The KeepUp Journal
Practical guides on keeping a home or rental in order — compliance deadlines, upkeep and the paperwork that proves it. Written to be useful whether or not you use KeepUp.
How old is my appliance? Three reliable ways to find out
The age of a boiler, washing machine or dishwasher decides whether a repair is worth it, whether a warranty still applies, and what an insurer will pay. Three ways to date any appliance — from most to least reliable.
- Landlord compliance4 min read
Section 21 is gone. Your paperwork is now your possession case
Since 1 May 2026 every eviction in England needs a section 8 ground — and evidence a judge will accept. What changed, what now blocks possession, and the records that decide it.
- Trust & data2 min read
What the AI actually does with your photo
You photograph an invoice; seconds later it’s a filed record. Here’s the honest, step-by-step account of what happens in between — where it runs, what’s kept, and what your documents are never used for.
- Landlord compliance2 min read
What your letting agent does — and the liability that never leaves you
“Fully managed” manages the tenancy, not your legal position. What agents must hold, what they typically do, and the records you should keep yourself no matter who manages what.
- Home upkeep2 min read
Just moved in? Photograph these ten documents before they disappear
Move-in week is the only time all of a house’s paperwork is in one place — and the week you’re least likely to file it. Ten photographs now save years of hunting later.
- Home upkeep2 min read
Your boiler’s paperwork is worth money: the warranty, the service record, and what quietly voids both
A ten-year boiler warranty is a four-figure asset — and it dies silently the year you skip the service. What the small print actually requires, and which papers to keep.
- Landlord compliance2 min read
EICR: the five-year rule, the 28-day rules, and the £30,000 fine
The electrical report is the quietest of the landlord certificates — five years is long enough to forget it exists. What the EICR actually requires in England, and the deadlines hiding inside it.
- Owning in Spain2 min read
How to file Modelo 210: yourself online, a filing service, or a gestoría
Three ways to file Spain’s non-resident tax return, from free-but-fiddly to full service. What each route costs, what you need either way, and when DIY stops being worth it.
- Owning in Spain2 min read
Selling your Spanish property: the 3% retention, and where unfiled taxes surface
When a non-resident sells in Spain, the buyer must hold back 3% of the price and pay it to the tax office. Here’s the timeline, how to get it back — and why your filing history decides how that goes.
- Trust & data3 min read
Your home’s records should outlive any app — including ours
Two shutdowns in eighteen months taught this category its real lesson: the exit matters more than the features. Here is KeepUp’s answer, in writing.
- Owning in Spain4 min read
Your Spanish property’s paperwork, explained: escritura, IBI, valor catastral and friends
Seven documents run your life as a foreign owner in Spain. What each one is, where to find it, and the moment someone will demand it.
- Landlord compliance3 min read
The PRS Database is coming: the documents you’ll need, and how to be ready
From late 2026, every landlord in England must register on the new database — and the government’s roadmap names gas, electrical and energy certificates as part of the deal.
- Home upkeep3 min read
Centriq shut down and deleted everyone’s data — what to use instead
The best-known home management app closed on 31 January 2025 and erased what users didn’t export in time. Choose its replacement by its exit, not its features.
- Landlord compliance3 min read
Property Hawk is closing: save your records before the end of July
Free landlord software since 2006, gone at the end of July 2026. What to save before it shuts, where to move, and how to avoid retyping twenty years of records.
- Landlord compliance3 min read
The accidental landlord’s compliance calendar
Gas safety, EICR, EPC, alarms, deposits — every recurring deadline for a landlord in England, what triggers it, and the proof to keep.
- Owning in Spain4 min read
Modelo 210: the Spanish tax most foreign owners have never heard of
Own a Spanish property but live somewhere else? Spain taxes you on it every year — even if it earns nothing. Nobody sends a reminder, and unpaid years surface when you sell.
- Landlord compliance4 min read
Gas safety certificate (CP12): what it is, when it expires, and what happens if you forget
The one certificate a landlord cannot let lapse. What a CP12 really is, how to work out when yours is actually due, and the criminal risk if you miss it.
También en español
- Registro único de alquiler turístico: el número sin el que tu anuncio desaparece
- Nuevo inquilino: los papeles que necesitas tener al día antes de firmar
- La tasa de basuras: el recibo nuevo que nadie entiende (y quién lo paga en un alquiler)
- La cédula de habitabilidad: dónde es imprescindible, cuánto dura y cuándo caduca la tuya
- El timo del falso revisor del gas: cómo saber cuándo toca la inspección de verdad
Auch auf Deutsch
Aussi en français
- Quel âge a mon lave-vaisselle ? Trois façons fiables de le savoir
- Nouveau DPE 2026 : votre logement a peut-être changé de classe sans travaux
- Assurance habitation : qui est vraiment obligé de s’assurer — et qui ne l’est pas
- Le carnet d’information du logement : obligatoire depuis 2023, inconnu de presque tous
- Entretien annuel de la chaudière : obligatoire, mais personne ne vous le rappellera