This page explains how we research, write, check and update everything on LandlordCosts.co.uk.
1. Regulation and tax: official sources only
For anything about the law, tax or compliance, we:
- start from the primary official source — GOV.UK guidance, HMRC guidance, HSE guidance or the legislation itself on legislation.gov.uk;
- summarise what it says in plain English, quoting key figures and dates exactly;
- link to it so you can check the original;
- don’t add our own legal interpretation. Where the official guidance is silent or unclear, we say so;
- clearly separate what is in force, what has a confirmed date, what is expected, and what is only a proposal or aim.
Where official guidance doesn’t yet cover a detail (for example, the operational details of a new scheme), we may cite a reputable professional source such as a law firm briefing or the National Residential Landlords Association, and we name it.
2. Cost figures
Every cost figure on the site comes from a named source, with the date of the data where available. We prefer, in order:
- Official figures (for example, council fee schedules, statutory penalties);
- Large published datasets (for example, insurer or broker data covering many customers);
- Vendor price lists checked directly on the vendor’s own website;
- Trade and industry research, clearly attributed;
- Single example quotes, labelled as examples.
We tell you when a figure is:
- a marketing “from” price (the cheapest possible, not typical);
- a single example, not an average;
- vendor-published (a company describing its own or rivals’ prices);
- one council’s or one region’s figure, not national;
- older data that may understate today’s costs.
When we do our own calculations — for example, annualising certificate costs or working out a Stamp Duty example — we show the inputs so you can check them.
3. What we don’t do
- We don’t invent averages where no reliable data exists. Where the answer depends on your circumstances (for example, the overall cost of being a landlord, which depends heavily on your mortgage), we explain the components and offer a calculator instead.
- We don’t rank products as “best”.
4. How often we review pages
- Regulation timeline: monthly.
- Regulation and tax guides: at least quarterly, and whenever official guidance changes.
- Insurance and software prices: quarterly.
- All other pages: at least every six months.
Every page shows the date it was last checked.
5. Corrections
If you tell us something is wrong or out of date, we aim to review it within 5 working days. If we change a fact, we update the “last checked” date and, for significant changes, note the change on the page.