property management software handle HMOs?
General residential PMS built around one tenancy per property struggles with HMOs, which are let by the room with shared bills and carry a heavier licensing and certificate load. It can be stretched for a couple of houses, but per-room billing and portfolio-wide licence tracking are usually where operators move to HMO-specific or configurable software.
Do small HMO landlords need dedicated software?
It depends on scale and risk tolerance. A single house can be run on spreadsheets and calendar reminders, though that leaves compliance to memory. As you add houses, the licence and certificate tracking and per-room admin outgrow manual methods quickly, and a proportionate HMO tool removes the highest-risk work without an enterprise cost.
How much does HMO software cost?
Focused HMO and lettings tools are typically affordable and priced per property or per unit, while configurable platforms are quoted to the operation. For a small portfolio, judge the cost against the compliance risk it removes; for a scaling portfolio, compare two-year total cost including the internal time spent tracking licences and certificates by hand.
Further reading
Operator guides and playbooks for this category.
See where JumboTiger fits for hmo
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