A landlord association is a membership body for people who let homes. Most offer an advice line, tenancy documents, training and a voice in government, for an annual fee. This guide sets out what the main associations in the UK offer, what they cost, and where software such as VoxaMTD fits beside a membership. It describes each body from its own public pages, checked on 23 October 2026. VoxaMTD is not a member, partner or recognised supplier of any association named here.
What a landlord association gives you
The offer is broadly the same everywhere, though the depth varies:
- Advice. A phone or online advice line for questions about tenancies, notices, deposits and disputes. This is usually the benefit members value most.
- Documents. Tenancy agreements, checklists, letters and forms, kept up to date as the law changes. After 1 May 2026, when the Renters' Rights Act abolished section 21 and moved tenancies onto assured periodic tenancies in England, current documents matter more than ever.
- Training and accreditation. Courses on letting law, safety and good practice, often discounted for members.
- Representation. Campaigning to national and local government on behalf of landlords.
- Discounts and events. Member offers from suppliers, local meetings and webinars.
National associations
NRLA (England and Wales)
The National Residential Landlords Association says it has over 110,000 members. Landlord membership starts at £125 a year and business membership at £250 a year. Its listed benefits are an advice line staffed six days a week, more than 130 documents and guides, discounted training and accreditation courses, events and webinars, campaigning, a tax investigation insurance service, a property magazine, and NRLA Portfolio, its property management software (nrla.org.uk/join).
NRLA Portfolio comes with membership. For Making Tax Digital, the NRLA's tier table lists quarterly HMRC submissions on PortfolioPro, which members add for £11 a month (nrla.org.uk/services/portfolio), and names Taxd as its tax partner (nrla.org.uk/services/portfolio/mtd-guide). We compare the two products side by side in VoxaMTD vs NRLA Portfolio.
Scottish Association of Landlords
The Scottish Association of Landlords represents landlords and letting agents in Scotland and campaigns at Holyrood and Westminster. Membership starts from £115. Members get an advice line, a library of documents and factsheets, a member newsletter, the Landlord Focus magazine, supplier discounts and discounted training through its sister organisation, Landlord Accreditation Scotland (scottishlandlords.com). Scottish letting law differs from England's, so a Scottish landlord gains most from a body that works in Scotland.
Regional associations
Many areas have their own, smaller association. They tend to be cheaper, run local meetings and know the councils in their patch, including any selective licensing or HMO licensing schemes. One example is EMPO, a not-for-profit association founded in 1942 and based in Nottingham, which covers Nottingham, Derby, Leicester, Northampton, Lincoln and the surrounding areas. Individual membership starts at £99 a year, with advice, training, insurance and member discounts (empo.co.uk). Search for a landlord association in your town or county to find the nearest one.
A note on Wales
In Wales, membership of an association is optional but Rent Smart Wales is not. Landlords with a rental property in Wales must register, and landlords who let or manage their own property must also hold a licence, which comes with training requirements (rentsmart.gov.wales). An association can help with that training, but it does not replace registration.
How to choose
- Where you let. Pick a body that covers the nation your property is in. Law differs between England, Wales and Scotland.
- The advice line. Check its hours and whether it covers your type of letting, such as HMOs.
- Documents. Ask whether its tenancy documents were rewritten for the Renters' Rights Act.
- Local knowledge. A regional body may know your council's licensing rules better than a national one.
- Cost. Annual fees run from about £99 to £125 for the bodies above, before any add-ons.
Where VoxaMTD fits beside a membership
An association and MTD software do different jobs. The association gives you advice, documents, training and a voice. Software keeps your digital records and sends your quarterly updates to HMRC. You do not have to choose one: many landlords will want both.
VoxaMTD needs no membership of any association. Its free plan sends MTD quarterly updates for up to two tenancies, and paid landlord plans are £8.99, £12.99 and £27.99 a month. It sends quarterly updates today; the year-end final declaration is coming before the first one is due (January 2028). If you are not sure whether MTD applies to you yet, the MTD checker tells you in a minute, and the landlord compliance checker lists the safety duties for your property. The landlord association glossary entry has the short version of this guide.
This guide is general information, not legal advice. Check an association's own site for its current prices and benefits before you join.