Every certificate and check a landlord legally needs

You've bought a place, you've found a tenant, and now you need the paperwork that keeps you legal. This is the full compliance checklist for letting a single residential property in England as of July 2026: what each thing is, how often it's due, and what it costs you if you skip it. New landlords and first-time investors: read this before anyone moves in, because most of these must be done before the tenancy starts. (Still running the purchase numbers? Start with the first buy-to-let guide.)

One big thing changed recently. The first and biggest phase of the Renters' Rights Act 2025 went live on 1 May 2026 (some enforcement powers, like the beefed-up rent repayment orders, had already arrived on 27 December 2025). Section 21 "no-fault" evictions are gone, every assured shorthold tenancy converted to a periodic assured tenancy, and the penalties for getting things wrong went up. The full picture is in the Renters' Rights Act guide. The basics below still apply. There are just more of them.

Gas safety certificate (the "CP12")

If the property has any gas appliance or flue, you need a gas safety check every 12 months, done by a Gas Safe registered engineer. Not "a plumber". Gas Safe registered. Check their ID card.

• Give the record to existing tenants within 28 days of the check.
• Give it to new tenants before they move in.
• Keep each record for 2 years.
• Handy quirk: do the check 10 to 12 months after the last one and you keep your original renewal date, MOT-style.

The catch: this one is criminal, not civil. It's enforced by the Health and Safety Executive, and prosecution can mean unlimited fines or even imprisonment. A £60 to £120 annual check is the cheapest insurance you'll ever buy.

Electrical safety report (EICR)

An Electrical Installation Condition Report is required at least every 5 years (sooner if the report says so), carried out by a qualified and competent person. Rules come from the Electrical Safety Standards in the Private Rented Sector (England) Regulations 2020.

• Copy to existing tenants within 28 days of the inspection.
• Copy to new tenants before they occupy.
• Copy to the council within 7 days if they ask.
• Any C1 or C2 faults: fix within 28 days (or sooner if specified) and get written confirmation.

Penalty: the council can fine you up to £30,000 per breach. Lots of first-round EICRs from 2020 to 2021 are expiring right now, so check your date.

EPC: minimum E today, C-equivalent planned for 2030

Right now you cannot let a property with an EPC rating below E unless you've registered a valid exemption. The improvement cost cap is £3,500 including VAT; penalties for letting a sub-standard property run up to £5,000 per property in total.

The future bit, and be clear about its status: this is confirmed government policy, not yet law. In January 2026 the government's consultation response set out that rented homes will need to reach the equivalent of EPC C by 1 October 2030, one single deadline for all tenancies (the earlier "2028 for new tenancies" idea was dropped). The regulations that actually make it a legal requirement haven't been laid yet (the government is targeting 2027), and compliance will be measured against new EPC metrics under the reformed EPC system. The planned cost cap is £10,000 per property: spend that on improvements and still fall short of C, and you'll be able to register an exemption lasting 10 years. Nothing extra to do yet, but if you're buying a D or E property now, price the upgrade works into your offer.

Smoke and carbon monoxide alarms

Under the Smoke and Carbon Monoxide Alarm (England) Regulations 2015 (as amended in 2022):

• A smoke alarm on every storey with a room used as living accommodation.
• A carbon monoxide alarm in any room with a fixed combustion appliance (boiler, gas fire, wood burner), gas cookers excluded.
• Working at the start of every new tenancy, and you must repair or replace any alarm a tenant reports as faulty.

Penalty: up to £5,000 if you ignore the council's remedial notice. Alarms cost £15 to £30 each. Just fit them.

Deposit protection: 30 days, no excuses

Any deposit must go into a government-authorised tenancy deposit scheme within 30 days of you receiving it, and you must serve the "prescribed information" (scheme details, how to get the deposit back) within the same 30 days.

Get it wrong and a court can order you to pay the tenant up to 3 times the deposit (the statutory range is one to three times), plus return the deposit itself, within 14 days. And under the new regime it bites harder: since 1 May 2026 the court will generally refuse a possession order if the deposit isn't properly protected (antisocial behaviour grounds excepted). You can fix the breach and then proceed, but it stalls you when you least want it.

Custodial schemes are free. There's no cost excuse here.

Right to rent checks

Before the tenancy starts, check that every adult occupier, not just the named tenant, has the right to rent in the UK. Manual document check, the Home Office online service with a share code, or a certified digital identity provider (from 1 October 2026, digital providers must be registered with the Office for Digital Identities and Attributes). Keep copies for the whole tenancy plus one year.

Penalties per person: first breach £5,000 per lodger / £10,000 per occupier; repeat breach £10,000 / £20,000. Knowingly renting to someone with no right to rent can be criminal.

Tenancy paperwork after the Renters' Rights Act

The old "serve the How to Rent guide or lose your Section 21" rule died with Section 21. What replaced it:

• New tenancies from 1 May 2026: you must give tenants a written statement of terms before the agreement is entered into: landlord's name and service address, tenant names, start date, rent and due dates, and the other prescribed content. Civil penalty: up to £7,000.
• Existing tenancies: you had to give tenants the government's Renters' Rights Act information sheet by 31 May 2026 (and if the tenancy was purely verbal, a full written statement of terms instead). If you haven't, do it now.
• Coming next: the Private Rented Sector Database starts rolling out from late 2026, and registration will be mandatory (unregistered landlords will be blocked from possession). The landlord ombudsman, with compulsory membership, is expected around 2028.

General penalty scale under the Act: up to £7,000 for breaches, up to £40,000 for serious or repeat offences, and rent repayment orders now stretch to 2 years' rent.

Landlord licensing: check your council

Three flavours: mandatory HMO licensing (5+ people from 2+ households), additional HMO licensing, and selective licensing, which can cover ordinary single lets in designated areas. If you're letting by the room, the HMO licensing guide covers the whole system, including the planning trap. Selective schemes are council-by-council and street-by-street, so search "[your council] selective licensing" or use GOV.UK's licence finder, and re-check when schemes renew, because boundaries change.

Letting an unlicensed property in a licensing area: civil penalty up to £40,000 (raised from £30,000 on 1 May 2026) or unlimited fine on prosecution, plus a rent repayment order of up to 2 years' rent. Licence fees typically run a few hundred pounds to around £1,000 for five years, varying by council.

The checklist table

Wales and Scotland: the short version

Wales: different system entirely. You must register with Rent Smart Wales, and whoever manages the property needs a licence. Tenancies are "occupation contracts" under the Renting Homes (Wales) Act 2016, with mandatory EICRs and hard-wired, interlinked smoke alarms. The EPC E minimum applies in Wales too.

Scotland: register as a landlord with your council before letting. Tenancies are Private Residential Tenancies (Section 21 never existed there). The Repairing Standard requires an EICR every 5 years, interlinked smoke and heat alarms, and CO alarms. Check mygov.scot for current detail.

Mistakes people make

• Doing the paperwork after move-in. The gas record, EICR, right to rent check and written statement of terms all need to happen before the tenant gets keys. Late doesn't count.
• Protecting the deposit but forgetting the prescribed information. Same 30-day clock, same 1 to 3x penalty. Half a job is no job.
• Assuming "no licensing round here". Selective licensing maps change. Check your exact postcode on the council site every time a tenancy renews.
• CO alarm in the hallway, boiler in the kitchen. The alarm goes in the room with the appliance.
• Treating the planned 2030 EPC C standard as someone else's problem. If you're buying now, you'll still own it in 2030. Get the improvement costs into your sums today.

Sources: HSE: Gas Safety Record for landlords · gov.uk: Electrical safety standards in the private rented sector · gov.uk: Domestic private rented property minimum energy efficiency standard · gov.uk, Improving the energy performance of privately rented homes (consultation outcome, Jan 2026) · gov.uk: Smoke and Carbon Monoxide Alarm (England) Regulations 2015 Q&A booklet · gov.uk: Deposit protection schemes and landlords · gov.uk: If your landlord doesn't protect your deposit · gov.uk, Right to rent: code of practice (1 October 2026) · gov.uk: Guide to the Renters' Rights Act · gov.uk, Implementing the Renters' Rights Act 2025: roadmap · gov.uk: Civil penalties under the Renters' Rights Act 2025 · gov.uk: The Renters' Rights Act Information Sheet 2026

Education, not financial advice. For mortgage advice, speak to an FCA-authorised broker.

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