landlord

Landlord legal requirements in England: a dated checklist for gas, electrics, EPC, deposit and right to rent

A dated checklist of landlord legal requirements in England: gas and electrics, alarms, EPC, deposit, right to rent, HMO licence and the 1 May 2026 changes.

4 min read
Last reviewed 4 November 2026
By Your Property Check team

Part 1 of 7

The checklist at a glance

General information, not advice. Landlord legal requirements in England cover safety, energy, deposits and tenant checks. This checklist is for private landlords in England and was checked against GOV.UK on 4 November 2026. Rules in Wales and Scotland differ. The Renters' Rights Act changes took effect on 1 May 2026, so older checklists, and the withdrawn "How to rent" guide, may be out of date. Always cross-check with GOV.UK on the day you act. Landlord legal requirements also matter when you sell, because a buyer's solicitor will ask for the same paperwork.

Requirement	Rule (as we read it)	Frequency	Evidence to keep
Safe home	Keep rented properties safe and free from health hazards; act on council enforcement notices	Ongoing	Repair records, council letters
Gas	Make sure gas equipment is safely installed and maintained	Check the Gas Safe Register for the required check	Gas safety record from a Gas Safe engineer
Electrics	Installations checked at least every 5 years by a properly qualified person; give tenants proof	Every 5 years	Electrical installation condition report
Smoke and carbon monoxide alarms	Fit and test alarms; carbon monoxide requirements for private rented homes started on 1 October 2022	Ongoing	Test record, dated
EPC	Provide an Energy Performance Certificate; since 1 April 2020 you generally cannot let a covered property rated below E unless a valid exemption is registered	Valid certificate in force	EPC; exemption on the PRS Exemptions Register
Deposit	Put the deposit in an approved scheme within 30 days; return it within 10 days of agreeing the amount	At the start and end of the tenancy	Scheme certificate
Right to rent	Check every tenant or lodger aged 18 or over before a new tenancy; for a time-limited stay, within the 28 days before	Before each new tenancy	Copies of the documents and date of check
HMO licence	Needed for a large HMO of 5 or more people from more than one household; smaller properties may also need one	Before letting	Licence
Mortgage	Get permission from your lender before renting out	Before letting	Lender's consent

Part 2 of 7

Gas, electrics and alarms

GOV.UK says to make sure all gas and electrical equipment is safely installed and maintained. For electrics, its guidance says installations must be checked at least every 5 years by a properly qualified person, and landlords must give tenants proof. We could not open a GOV.UK page for the gas check interval, so use the Gas Safe Register and your engineer for the required check. For alarms, GOV.UK says to fit and test smoke and carbon monoxide alarms, and its alarms page says the carbon monoxide requirements for private rented homes took effect on 1 October 2022.

Part 3 of 7

EPC

GOV.UK says that since 1 April 2020 landlords generally cannot let or keep letting covered properties rated below EPC E unless a valid exemption is registered. You are not currently required to spend more than £3,500 including VAT on improvements. Our guide to EPC rules for landlords goes further.

Part 4 of 7

Deposit

Put the deposit in the Deposit Protection Service, MyDeposits or the Tenancy Deposit Scheme within 30 days. Under the Renters' Rights Act changes, GOV.UK says landlords cannot use Section 21 and a court will grant possession only where deposit conditions are met. See what replaced Section 21.

Part 5 of 7

Right to rent

GOV.UK says all new tenants must be checked, and that checking only people you think are not British citizens is unlawful. Exemptions listed include social housing, care homes, hostels, student accommodation and leases of 7 years or longer. Penalty amounts are not stated on the pages we read, so we give none. See our separate list of landlord fines and penalties.

Part 6 of 7

What changed on 1 May 2026

GOV.UK says the changes came into effect on 1 May 2026. Landlords with a written agreement had to give tenants the Renters' Rights Act Information Sheet by 31 May 2026. Rent increases use Form 4A with at least 2 months' notice and cannot happen more than once a year. Possession for sale or the landlord moving in cannot be used in the first 12 months of a tenancy. Our guide to selling with tenants explains the effect on a sale.

Part 7 of 7

What if a certificate is missing at sale?

A buyer's solicitor will usually ask for the safety and energy paperwork. Fix gaps early where you can, for example by getting an in-date electrical report, and tell your conveyancer what is missing. Our landlord keep or sell tool helps you think through the decision, and the guide to selling a tenanted property covers the process.

This page is general information, not advice.

Our take

Keep every certificate in date, in one place

The list is long: safe gas and electrics, smoke and carbon monoxide alarms, an EPC, a protected deposit and a right to rent check. Councils enforce it, and a missing certificate also slows a sale, because a buyer's solicitor will ask for the paperwork. Our view: the common mistake is a lapsed certificate, not an unknown rule.

Landlord CertCheck tracks certificate expiries for Gas, EICR, EPC, PAT and fire, so a renewal date does not creep up on you. Your first property is free, then it is £49.99 a year.

Track certificates

Our opinion, drawn from the facts on this page: not advice and not a forecast. We earn from OfferCheck reports and from introducing sellers to cash buyers, so weigh it with that in mind (see our disclosure). We are not authorised or regulated by the FCA.

Questions, answered

Frequently asked questions

What must a landlord legally provide?

GOV.UK lists a safe property, safely maintained gas and electrical equipment, smoke and carbon monoxide alarms, an EPC, deposit protection and a right to rent check on tenants in England.

Which certificates are needed?

An EPC, proof of the electrical installation check every 5 years, and gas safety evidence from a Gas Safe engineer. Keep copies of alarm tests, the deposit certificate and right to rent checks.

What if one is missing at sale?

Tell your conveyancer early. The buyer's solicitor will usually ask for the paperwork, and obtaining an in-date report or certificate before listing is often simpler than doing it mid-sale.

What are the penalties?

GOV.UK gives amounts for some breaches, such as the EPC rules, but not for every one. Our list of landlord fines and penalties sets out only the amounts we could source.

Where this comes from

Sources

Last reviewed 4 November 2026 by the Your Property Check team. This page is general information, not legal, tax or financial advice. For your own situation, speak to a conveyancing solicitor or another qualified professional.