Can landlords claim travel to their rental property?

Yes, if the journey is solely for your letting business, such as an inspection or a repair visit. For 2026-27 you can use 55p a mile for a car's first 10,000 business miles instead of actual running costs.

The rules below follow GOV.UK and HM Revenue and Customs' Property Income Manual (PIM), checked on 17 October 2026, and apply to individual landlords in England.

The test: was the trip only for the letting?

GOV.UK lists vehicle running costs, "only the proportion used for your rental business", among the expenses landlords can claim, including mileage rate deductions. The test is that the cost is wholly and exclusively for renting out the property.

HMRC's manual (PIM2220) says the cost of travelling between your properties solely for the business is allowable. Travel from home to a let property and back is allowable only if the purpose of the journey is exclusively a business one. A trip that is partly private fails, but a small personal benefit that is only incidental does not spoil it.

Which trips count

On the last row, HMRC's manual (PIM2120) says fees are capital "if they relate to a capital matter, such as the purchase of property". In our reading, travel to view a property you might buy is tied to buying it in the same way, so it is not a running expense of your letting.

Mileage rate or actual costs

PIM2220 says landlords who are not companies can choose a fixed rate per mile instead of claiming actual running costs and capital allowances. GOV.UK's simplified expenses page gives the rates for the 2026-27 tax year:

The number of people in the vehicle does not change the rate. HMRC's business manual (BIM75005), which PIM2220 says the landlord rate mirrors, says the rate covers fuel, oil, servicing, repairs, insurance, vehicle tax, MOT and depreciation. Parking, tolls and congestion charges on a business trip are not covered, so you claim them on top. You cannot use the rate for a vehicle you have claimed capital allowances on, and once you use it for a vehicle, you keep using it for as long as that vehicle is in the business.

With actual costs, you split the running costs by mileage and claim the business share. Buying the car is not a running expense, but capital allowances may be available (PIM2220).

Trains, buses and overnight stays

PIM2220 gives bus fares as an example of the running costs of travel, and GOV.UK says you can claim other travel, such as train journeys, on top of the mileage rate.

The property manual does not deal with hotels. HMRC's business manual (BIM47705) says that where a trader's business trip needs a night away from home, the hotel is deductible, and PIM2220 says travel for a property business is treated in a similar way to a trade. In our reading, a hotel on a trip made only for the letting can be claimed on that basis. Meals are less certain in our reading, because the rule letting traders claim food and drink on some business trips, section 57A of the Income Tax (Trading and Other Income) Act 2005, is not among the trading rules that sections 272 and 272ZA apply to property businesses.

A worked example

A landlord in Derby runs two lets from home, with no agent, and drives her own car. Her 2026-27 log shows:

She is under 10,000 miles, so every mile is at 55p. This is an example only.

What this means for you

In our reading, if you run your lets yourself from home, most trips to deal with a property count, and the claim stands or falls on your log. If you claim the £1,000 property allowance instead, GOV.UK says you cannot deduct any other expenses, so the mileage goes too. The guide to landlord expenses covers the rest.

Steps to claim your travel

1. Choose the mileage rate or actual costs for each vehicle, and check you have not claimed capital allowances on it if you want the rate.
2. Keep a mileage log as you go (GOV.UK lists it among landlord records): date, from, to, reason and miles.
3. Leave out any trip with a private purpose, such as shopping or seeing family.
4. Keep receipts for parking, tolls, trains, buses and any hotel.
5. At the end of the tax year, multiply your business miles by 55p, use 25p after 10,000 miles, and add the extras.
6. Keep your records for at least 5 years after the 31 January deadline for that year's tax return.

Under Making Tax Digital (MTD), each expense becomes a digital record with an amount, a date and a category. The free MTD check shows when it starts for you, and the landlord section has more guides.