The compliance certificates every UK landlord needs — a quick map

If you let a residential property in England, there are a handful of certificates and checks the law expects you to have in place. Miss one and you can face fines, lose the ability to evict for non-payment, or — in a serious case — end up with a criminal record. This post is the map. We’ll go deeper on each one in later posts.

The core set for a standard private rental in England:

• Gas Safety Record (CP12) — required annually if there’s any gas appliance, pipework or flue in the property. Must be issued by a Gas Safe registered engineer. Give a copy to the tenant within 28 days of the check (or before move-in for new tenants).
• Electrical Installation Condition Report (EICR) — required at least every five years for all private rentals. A copy goes to tenants within 28 days and to the local authority on request.
• Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) — valid for 10 years, minimum rating currently E. Must be available at the point of marketing.
• Smoke alarms — at least one on every storey used as living accommodation.
• Carbon monoxide alarms — in every room containing a fixed combustion appliance (excluding gas cookers, though a CO alarm there is still a good idea).
• How to Rent guide — the current version must be given to new tenants at the start of the tenancy.
• Deposit protection — any deposit must be in a government-approved scheme within 30 days, with prescribed information served on the tenant.
• Right to Rent checks — for all adult occupiers before the tenancy starts.

If the property is an HMO, you’ll also likely need a licence, more frequent fire safety checks, a minimum room-size check, and additional amenity standards. We’ll cover HMOs properly in a later post.

If it’s a commercial or mixed-use property, a different set of rules applies — MEES for non-domestic buildings, asbestos duty-holder obligations, and workplace fire safety. This blog focuses on residential.

The common mistakes we see:

• Assuming the EPC “lasts forever” because it was done when the property was bought. It’s valid for 10 years, but both the minimum standard and the methodology are changing.
• Treating the EICR as optional because the property “feels fine.” It’s not optional and hasn’t been since 2020 for new tenancies, 2021 for existing ones.
• Forgetting to re-issue the How to Rent guide when a new version is published — and one was updated after the Renters’ Rights Act received Royal Assent.

Bookmark this post. Over the coming weeks we’ll work through each certificate in detail, plus the bigger law changes coming in 2026.

References and further reading

• GOV.UK, Renting out your property: Landlord responsibilities — gov.uk/renting-out-a-property/landlord-responsibilities
• GOV.UK, How to rent: the checklist for renting in England (current version) — gov.uk/government/publications/how-to-rent
• GOV.UK, Tenancy deposit protection — gov.uk/tenancy-deposit-protection
• GOV.UK, Landlord’s guide to right to rent checks — gov.uk/government/publications/landlords-guide-to-right-to-rent-checks

General guidance, not legal advice. Regulations change and enforcement varies by local authority — always check the primary source on gov.uk for your specific property, and speak to a qualified professional if in doubt.