Gaffy vs spreadsheets
It depends how often you are hunting for a file. A spreadsheet is a grid you update. It can list properties, rent, costs and expiry dates if you type them in and you still know which file is current. It does not, by itself, give a tenant a repair-request link, store the PDF in a document vault, remind you before a gas safety, EICR or EPC expires, or open a tenant portal. You can bolt some of that on with a calendar and a folder. At one property, with rare repairs, that often holds.
Updated
Do I need Gaffy if I already have a spreadsheet?
Gaffy is the software version of the repair link, the reminders, the vault and the portal. It does not replace the spreadsheet you use for the books. As of October 2026, the first month is free, with no card needed to start, then £12 a month for up to 5 properties, plus £4 a month for each additional property. A spreadsheet has no landlord-software price to put next to that. The program you type into has its own price, and this page does not quote one.
Comparison table
| Gaffy | A spreadsheet | |
|---|---|---|
| Who maintains it | You add the property, the certificate and the repair. Reminders run from the dates you record. | You add every row, and you notice the date only if you open the file or you have set a reminder yourself. |
| Repairs | Tenant repair-request link. | A row, if you add one. The tenant still messages you somewhere else. |
| Certificates | Gas safety, EICR and EPC expiry reminders. | A date in a cell, if it was typed. The PDF is usually in a different folder. |
| Documents | Document vault. | Not in the grid. A folder beside the file can hold the PDFs. |
| Tenant access | Tenant portal. | None, unless you email the file or share the folder yourself. |
| The books | Still your spreadsheet, your accountant, or accounting software. Gaffy does not do the books. | A reasonable place to keep income and expenses, if you keep it up to date. |
| Price | Free for the first month, with no card needed to start. Then £12 a month for up to 5 properties, plus £4 a month for each additional property. | No landlord-software price. Whatever you pay for the spreadsheet program is a separate bill, and it is not quoted here. |
When the spreadsheet is enough
One property, a gas safety date you can point at, and a tenant who rarely writes. A sheet plus a folder is a working system if you actually open it. Nothing on this page says you must replace that. The DIY landlord accounting guide is written for the books side, and it includes a spreadsheet, because Gaffy is not accounting software.
The usual failure is not the grid. It is three copies of the grid, a PDF in an old inbox, and a date that is the engineer's visit rather than the deadline. Software does not fix a date you typed wrong. It does put the repair and the file on the property, which a cell does not.
What you would be paying Gaffy for
The tenant uses a link. The report is filed on the property. Gas safety, EICR and EPC files have expiry reminders. Other documents can live in the same vault. There is a tenant portal. After the free month, 1 to 5 properties are £12 a month. Property six is £4 more, so six properties are £16. No card is needed to start.
You would still keep a spreadsheet, or an accounting product, for the rent and the expenses. The best landlord software UK page is the accounting comparison, with prices taken from those providers' own pages.
There is no spreadsheet price on this page
Excel, Google Sheets, LibreOffice and the rest are not landlord products, and they do not publish a "per property" landlord price for us to cite. Quoting a consumer price for one of them would pretend that price is the cost of running the lets. It is not. The cost of the spreadsheet method is your time, and the cost of missing a date. This page does not invent a number for either.
Related
- All comparisons
- Features
- DIY landlord accounting
- DIY property management software
- Landlord certificates
- Gaffy pricing
Gaffy vs spreadsheets FAQs
Is a spreadsheet enough for one property?
Often, yes. If repairs are rare and you can find the gas safety PDF, a spreadsheet and a folder still work. Gaffy is there when the messages, invoices and expiry dates have split across apps. As of October 2026.
How much does a spreadsheet cost?
There is no landlord-software price for a spreadsheet. The program you already use has its own price, and this page does not quote one.
Will Gaffy replace my spreadsheet for tax?
No. Gaffy does not do accounting or Making Tax Digital. Keep the spreadsheet, an accounting product, or your accountant for the books.
What does the £12 cover?
After the free first month, £12 a month covers up to 5 properties: a tenant repair-request link, gas safety, EICR and EPC expiry reminders, a document vault and a tenant portal. Each property after the fifth is £4 a month. No card is needed to start.
Sources
More comparisons: Gaffy vs Lettie · Gaffy vs Landlord Vision · Gaffy vs Arthur Online · Gaffy and Hammock · After OpenRent · Gaffy vs Alfie · Gaffy vs Goodlord · Gaffy vs spreadsheets