Landlord Compliance Checker
Answer four questions and see which certificates, alarms, licences and documents your let legally needs in 2026.
Your compliance checklist
What's coming, and what isn't here yet
Two flagship parts of the Renters' Rights Act 2025 are not yet operational, so they are not in the checklist above. The Private Rented Sector Database is phasing in from late 2026 into 2027 and will require landlords to register, and the PRS Landlord Ombudsman is sequenced after it, expected around 2028. Both belong in your forward planning rather than your immediate to-do list.
The EPC C minimum you may have read about is a proposal for future years, not current law. The rule in force today is a minimum rating of E, but if your property sits at D or below it is worth planning for C rather than doing the work twice.
The deadlines that catch landlords out
- Deposit protection: 30 days. Protect it and serve the prescribed information within 30 days of receipt. Late protection is one of the most common and most expensive failures.
- Gas safety: 12 months. Every relevant appliance and flue, checked at least every 12 months, with the record given to the tenant.
- EICR: 5 years. An electrical installation condition report renewed at least every five years.
- How to Rent: the current version. Serving a superseded edition is treated as not serving it at all.
Frequently asked questions
What certificates does a landlord need in England in 2026?
An EPC rated at least E, an electrical installation condition report (EICR) renewed at least every five years, and where there is a gas supply an annual gas safety record. You must also fit a smoke alarm on every storey used as living accommodation and a carbon monoxide alarm in any room with a fixed combustion appliance.
Does my property need an HMO licence?
Mandatory HMO licensing applies nationwide where five or more people in two or more households share a property. Smaller HMOs of three or four people may still need a licence if the council operates additional licensing in that area, so always check with the local authority.
How long do I have to protect a tenancy deposit?
Thirty days from receiving it. You must protect it in a government-approved scheme and serve the prescribed information on the tenant within the same 30 days.
Do I still need to serve the How to Rent guide?
Yes. You must give the tenant the current version of the How to Rent guide at the start of the tenancy, along with the EPC, the gas safety record and the prescribed deposit information. Serving an out-of-date version is one of the most common compliance failures.
These tools are just the start
Tenancy Pilot brings rent collection, compliance, tax and documents into one platform built for the Renters' Rights Act 2025. Join the waitlist for early access at launch.