The landlord compliance checklist for 2026

Compliance is the least glamorous part of being a landlord and the most expensive part to get wrong. This is the checklist we run for every managed property at Letterbox, written out in plain English. It is general guidance rather than legal advice, but it is the list we would want if we were starting out.

Safety certificates first. Every property with a gas supply needs a Gas Safety Record (the CP12) renewed every twelve months by a Gas Safe registered engineer, with a copy given to the tenant. Electrics need an Electrical Installation Condition Report (EICR) at least every five years, with any C1 or C2 remedial work completed within 28 days. Smoke alarms are required on every storey and carbon monoxide alarms in any room with a fixed combustion appliance - test them, and record that you tested them, at the start of every tenancy.

Money and paperwork next. A tenancy deposit must be protected in a government-approved scheme within 30 days of receipt, and the prescribed information served on the tenant in the same window - miss either and you risk a penalty of up to three times the deposit, plus losing the ability to serve certain notices. Holding deposits are capped at one week's rent, tenancy deposits at five weeks' rent for most tenancies. Right-to-rent checks are required for every adult occupant before the tenancy starts, and the current version of the government's How to Rent guide must be served at the outset.

Then the property itself. An EPC rated E or better is the current legal floor for letting, and with minimum-standard proposals continuing to move through consultation, we are advising landlords to treat C as the sensible target for any planned refurbishment rather than waiting to be pushed. Check whether your property falls in a selective or additional licensing area - schemes change, and ignorance of a designation is not a defence.

Our managed landlords do not think about any of this, because Dan's compliance calendar thinks about it for them - certificates are booked before they lapse, not after. If you self-manage and want a free compliance health check on your tenancy paperwork, bring it into the office and we will go through it with you. No charge, no hard sell.