Private renting in England changed permanently on 1 May 2026. The Renters' Rights Act 2025 abolished Section 21, converted every assured shorthold tenancy to a periodic rolling agreement, and introduced new landlord obligations that can attract civil penalties under the statutory framework. £7,000 is widely cited for certain Information Sheet–type duties in official summaries; do not treat a blanket £40,000 figure as a standard GOV.UK headline for every landlord or every breach — confirm current amounts and duties 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. Miss any one of them and a court can block your possession claim entirely.
This guide covers every compliance obligation in force for England landlords in 2026: what it is, what the deadline is, what the fine is, and what you need to do before the next inspection or letting.
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 matters for compliance because courts have the power to refuse possession if your safety certificates are not in order — something that used to be absorbed by Section 21 is now a hard blocker.
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 only increase rent once per 12 months, 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 request a pet (refusal only on reasonable grounds, with reasons in writing where you refuse — GOV.UK does not always repeat a single 28-day formula on every page; many landlords still use ~28 days from sector guidance as a planning target), the right to challenge a rent increase at a tribunal, and protection from retaliatory eviction.
Two immediate deadlines:
The core compliance checklist
The five requirements below existed before May 2026 and remain in force. They are now more consequential than ever, because a court can refuse a Section 8 possession claim if any of them are missing.
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:
Consequences of non-compliance:
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). Mandatory in England since April 2021 for new tenancies and April 2022 for all 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:
Your obligations:
Consequences of non-compliance:
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. Always ask specifically whether the electrician will issue an EICR, not just a periodic inspection certificate — they are not the same document.
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: The government has proposed requiring EPC C or above for new tenancies from 2025 and all tenancies by 2028. As of April 2026, the EPC C requirement for new tenancies has not yet been made law — but the direction of travel is clear. If your property is currently D or E, improving it now is worth considering.
Consequences of non-compliance:
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:
Your obligations:
Consequences of non-compliance:
Common mistake: Landlords who moved from a fixed-term to a periodic tenancy without re-registering the deposit. If you did this before May 2026, check your deposit status now. The tenancy type changing does not automatically transfer protection to the new scheme.
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 immigration status, you must re-check before their status expires.
How to check:
Consequences of non-compliance:
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 that can also block a possession claim or attract fines.
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 12 months of rent.
Landlord registration (National PRS Database)
The government is rolling out mandatory registration on the National Private Rented Sector Database. Regional rollout begins in 2026. Landlords will be required to register themselves and each property, uploading current safety certificates.
What to do now: Check your local authority's website for details of when registration becomes mandatory in your area. This will require your Gas Safety, EICR and EPC to be current before you can register.
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 dedicated MTD-compatible accounting software (such as QuickBooks, FreeAgent or Xero) to submit quarterly updates to HMRC — compliance tracking tools do not submit to HMRC and do not replace 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, a no-fault notice could be served regardless of compliance gaps. That option is gone.
Under Section 8, courts assess the strength of your possession grounds and your compliance record together. In practice, this means:
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 that was not updated means you are exposed without knowing it.
An effective compliance system needs to do three things:
LetCompliance tracks Gas Safety, EICR, EPC, deposit protection and Right to Rent for every property in your portfolio, sends reminders at 90, 30, 14, 7 and 1 day before expiry via email or WhatsApp, and stores your documents encrypted in the cloud. It also generates a compliance score from 0 to 100 per property, updated daily, so you can see your exposure at a glance.
Compliance deadlines at a glance
| Requirement | Frequency | Max fine | Blocks possession? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gas Safety (CP12) | Annual | Unlimited fine + up to 6 months custody | Yes |
| EICR | Every 5 years | £30,000 | Yes |
| EPC | Every 10 years | £5,000 | No (but blocks re-letting) |
| Deposit protection | Within 30 days | 3× deposit | Yes |
| Right to Rent | Before move-in | £20,000/tenant | No (separate offence) |
| Renters' Rights Info Sheet | By 31 May 2026 | £7,000 | No |
| Smoke/CO alarms | Per tenancy start | Remedial notice | No |
| HMO licence (if applicable) | Per local authority | Unlimited | Yes |
This guide reflects the law in England as of April 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.
📄 Free PDF — 2026 UK Landlord Compliance Cheat Sheet
Every Gas Safety, EICR, EPC, deposit and Right to Rent deadline on one printable A4 page. Updated for the Renters’ Rights Act 2025.
- Every UK statutory deadline by document type
- Maximum penalty per breach (HSE, MEES, RtR, deposit)
- What blocks a Section 8 / Form 6A possession claim
- Print-friendly A4 with checkboxes
Frequently asked questions
Do these UK landlord rules apply in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland?
This guide focuses on England private rented sector rules (Gas Safety, EICR, EPC, deposit protection, Right to Rent). Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland have different tenancy law, deposit schemes and energy rules, always check local guidance before letting.
Can I serve a Section 8 notice if my Gas Safety certificate lapsed for just one day?
Courts have discretion, but a lapsed Gas Safety certificate on the date of service is a serious compliance failure that a judge can take into account. Renew first, then serve.
My EICR shows C3 only. Do I have to carry out the work?
No. C3 is a recommendation, not a legal requirement. You are only obliged to carry out remedial work for C1 and C2 findings. Documenting that you reviewed C3 recommendations is still good practice.
I received a deposit before May 2026 and never protected it. What do I do?
Protect it immediately in one of the three approved schemes and serve Prescribed Information on your tenant. You remain exposed to a penalty for the period it was unprotected, but acting now limits the risk. Take legal advice if the tenant is already in dispute with you.
Does my EPC need to be valid when the tenancy starts, or throughout?
It must be valid when you create a new tenancy. An EPC that expires during an ongoing tenancy does not make the tenancy illegal, but you need a valid EPC before re-letting or extending.
Do I need to give the Renters' Rights Information Sheet to a tenant on a company let?
No. The Renters' Rights Act applies to assured and assured shorthold tenancies. Company lets are contractual and are not covered by the Act in the same way.