Landlord compliance checklist

What you need to know

The plain-English guidance that comes with this document.

• This is the doc that stops a small landlord getting caught out. Letting a property legally means a long list of certificates, checks and documents — miss one and you face fines, a rent-repayment order, or being unable to regain possession. This checklist is the single view of what's in place and what's due. Diary every renewal date the day you complete it.
• The rules changed fundamentally on 1 May 2026 — don't rely on old advice. The Renters' Rights Act abolished Section 21 no-fault evictions and assured shorthold tenancies; all tenancies are now rolling assured periodic tenancies. Old "AST" paperwork and any rent-review clause in it are out of date. If you're working from a template or guide written before 2026, bin it.
• Get possession wrong and it's expensive. With Section 21 gone, regaining possession now runs through the Section 8 grounds only — a legal process where getting the notice or the ground wrong can cost you months. This is genuinely legal-advice territory; don't improvise, and don't rely on a downloaded notice.
• The "given to the tenant" bit matters as much as having the certificate. You must actually provide the gas certificate, EICR, EPC and How to Rent guide to the tenant, and protect the deposit and serve the prescribed information — failing to do so can, among other things, block a future possession claim. Keep proof you served them.
• Watch the EPC minimum — it's rising. The current minimum is band E, but the government has proposed raising the minimum energy standard (toward band C) for rented homes later this decade. Factor it into any works you're planning; check the current requirement before you rely on an old EPC band.
• The four nations are entirely different. This checklist is for England. Wales runs the Renting Homes (Wales) Act (occupation contracts); Scotland has Private Residential Tenancies and its own rules; Northern Ireland is different again. If your property isn't in England, use your nation's rules — much of this won't apply as written.
• When in doubt, use a professional body or a solicitor. Landlord associations (like the NRLA) and letting agents keep current templates and guidance. For anything involving possession, deposits disputes or a licence, it's worth getting it right first time.