How to import bank statements for landlord bookkeeping

Instead of typing rental income and expense transactions manually, you can upload your bank statement directly into TenancyVault. The import process extracts your transactions, shows them for review, and lets you categorise and save them to your MTD records. This guide explains how it works. Reviewed May 2026.

Why import bank statements?

Typing transactions manually is time-consuming and error-prone, especially for landlords with active property accounts. Bank statement import lets you:

• Bring in all transactions for a period in one upload
• Review them systematically before any are saved
• Avoid missing a transaction that should be in your records
• Reduce the time spent on quarterly bookkeeping

Supported formats

TenancyVault supports two import formats:

CSV export from your bank Most UK banks allow you to download a CSV or Excel file of your transactions from their online banking portal. The download usually covers a date range you specify. TenancyVault maps the date, description, and amount columns automatically.

PDF bank statement If your bank does not offer CSV downloads, you can upload a PDF bank statement instead. TenancyVault extracts the transaction data from the PDF and shows it in the review table.

How to prepare your statement

Before uploading:

1. Log in to your bank’s online portal
2. Select the account you use for your rental business
3. Download a CSV export (or PDF statement) covering the period you want to import
4. Check the file includes dates, transaction descriptions, and amounts

If you have multiple rental accounts or properties with separate accounts, import each account separately.

The import review process

After uploading your statement, TenancyVault shows a review table. For each transaction:

Include — the transaction will be saved to your MTD records when you confirm. Select this for all genuine business income and expenses.

Skip — the transaction is excluded from your records entirely. Use this for transactions that are clearly irrelevant (for example, a standing order for a service unrelated to the rental).

Personal transfer — the transaction is saved but flagged as a personal transfer. It does not contribute to your HMRC expense totals. Use this for transfers between your own accounts, owner withdrawals, or top-up deposits.

Assigning categories and properties

For each included transaction, assign:

• Category — the expense type (repairs, insurance, letting agent fees, and so on). TenancyVault maps your selection to the correct HMRC category code
• Property — which rental property the transaction relates to

You can use bulk selection to categorise multiple similar transactions at once — for example, all transactions from your letting agent in the same period.

Saving to records

Once you have reviewed all transactions and assigned categories, save the import. The transactions are added to your MTD records for the relevant quarter.

Nothing is filed to HMRC at the point of saving. Your records are now updated and ready for when you submit your quarterly update.

Common mistakes

• Importing the same period twice — if you import a statement and then re-import the same date range, you risk duplicating transactions. Check your existing records before importing
• Skipping the review step — the review exists so that personal transfers, irrelevant transactions, and data errors do not end up in your HMRC totals. Do not save an import without reviewing it
• Uploading a personal account statement — only import statements for your rental business accounts. If you use a personal account for some rental transactions, you will need to filter out personal entries carefully
• Not checking the imported dates and amounts match the statement — if a transaction imported with an incorrect amount, correct it in the review before saving

After importing

After saving, check your quarter summary to confirm the totals look correct. If you spot a transaction that was miscategorised, you can edit it before submitting your quarterly update.

Not legal or tax advice. This guide is for information only. Consult a qualified accountant or tax adviser for guidance on your specific situation.