Every Certificate a Landlord Needs in England (2026)

Most rented homes in England need three certificates: a gas safety record renewed every 12 months where there is a gas appliance, an EICR at least every five years, and a valid EPC with a rating of E or above. Deposit protection, licences for HMOs or licensing areas, and PRS Database registration apply on top, depending on the letting.

This article is for general information purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. Landlords should seek independent legal advice for their specific circumstances. It describes the position in England.

What certificates does a landlord need?

Three certificates apply to almost every private let in England: a gas safety record (where there is a gas appliance), an Electrical Installation Condition Report (EICR) and an Energy Performance Certificate (EPC). These are the same three the PRS Database will ask landlords to provide for each property once their region's registration requirement starts, from 15 December 2026 in the West Midlands, under Schedule 3 to the draft Private Rented Sector Database Regulations 2026. The EPC is needed there only where one had to be given to the current tenant.

Our safety certificate calendar covers the renewal timing for each in more detail.

Gas safety record: what the law requires

A gas safety check must be carried out by a Gas Safe registered engineer within 12 months of the last one, under regulation 36 of the Gas Safety (Installation and Use) Regulations 1998. The record is often still called a CP12, a name from the old CORGI scheme. A check carried out up to two months before the deadline keeps the original anniversary date.

Records must be kept until two further checks have been completed, not simply for two years. Our gas safety certificate guide explains the check itself and what happens when access is refused.

EICR: the electrical certificate

The electrical installation must be inspected and tested by a qualified person at least every five years, and before each new tenancy under regulation 3(1)(c) as substituted by SI 2025/1043. The EICR, meaning the report recording that inspection and the date the next one is due, must be supplied to tenants and to the council on request. Any remedial work it identifies must be completed within 28 days, or a shorter period if the report specifies one.

The maximum civil penalty rose from £30,000 to £40,000 under SI 2025/1043, in force from 1 November 2025 for specified purposes and fully from 1 May 2026. A further draft amending instrument laid in 2026 would update the wiring standard references and remove the need for a fresh inspection before a new tenancy where the last report is under five years old and its next inspection date has not passed. It had not been made at the time of writing, so until it is, the stricter before-tenancy rule applies. See our EICR guide.

EPC: the energy certificate

An EPC must be available when a property is marketed and given to the tenant before the tenancy begins, and the property must currently reach at least band E to be let. An EPC is valid for 10 years. If it expires during a tenancy, a new one is not needed until the property is next let.

Properties below band E can be let only with an exemption registered on the PRS Exemptions Register. The government has confirmed a move towards an EPC C equivalent standard by 2030, but until amending regulations are made band E remains the legal minimum. The confirmed framework includes a £10,000 cost cap per property.

Which certificates and licences depend on the letting?

Beyond the three core certificates, some documents apply only in particular situations.

Licensing schemes vary by council, so check your council's own licensing pages before letting. Our deposit protection guide covers the possession rule.

What about smoke and carbon monoxide alarms?

There is no alarm certificate, but there is a legal duty and a penalty of up to £5,000. The Smoke and Carbon Monoxide Alarm (England) Regulations 2015, as amended in 2022, require a smoke alarm on every storey used as living accommodation and a carbon monoxide alarm in every room with a fixed combustion appliance other than a gas cooker. Alarms must be checked as working on the first day of each new tenancy, and repaired or replaced once reported faulty.

Because no certificate exists, the evidence is a dated record of the first day test. Our smoke and carbon monoxide alarm guide sets out the rules.

Which landlord certificates are not legally required?

Several documents are regularly sold to landlords as "required certificates" when the law asks for something different or nothing at all.

How long do you keep each certificate?

Retention periods differ by document, and getting them wrong matters most when a dispute surfaces years later. Gas safety records are kept until two further checks have been done, an EICR until the next inspection, and right to rent copies for the tenancy plus a year.

Why certificates now matter more than before

Since the PRS Database requires the gas safety record, EICR and EPC for each registered property, a lapsed certificate is likely to become visible to the council in a way it was not before. Councils already hold investigatory powers in force since 27 December 2025 to demand documents. A certificate that cannot be produced on request is treated in practice much like a certificate that does not exist, so the dated record of each certificate matters as much as the certificate itself.

LLCR tracks every certificate on this page against the property it belongs to, with expiry alerts before each renewal falls due and Smart Document Capture to read the dates from an uploaded certificate. Run the free compliance checker to see which certificates are missing or due.