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 is per-check (£2.95) for AML only. If you only need AML compliance and run referencing or contracts elsewhere, Certaby is roughly 20% 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 | £2.95 per check | ~£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) | Built in to every check | Not in core platform |
| PSC tree walking | Recursive to depth 5 | 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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See the Certaby suite →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 is roughly 20% the cost 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. The W30 strategic decision (per docs/decisions.md) was to focus on AML plus property-risk and not branch into Lane 2 (referencing) or Lane 3 (full tenancy management) where competitors are entrenched. 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 a free FCA check for no card, or review pricing.