The Complete UK Landlord Compliance Checklist (2026)
UK landlords face more legal obligations than ever. Miss one certificate, skip a check, or serve a notice incorrectly and you risk fines of up to £30,000, invalid eviction proceedings, or a criminal record. This checklist covers every compliance requirement you need to have in place — and when.
Quick summary: The five non-negotiables are Gas Safety Certificate, EICR, EPC, Right to Rent checks and Deposit Protection. Get these right before worrying about anything else.
1. Gas Safety Certificate
Under the Gas Safety (Installation and Use) Regulations 1998, every landlord with gas appliances must have a Gas Safe registered engineer carry out an annual inspection. The certificate must be renewed every 12 months without exception.
- Who needs it: Any landlord with a gas boiler, hob, fire or any other gas appliance
- Frequency: Annually — the 12-month clock starts from the date of inspection, not the tenancy start date
- Penalty for failure: Criminal prosecution, up to 6 months in prison and/or an unlimited fine
- Tenant requirement: Provide a copy to the tenant within 28 days of the inspection, and before any new tenant moves in
- Tip: Book the inspection 4–6 weeks before expiry — Gas Safe engineers are often busy
✓ OwnProperly tip: Log your gas certificate expiry date in the Compliance tab and OwnProperly will alert you at 90, 60 and 30 days before it expires — giving you plenty of time to book the engineer.
2. Electrical Installation Condition Report (EICR)
Since July 2020, all new tenancies in England have required an EICR. Since April 2021, this applies to all existing tenancies too. Scotland and Wales have their own slightly different requirements.
- Who needs it: All landlords in England (Scotland and Wales: check local regulations)
- Frequency: Every 5 years (or as recommended by the inspector)
- What it covers: Wiring, consumer units, sockets, light fittings and earthing
- Penalty for failure: Local authority can impose a fine of up to £30,000
- Remedial work: If the report identifies urgent issues (Category 1 or 2), you must fix them within 28 days and get written confirmation from the electrician
- Tenant requirement: Provide a copy to the tenant within 28 days, and to the local authority if requested within 7 days
3. Energy Performance Certificate (EPC)
An EPC rates the energy efficiency of your property from A (most efficient) to G (least efficient). Since April 2020, properties must have a minimum E rating to be legally let.
- Who needs it: All landlords — required before marketing a property
- Frequency: Valid for 10 years
- Minimum standard: E rating or above (F and G rated properties cannot be let)
- Penalty for failure: Up to £5,000 per property
- Future changes: The government has proposed raising the minimum to C by 2028 — plan ahead for energy efficiency improvements
⚠ Watch out: If your EPC expires mid-tenancy, you don't need to renew it immediately — but you will need a valid one before re-letting. Don't wait until you need it urgently.
4. HMO Licensing
Houses in Multiple Occupation (HMOs) face additional licensing requirements. A mandatory HMO licence is required for properties with 5 or more occupants forming 2 or more households who share facilities.
- Mandatory licence: 5+ occupants, 2+ households — applies nationally
- Additional licensing: Many local councils have extended licensing to smaller HMOs — always check with your local authority
- Frequency: Licences typically last 5 years
- Penalty for failure: Unlimited fine and a rent repayment order (tenants can reclaim up to 12 months' rent)
- HMO standards: Minimum room sizes, fire safety, adequate facilities — standards vary by council
5. Right to Rent Checks
Under the Immigration Act 2014, landlords in England must check that adult tenants have the legal right to rent in the UK before the tenancy begins.
- Who must be checked: Every adult who will live in the property, including those not named on the tenancy agreement
- When to check: Before the tenancy begins — not after
- Documents to accept: UK/EU passport, biometric residence permit, share code for EU Settlement Scheme
- Follow-up checks: If a tenant has a time-limited right to rent, you must re-check before their permission expires
- Penalty for failure: Civil penalty of up to £10,000 per tenant for a first offence; up to £20,000 for repeat breaches. Criminal prosecution possible.
- Records: Keep copies of documents for the duration of the tenancy plus 12 months after it ends
✓ OwnProperly tip: The Right to Rent tab in each property records document type, check date and expiry. You'll receive automatic alerts before time-limited permissions expire.
6. Deposit Protection
Any deposit taken from an assured shorthold tenant must be protected in a government-approved scheme within 30 days of receiving it.
- Approved schemes: DPS (Deposit Protection Service), TDS (Tenancy Deposit Scheme), mydeposits
- Deadline: 30 days from receiving the deposit
- Prescribed information: You must provide the tenant with written information about the scheme within the same 30-day window
- Deposit cap: Maximum 5 weeks' rent for properties under £50,000 annual rent; 6 weeks for higher-value properties
- Penalty for failure: The court can award the tenant 1–3x the deposit amount, plus you cannot serve a valid Section 21
7. Smoke and Carbon Monoxide Alarms
- Smoke alarms: At least one on every floor that is used as living accommodation
- Carbon monoxide alarms: Required in every room with a fixed combustion appliance (boiler, gas fire, solid fuel appliance) — from October 2022 this applies to all tenures, not just new tenancies
- Test at start: Test all alarms at the start of each tenancy and keep a record
- Penalty: Up to £5,000 per alarm not installed
8. Furniture and Furnishings
If you let a furnished property, all upholstered furniture must comply with the Furniture and Furnishings (Fire Safety) Regulations 1988.
- Look for the permanent label confirming compliance
- Applies to sofas, armchairs, beds, headboards, cushions — anything upholstered
- Antique furniture pre-1950 is exempt
9. Legionella Risk Assessment
Landlords have a legal duty under the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 to assess the risk of Legionella bacteria in the water systems of their properties.
- For most domestic properties the risk is low and a simple written assessment by the landlord suffices
- Flush pipes regularly if the property is vacant for extended periods
- Keep hot water above 60°C and cold water below 20°C
10. Section 21 Prerequisites
Before you can serve a valid Section 21 notice, the following must all be in place:
- Valid EPC provided to the tenant at the start of the tenancy
- Valid Gas Safety Certificate provided to the tenant
- Deposit protected and prescribed information served within 30 days
- How to Rent guide provided (current version at the time of tenancy start)
- Property licensed if required (HMO licence etc.)
- No improvement notices or hazard awareness notices in force
The full compliance checklist at a glance:
| Requirement | Frequency | Max Penalty |
|---|---|---|
| Gas Safety Certificate | Annual | Unlimited / Prison |
| EICR | Every 5 years | £30,000 |
| EPC (min E rating) | Every 10 years | £5,000 |
| HMO Licence | Every 5 years | Unlimited + rent repayment |
| Right to Rent | Before tenancy + follow-up | £10,000–£20,000 |
| Deposit Protection | Within 30 days of receipt | 3x deposit |
| Smoke Alarms | Each floor, tested at start | £5,000 |
| CO Alarms | Every combustion appliance room | £5,000 |
Track all of this automatically
OwnProperly tracks every certificate, check and notice with expiry alerts at 90, 60 and 30 days. Never miss a deadline again.
Start free trial — no card neededHow OwnProperly Helps
Keeping on top of compliance across multiple properties is genuinely hard. OwnProperly's compliance tracker lets you log every certificate with its expiry date — gas safety, EICR, EPC, HMO licence — and get automatic email alerts before they expire. The Right to Rent tracker logs document types and follow-up dates per tenant. The deposit protection module records which scheme, certificate number and protection date for every tenancy.
With 20+ compliance-related data points tracked automatically, OwnProperly gives you one place to see exactly where your portfolio stands — and what needs attention this week.