Compared
Certaby vs Goodlord
Goodlord is a 360-platform for UK letting agents. The platform bundles tenant referencing, AML / sanctions screening, contracts, rent payments, insurance, utilities-switching, and (since acquiring Vouch in 2024-25) tenant referencing under a single roof. Pricing is typically ~£15/tenancy. Goodlord is in a different lane from Certaby; we deliberately don't compete on the referencing and payments layers.
Goodlord charges per tenancy across the whole platform (~£15/tenancy). Certaby charges per check for AML and property risk only: a let with a tenant, a landlord and the property risk pack is £3.27. If you only need AML compliance and run referencing or contracts elsewhere, Certaby is a fraction of the cost of a comparable Goodlord-platform let. If you want one platform for everything, Goodlord is the simpler choice and Certaby does not compete.
| Feature | Certaby | Goodlord |
|---|---|---|
| Product scope | AML + property-risk on one cert | 360 platform (AML + referencing + payments + contracts + insurance + utilities) |
| Per-unit pricing | £3.27 a let (two people and the property) | ~£15 per tenancy |
| Tenant referencing | Not offered | Built in (Vouch-powered) |
| Rent payment collection | Not offered | Built in |
| Tenancy contract generation | Not offered | Built in |
| Property-risk overlay (MEES, flood, crime) | The property risk pack, in every let | Not in core platform |
| PSC tree walking | Company and owners check: every director and owner screened | Limited |
| Audit-cert format | Hash-bound + public verifier (7y) | Platform-generated cert |
| Per-check transparency | Source list versions stamped | Bundled in platform fee |
| Lock-in | No platform; use anywhere | Whole-platform adoption |
Where Goodlord wins
- Goodlord is one-platform-for-everything: AML plus referencing plus payments plus contracts plus insurance. If you want to consolidate your tech stack, that is the value.
- Tenant referencing (income verify, employment confirm, prior-landlord reference) is built in and is a real workflow Certaby does not offer.
- Rent collection plus tenancy contracts plus utilities switching are all there. If those are sore spots, Goodlord solves them.
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Frequently asked questions
Should I use Goodlord instead of Certaby?
They serve different needs. If you want a 360 letting platform that covers referencing, payments, contracts, and AML in one place, Goodlord is the right shape. If you only need AML compliance plus the property-risk check, Certaby costs a fraction of that and does not require platform adoption. Many firms use both: Goodlord for the platform plus Certaby for the deeper AML and property-risk cert.
Can I use Certaby alongside Goodlord?
Yes. Certaby is standalone and does not require platform adoption. Sign in, run a check, download the cert. The Goodlord-bundled AML is a baseline; for tenants where you want the property-risk overlay (MEES verdict, flood, crime, EPC), running a Certaby check in parallel produces the cert your audit trail needs.
Does Certaby do tenant referencing?
No. Tenant referencing (credit checks, employment, prior-landlord reference) is a different workflow that Certaby deliberately stays out of, so we can be the best at AML and property risk rather than a jack of all trades. If you need referencing, Goodlord, HomeLet, or Let Alliance fit that workflow.
Or see the 5-vendor matrix to compare Certaby against all peers in one view, run the free suite demo for no card, or review pricing.