Landlord Training and Accreditation in England: Is There a Course for Landlords?

There is no general legal requirement for a private landlord in England to hold a qualification or complete training. Training becomes compulsory only where a council imposes it as a licence condition, a power set out for HMO licences in section 67 of the Housing Act 2004. Wales differs: self-managing landlords there must complete approved Rent Smart Wales training.

This article is for general information purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. Prices are as published on providers' own pages in October 2026 and may change. It describes the position in England unless Wales is stated.

Is landlord training a legal requirement in England?

No statute requires a private landlord in England to complete training or hold a qualification before letting a home. The legal duties on a landlord, from gas safety to deposit protection, apply in full whether or not the landlord has ever been trained.

Training becomes mandatory only through a licence. Section 67(2)(f) of the Housing Act 2004 allows a council to attach conditions to an HMO licence requiring the licence holder or manager to attend training on an approved code of practice. Section 90, which governs selective licences, contains no equivalent example, but in Berg v Burnley Borough Council [2020] UKUT 0091 (LC) the Upper Tribunal upheld a selective licence condition requiring landlords to attend a training day, holding that it related to the management of the property and was proportionate.

Some councils use that power. NRLA's local authority pages state that the selective licensing schemes in Birmingham and Sheffield include a compulsory training requirement for licence holders, using courses the councils developed in partnership with NRLA. A landlord in a licensing area should read the scheme's conditions document, because the condition usually names the provider that satisfies it. Our guide to checking whether your area has a selective licensing scheme explains how to find it.

How does England compare with Wales?

Wales requires training; England does not. Under section 19 of the Housing (Wales) Act 2014, a licensing authority must be satisfied that training requirements are met before granting a licence, and Rent Smart Wales states that self-managing landlords must complete approved training before applying.

A landlord based in England who lets a property in Wales must follow the Welsh rules for that property.

Do letting agents in England need a qualification?

Not yet. Propertymark has reported that a consultation on mandatory qualifications for property agents, including letting agents, is expected in 2027, and a non-statutory code of practice for agents is expected in 2026. In August 2026 a government minister said the department was exploring options for further regulation of the sector. Nothing is settled. Our article on letting agent licensing tracks what has been confirmed.

Level 3 qualifications in residential letting and property management are available through several training providers for agents who want a recognised qualification ahead of any requirement.

Accreditation, licensing, CPD and certificates: what is the difference?

These four terms are often used as if they mean the same thing. They do not.

• Licence, meaning permission from the council to let a property in a licensing area. It is a legal requirement where a scheme applies, and accreditation does not replace it.
• Accreditation, meaning voluntary membership of a scheme that sets standards for landlords, usually after training. Some councils offer licence fee discounts to accredited landlords.
• CPD, meaning continuing professional development points awarded for training. No CPD is required of landlords in England.
• Certificate of completion, meaning evidence that a learner finished a course and passed its assessment. It is not an accreditation or a regulated qualification.

Landlord training options in England compared

The table below sets out the main options available to landlords in England, with prices as published in October 2026.

Where a licence condition requires training, only the provider the council names will satisfy it. Check the scheme conditions before booking anything for that purpose.

How should a landlord choose a course?

The most useful test in 2026 is whether a course was written or reviewed after the Renters' Rights Act 2025 took effect on 1 May 2026. Section 21, fixed term assured tenancies and contractual rent review clauses no longer apply to private tenancies in England, so any course that still teaches them will mislead.

Landlords are advised to check:

1. Jurisdiction. Many "UK" landlord courses mix English, Welsh and Scottish law, which now diverge sharply.
2. Law reviewed date. A visible date after 1 May 2026, and a stated process for updating when the law changes.
3. Sources. Whether each legal point is tied to legislation or official guidance.
4. Recognition. Whether you need CPD points, an accreditation, or a council's named course for a licence condition.
5. Scope. A broad foundation course or a focused course on the area that carries most risk for you, such as deposits or possession.

What LLCR Academy offers

LLCR Academy is the training arm of LLCR (Landlord Compliance Register), a compliance platform for landlords in England. It publishes short, England only video courses on the rules that most often cost landlords money, each mapped to legislation or official guidance and carrying a public "law reviewed" date. The courses are written in house by a property law professional with an LLB and LLM who works as a paralegal at a London law firm. Each lesson takes on a myth landlords still repeat, explains where it came from, and sets out what the law requires now.

The live deposit course includes printable checklists and a final assessment with a 75% pass mark, leading to a certificate of completion. LLCR Academy courses are not currently CPD accredited and are not a council approved course for any licence condition. They are general training, not legal advice. The waitlist decides which course is built next.

The courses teach what a landlord needs to keep. The LLCR platform keeps it, with certificate tracking, a document vault and a dated audit trail for every property, and it is free for one property.

See where your own compliance stands with the free LLCR compliance checker, or browse the LLCR Academy catalogue.