UK Landlord Compliance 2026: Full Checklist

If you let a property in England, the rules changed on 1 May 2026. The Renters' Rights Act 2025 abolished Section 21, turned every assured shorthold tenancy into a rolling (periodic) one, and added new duties with civil penalties attached. Those penalties are tiered: up to £7,000 for many breaches (such as the Information Sheet duty), rising to £40,000, or criminal prosecution with an unlimited fine, for serious or repeat breaches. Check the figure for a specific duty on GOV.UK and legislation.gov.uk.

But the Renters' Rights Act is only one layer. Gas Safety, EICR, EPC, deposit protection and Right to Rent still apply in full, and each carries its own independent fine regime. Get the deposit wrong (not protected, or the prescribed information not given) and most Section 8 possession claims are blocked. The others don't block a claim, but each is still the law, with its own penalties.

This guide takes each duty in turn: what it is, when it's due, what the fine is, and what to do before your next inspection or new let.

What changed on 1 May 2026

Before working through the checklist, it helps to understand what the Renters' Rights Act actually changed, because several obligations below depend on it.

Section 21 is gone. From 1 May 2026, you can no longer serve a no-fault eviction notice. Every possession claim now requires a specific ground under Section 8. This changes how compliance affects possession. Section 21 couldn't be used unless you had given the tenant the gas safety record, the EPC and the How to Rent guide, and protected the deposit. Under Section 8, only a deposit problem blocks most claims. Missing certificates don't stop a claim, but each is a breach in its own right, with its own penalties.

All ASTs became periodic. Fixed-term tenancy agreements that existed before 1 May 2026 automatically converted to periodic rolling tenancies. No new paperwork is needed for the conversion, but any clauses in your existing agreement that conflict with the Act are now unenforceable.

Rent increases are restricted. You may not increase rent more often than every 52 weeks (364 days, not a calendar year, with an occasional 53-week correction under Note A3 of Form 4A), using a formal Section 13 notice with at least two months' notice. Any rent review clause in an existing tenancy agreement is now invalid.

Tenants have new rights. These include the right to ask for a pet (you must reply to a written request within 28 days and can only refuse on reasonable grounds; staying silent is not consent, so answer in writing) and the right to challenge a rent increase at a tribunal.

Two deadlines that have now passed:

• 31 May 2026: You had to give every existing tenant (where there is a written tenancy agreement) the official Information Sheet from GOV.UK, The Renters' Rights Act: information sheet 2026. If you missed it, send it now. GOV.UK says you can give it electronically or as a hard copy; attaching the PDF or handing over a printout gives you the clearest record. The penalty for not giving it can be up to £7,000.
• 31 May 2026: If a tenancy was agreed only by word of mouth, you had to give the tenant a written record of the key terms instead (rent, your name and address, repair responsibilities, deposit details). If you haven't, do it now.

The core compliance checklist

The five requirements below existed before May 2026 and remain in force. Only the deposit can block most Section 8 possession claims, but every one of them is still the law, with its own penalties.

1. Gas Safety Certificate (CP12)

Frequency: Every 12 months, without exception.

Who can carry it out: A Gas Safe registered engineer only. Check registration at gassaferegister.co.uk before booking.

Your obligations:

• Give a copy to existing tenants within 28 days of the inspection
• Give a copy to new tenants before they move in
• Keep records for at least two years

Consequences of non-compliance:

• Unlimited fine
• Up to 2 years in prison on conviction on indictment
• It does not by itself bar a Section 8 possession claim, but it hands the tenant a disrepair argument and weighs against you on any discretionary ground

What to do if you have lapsed: Book an emergency inspection immediately. Do not wait for a renewal reminder. If you are mid-tenancy with a lapsed certificate, you are already exposed. Keep evidence of when you booked and when the inspection took place.

Practical tip: Book 6 weeks in advance. Gas Safe engineers get fully booked, particularly in autumn and winter. Set a reminder at 90 days, not 30.

2. EICR: Electrical Installation Condition Report

Frequency: Every 5 years (or sooner if the inspector recommends it). Required in England since 1 July 2020 for new tenancies and 1 April 2021 for all existing tenancies.

Who can carry it out: A qualified electrician who is a member of a competent person scheme (NICEIC, NAPIT, or equivalent).

What the report grades:

• C1: Danger present. Remedial work required immediately before re-letting.
• C2: Potentially dangerous. Remedial work required within 28 days.
• C3: Improvement recommended. No legal obligation, but worth addressing.
• FI: Further investigation needed. Like C1 and C2, this makes the report unsatisfactory, and the investigation must be done within 28 days.

Your obligations:

• Give existing tenants a copy within 28 days of the inspection
• Provide it to new tenants before they move in
• Give the council a copy within 7 days if it asks in writing
• Complete any C1, C2 or FI work within 28 days (or sooner if the report says), get written confirmation from the electrician, and send that confirmation to the tenant and the council within 28 days of the work being done

Consequences of non-compliance:

• Local authority fine of up to £40,000 per property
• It does not by itself bar a Section 8 possession claim, but it can count against you on any discretionary ground

What to do if your EICR has expired: Book a new inspection immediately. If remedial work is required, document every step: the original report, your booking confirmation, the completion certificate. This paper trail protects you if enforcement action follows.

Practical tip: Get three quotes. EICR prices vary significantly.

3. EPC: Energy Performance Certificate

Frequency: Every 10 years, or when a new tenancy begins and the existing EPC has expired.

Current legal requirement: Your property must have an EPC rating of E or above to be legally let. Properties rated F or G cannot be let at all (with limited exemptions).

2026 update: In its response of 21 January 2026 the government said it plans to require all privately rented homes to meet the new band C standard by 1 October 2030, one deadline for both new and existing tenancies (the earlier "2028 for new tenancies" proposal was dropped). This is not law yet: the regulations are expected in 2027. If your property is currently D or E, it's worth planning improvements now.

Consequences of non-compliance:

• Fine of up to £5,000 per property
• You cannot legally create a new tenancy if the EPC has expired or the property is rated F or G

What to do if your EPC has expired: Book a Domestic Energy Assessor to carry out a new assessment. If your rating is D or below, ask the assessor for a schedule of improvements. Small changes to insulation and lighting can often push a property up one band at relatively low cost.

Practical tip: Check your EPC on the government register at find-energy-certificate.service.gov.uk. You can view your current certificate, its expiry date, and the improvement recommendations without logging in.

4. Deposit Protection

Deadline: Within 30 days of receiving the deposit.

Approved schemes:

• Deposit Protection Service (DPS)
• Tenancy Deposit Scheme (TDS)
• mydeposits

Your obligations:

• Register the deposit in one of the three schemes within 30 days
• Provide the tenant with Prescribed Information about the scheme within the same 30-day window
• Keep the deposit protected for as long as the tenancy lasts

Consequences of non-compliance:

• A court can order you to repay between one and three times the deposit amount
• On most grounds (all but 7A and 14) a court cannot make a Section 8 possession order until the deposit is protected and the Prescribed Information given (late still counts), the deposit is returned, or the tenant's penalty claim is decided, withdrawn or settled

Common worry: Landlords whose tenancy moved from a fixed term to periodic, including every AST on 1 May 2026, often ask whether the deposit needs re-registering. It doesn't. The deposit stays protected where it is when the tenancy becomes periodic. Just keep that protection going, and check your scheme account still shows it as protected.

Practical tip: Set a calendar reminder on day 25 after receiving any deposit, not day 30. This gives you a buffer if you are travelling or the scheme has a processing delay.

5. Right to Rent

When: Before a tenancy begins. For tenants with time-limited permission, you must do a follow-up check just before the later of two dates: the end of their permission, or 12 months after your previous check.

How to check:

1. 1Ask for original documents, such as a UK or Irish passport. People with an eVisa or EU Settlement Scheme status can only be checked online with a share code, and Biometric Residence Permits are no longer accepted
2. 2Check the documents are genuine and match the person in front of you
3. 3Make a copy (digital is acceptable) and record the date of the check
4. 4For tenants with a share code, use the Home Office online checking service, which gives you a timestamped record

Consequences of non-compliance:

• First breach: up to £10,000 per occupier (since 13 February 2024; lodger arrangements £5,000)
• Repeat breach: up to £20,000 per occupier (lodger arrangements £10,000)

What to do if you never carried out a Right to Rent check: Do not ignore this. Carry out the check now and document it. If the tenant's status has changed, take legal advice before taking any action.

Practical tip: For tenants with a share code, the Home Office service is faster than reviewing physical documents and gives you a timestamped confirmation you can save. Keep it alongside the tenancy agreement.

Additional compliance requirements in 2026

The five items above are the most commonly tracked. But there are several others you still need to get right.

Smoke and carbon monoxide alarms

Requirement: At least one smoke alarm on every floor that is used as living accommodation. A carbon monoxide alarm in any room containing a fixed combustion appliance (boiler, gas fire, wood burner).

Frequency: Test alarms on the first day of each new tenancy. After that, tenants are expected to test regularly, but you should check at every inspection visit.

Consequences: Local authority can issue a remedial notice. If you fail to comply, the council can carry out the work and charge you.

PAT testing (Portable Appliance Testing)

Requirement: There is no fixed legal frequency for PAT testing in private rentals, but you have a legal duty to ensure that any electrical appliances you supply are safe. For furnished properties, a regular test (typically every 1 to 2 years) provides evidence that you have taken reasonable steps.

Practical tip: Document which appliances you have provided and when they were last tested. If a tenant is injured by a faulty appliance you supplied, this documentation is your defence.

HMO licensing

If your property is let to 3 or more tenants from 2 or more households who share facilities, it is likely a House in Multiple Occupation (HMO).

Mandatory HMO licensing applies to properties with 5 or more tenants from 2 or more households. But many local authorities operate additional or selective licensing schemes that apply to smaller HMOs or all private rentals in certain areas.

What to do: Check your local authority's licensing register. Operating an unlicensed HMO carries an unlimited fine and can result in a Rent Repayment Order, meaning your tenants can reclaim up to two years’ rent for offences from 1 May 2026.

Landlord registration (National PRS Database)

The government is rolling out mandatory registration on the National Private Rented Sector Database, which it calls the "Register your rental property" service. It opens on 15 December 2026 in the West Midlands and rolls out region by region, and every actively let property in England must be registered by 14 November 2027. Landlords of assured or regulated tenancies must register themselves and each property, pay £65 a year per property, and upload their gas safety record, EICR and, where one had to be given to the tenant, the EPC.

What to do now: Registration becomes required on a set date for each region, from 15 December 2026 (West Midlands) to 15 August 2027 (South West), and you then have 3 months to register. The deadline depends on where the property is, not where you live. Keep your Gas Safety record, EICR and EPC to hand, because the service asks for copies. The PRS Database registration guide covers what to record.

Making Tax Digital (MTD)

From April 2026, landlords with rental income above £50,000 must keep digital records and submit quarterly updates to HMRC using MTD-compatible software.

From April 2027, the threshold drops to £30,000.

What to do: If your gross rental income exceeds £50,000, speak to your accountant now. You will need software that works with Making Tax Digital for Income Tax to send your quarterly updates to HMRC. LetCompliance is on GOV.UK's list of software recognised by HMRC for UK property income. LetCompliance is on HMRC’s list for UK property income, and so is general accounting software such as QuickBooks, FreeAgent or Xero. A certificate or compliance tracker on its own does not submit to HMRC and does not meet this requirement.

What Section 21 abolition means for your compliance

Before 1 May 2026, many landlords used Section 21 as a backstop: if a tenancy went wrong, they could serve a no-fault notice, as long as they had given the gas safety record, the EPC and the How to Rent guide, and protected the deposit. That option is gone.

Under Section 8, courts assess the strength of your possession grounds and your compliance record together. In practice, this means:

• An unprotected deposit means the court cannot make a possession order on most grounds until you protect it and give the prescribed information (late still counts) or return it
• A missing Gas Safety record or EICR doesn't stop a Section 8 claim, but each carries its own penalties, and it can count against you on the discretionary grounds

The practical consequence: Every compliance gap is now a direct financial and legal risk that cannot be bypassed. The approach of "I'll sort it out if there's a problem" no longer works.

How to track all of this

Most landlords start with a spreadsheet. The problem is that spreadsheets fail silently: a formula error, a forgotten row or a cell nobody updated leaves you exposed without knowing it.

An effective compliance system needs to do three things:

1. 1Track expiry dates for every certificate on every property, updated daily
2. 2Send reminders far enough in advance that you have time to book and complete the work, not the day before
3. 3Store the documents in a way that is accessible and provable in court or at a council inspection

LetCompliance keeps this checklist on each property. It holds the dates for Gas Safety, the EICR, the EPC, the deposit and Right to Rent, sends email reminders (SMS too on paid plans) 90, 30, 14, 7 and 1 days before each one expires, and gives every property a compliance score from 0 to 100. When you let the property, the same login advertises it, takes the applications and runs the referencing, then collects the rent by Direct Debit and keeps the ledger that feeds your SA105 tax pack.

Compliance deadlines at a glance

This guide reflects the law in England as of September 2026. It is for general information only and does not constitute legal advice. For complex situations, consult a qualified solicitor or RICS-regulated letting agent.