Landlord compliance checklist for England
A landlord in England needs a yearly gas safety check, an electrical safety report at least every 5 years and a valid EPC rated E or above, plus working smoke and carbon monoxide alarms, a protected deposit and a Right to Rent check for every adult tenant. From 15 December 2026 you also register each property on the landlord database (GOV.UK Housing Hub).
Landlord compliance checklist
Each row links to the official guidance. Which checks apply depends on how you let the property, so read the "Applies to" column, or use the free compliance checker to get a list for your property.
| Check | How often | Applies to | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gas safety check | Every 12 months, by a Gas Safe registered engineer. You can do it up to 2 months early and keep the same deadline. Copy to existing tenants within 28 days, new tenants before they move in. Keep records for at least 2 years | Any let with gas appliances, including a room let to a lodger | HSE gas safety records, HSE: who needs checks |
| Electrical safety report (EICR) | At least every 5 years. Copy to tenants within 28 days, new tenants before they move in, the council within 7 days if asked. Remedial work within 28 days | Private tenancies. Not where the tenant shares accommodation with you or your family | GOV.UK electrical safety standards |
| Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) | Valid 10 years. Needed before you market the property. Minimum rating E today, C by 1 October 2030 | Lets that legally need an EPC | GOV.UK EPCs, GOV.UK minimum standard |
| Smoke alarms | At least one on each storey with living accommodation. Check they work on the day each tenancy starts | Private tenancies, not shared with you. Licensed HMOs have similar conditions in the licence | GOV.UK alarms guidance |
| Carbon monoxide alarms | In any room used as living accommodation with a fixed combustion appliance (not gas cookers). Check on day one of each tenancy | As for smoke alarms | GOV.UK alarms guidance |
| Deposit protection and prescribed information | Protect in a government-approved scheme and give the prescribed information within 30 days of receiving the deposit | Tenancies where you take a deposit. Resident landlords do not have to protect a lodger’s deposit | GOV.UK deposit protection, information to give tenants |
| Written tenancy information | Before the tenancy is agreed, for tenancies from 1 May 2026. The How to Rent guide has been withdrawn, and the Information Sheet deadline for older tenancies was 31 May 2026 | Assured tenancies. The Information Sheet is not needed for lodgers | GOV.UK written information, Information Sheet, How to Rent (withdrawn) |
| Right to Rent check | Before each tenancy starts, for every adult aged 18 or over. Follow-up check if their permission is time-limited. Keep copies for the tenancy plus 1 year | Tenants and lodgers in England, with some exemptions | GOV.UK Right to Rent, follow-up checks |
| Landlord database registration | Register by your region’s deadline (15 December 2026 to 14 November 2027), then renew every year. £65 per property each year | Landlords of assured or regulated tenancies | GOV.UK Housing Hub. See deadlines by region |
| HMO licence | Lasts up to 5 years; renew before it runs out. Send the council an updated gas safety certificate every year | Large HMOs (5 or more people from more than one household). Some councils license smaller HMOs too | GOV.UK HMO licence |
| Fire risk assessment | Carry one out and review it regularly | Common or shared areas of multi-occupied residential buildings, such as HMOs and blocks of flats | GOV.UK fire safety responsibilities |
| Legionella risk assessment | No fixed interval. Review it from time to time and when the water system changes. No test certificate is required | All residential lets | HSE legionella and landlords |
What do I need to do before a tenancy starts?
- Check every adult’s right to rent (GOV.UK).
- Give the tenant the written information about the key terms of the tenancy before it is agreed (GOV.UK).
- Give new tenants a copy of the current gas safety record before they move in (HSE).
- Give new tenants a copy of the EICR before they move in (GOV.UK).
- Show the EPC, which you need before you market the property (GOV.UK).
- Check smoke and carbon monoxide alarms work on the day the tenancy starts (GOV.UK).
- Protect any deposit and give the prescribed information within 30 days (GOV.UK).
Extra checks for HMOs and shared buildings
A large HMO, rented to 5 or more people who form more than one household, needs a licence from the council. A licence lasts up to 5 years, and you must send the council an updated gas safety certificate every year. Renting out an HMO that needs a licence without one can mean an unlimited fine (GOV.UK HMO licences).
For the common or shared areas of a multi-occupied building, the landlord is responsible for fire safety and must carry out a fire risk assessment and review it regularly (GOV.UK fire safety). See HMO landlord checks.
Do landlords need a legionella certificate?
No. HSE says health and safety law does not require landlords to get a legionella test certificate. You must assess the risk, but for most homes it is low and simple controls, such as keeping hot water hot and cold water cold, are usually enough. Most landlords can do the assessment themselves. Keeping a written record is sensible, even though small landlords are not strictly required to (HSE: legionella and landlords).
Checklist by type of let
- Long lets: everything in the table except the HMO licence and, for a single house, the fire risk assessment. See landlord database deadlines.
- HMOs: add the licence and the fire risk assessment for shared areas. See HMO landlords.
- Student lets: often HMOs, with their own possession ground. See student landlords.
- Lodgers in your home: gas safety and Right to Rent still apply. The EICR and alarm rules exclude accommodation shared with the landlord (GOV.UK), and resident landlords do not have to protect a lodger’s deposit (GOV.UK). See renting a room to a lodger.
- Airbnb and holiday lets: different rules. GOV.UK tells holiday let owners to follow HSE gas and electrical safety guidance, follow fire safety guidance for paying guests and check whether they need an EPC. A national short-let register is expected to begin in March 2027 (GOV.UK holiday let rules). See Airbnb hosts and holiday lets.
How do I keep track of every renewal date?
Most checks run on different cycles: gas every 12 months, EICR every 5 years, EPC every 10 years, database registration every year and HMO licences up to every 5 years. The free certificate renewal date calculator works out each due date from your last certificate. BeCert can also send you reminders for each certificate and read the dates from certificates you upload. BeCert is not part of GOV.UK.
For the dates that changed under the Renters’ Rights Act, see our Renters’ Rights Act timeline.