Why Compliance Has Changed
Before 1 May 2026, many landlords treated compliance gaps as a manageable risk. If a tenancy went wrong, a Section 21 no-fault notice could be served regardless of whether every certificate was current or every document had been properly served. That backstop no longer exists.
The Renters' Rights Act 2025, which received Royal Assent on 27 October 2025 and came into force on 1 May 2026, abolished Section 21 entirely. Every assured shorthold tenancy in England has automatically converted to a periodic rolling agreement with no fixed end date. Landlords who wish to regain possession of their property must now rely exclusively on Section 8 grounds, which require a specific statutory reason supported by evidence and a complete compliance record.
In practice, this means every obligation listed in this checklist is now directly connected to a landlord's ability to manage their property. A missing gas safety certificate, an unprotected deposit, or a failure to serve the RRA Information Sheet can each independently block a possession claim, trigger a civil penalty, or expose the landlord to a Rent Repayment Order.
This checklist covers every compliance obligation currently in force for private landlords letting assured periodic tenancies in England. It is organised by the tenancy lifecycle: what must be in place before letting, what must happen at the start of a tenancy, what must be maintained during a tenancy, and what is arriving next.
Before Letting
These obligations must be satisfied before a property can be legally let to a tenant.
Gas Safety Certificate (CP12)
Legislation: Gas Safety (Installation and Use) Regulations 1998, reg. 36
Requirement: A Gas Safe registered engineer must inspect all gas appliances, pipework, and flues and issue a Landlord Gas Safety Record (CP12) before the property is let. The certificate must be renewed every 12 months. Landlords may use the two-month early renewal window to maintain the same anniversary date without losing coverage.
Penalty: Unlimited fine and up to six months' imprisonment. This is a criminal offence. Non-compliance can also invalidate landlord insurance and block a Section 8 possession claim.
Tenant obligation: A copy of the current CP12 must be provided to existing tenants within 28 days of the inspection and to new tenants before they move in.
Electrical Installation Condition Report (EICR)
Legislation: Electrical Safety Standards in the Private Rented Sector (England) Regulations 2020
Requirement: The electrical installation must be inspected and tested by a qualified person at least every five years, or more frequently if the EICR report specifies a shorter interval. Any C1 (danger present) or C2 (potentially dangerous) findings must be remediated within 28 days or the period specified by the inspector. C3 findings are recommendations, not legal requirements, but documenting that they have been reviewed is good practice.
Penalty: Civil penalty of up to £30,000 per property. Strict liability — intent is not required. The local authority can also arrange remedial work and recover costs from the landlord.
Tenant obligation: A copy of the EICR must be provided to the tenant within 28 days of the inspection and to new tenants before they move in. A copy must also be provided to the local authority within seven days of a request.
Energy Performance Certificate (EPC)
Legislation: Energy Efficiency (Private Rented Property) (England and Wales) Regulations 2015 (the MEES Regulations)
Requirement: The property must have a valid EPC with a minimum rating of E before it can be let. An EPC is valid for 10 years. Properties rated F or G cannot be legally let unless a valid exemption has been registered on the PRS Exemptions Register. Exemptions last a maximum of five years and must be re-registered.
Penalty: Civil penalty of up to £5,000. The penalty structure is up to £2,000 for a tenancy of less than three months and up to £4,000 for a tenancy of three months or more, with an additional £1,000 for providing false or misleading information in an exemption application.
What's ahead: The government has signalled its intention to tighten the minimum standard to EPC C, though no confirmed date or statutory instrument has been laid as of June 2026. Landlords with D or E-rated properties are advised to consider proactive improvements.
HMO and Selective Licensing
Legislation: Housing Act 2004, Parts 2 and 3
Requirement: A mandatory HMO licence is required if the property is occupied by five or more people forming two or more households and shares facilities. Additional licensing and selective licensing schemes are set by individual local authorities and can apply to smaller HMOs or single-family lets in designated areas. Landlords must check their local authority's licensing register before letting.
Penalty: Unlimited fine for operating an unlicensed HMO. Tenants can also apply for a Rent Repayment Order of up to 12 months' rent. The landlord cannot serve a valid Section 8 notice based on certain grounds while unlicensed.
Right to Rent Checks
Legislation: Immigration Act 2014, ss. 20–37
Requirement: The landlord must verify that every adult occupier has the right to rent in England before the tenancy begins. Checks must be conducted using the Home Office online checking service or by examining original documents. Follow-up checks are required for time-limited permissions.
Penalty: Civil penalty of up to £2,500 per tenant for a first breach where the landlord did not knowingly rent to someone without the right to rent. Repeat breaches attract penalties up to £20,000 per tenant. Knowingly renting to someone without the right to rent is a criminal offence carrying an unlimited fine and up to five years' imprisonment.
At the Start of the Tenancy
These obligations must be met at or immediately after the point the tenancy begins.
Deposit Protection
Legislation: Housing Act 2004, ss. 212–215
Requirement: Any deposit taken must be protected in a government-approved tenancy deposit scheme within 30 days of receipt. The three approved schemes in England are the Deposit Protection Service (DPS), MyDeposits, and the Tenancy Deposit Scheme (TDS). The landlord must also serve the Prescribed Information on the tenant within the same 30-day period, and the tenant must sign and return a copy.
Penalty: The tenant can apply to the county court for a penalty of between one and three times the deposit amount. First offences typically attract 1–2x; deliberate or repeated failures attract 3x. The penalty is awarded on top of returning the full deposit. The landlord cannot serve a valid Section 8 notice based on certain grounds until the deposit is protected and Prescribed Information has been served.
RRA Information Sheet (Existing Tenancies)
Legislation: Renters' Rights Act 2025
Requirement: For tenancies that existed before 1 May 2026, the landlord must have served the government-prescribed Information Sheet on every named tenant by 31 May 2026. The Information Sheet must be the exact PDF downloaded from GOV.UK. It must be served as a hard copy or as a PDF attachment to an email or text message. Sending a link to the document is not valid.
Penalty: Civil penalty of up to £7,000 for a first breach. Serious or repeat failures can attract penalties up to £40,000.
Written Statement of Terms (New Tenancies)
Legislation: Renters' Rights Act 2025
Requirement: For tenancies created on or after 1 May 2026, the landlord must provide certain written information about key terms of the tenancy before the tenancy agreement is signed or otherwise agreed. This information may be included in a written tenancy agreement or given separately. For tenancies based entirely on verbal agreements made before 1 May 2026, the written information must have been provided by 31 May 2026.
Penalty: Civil penalty of up to £7,000.
Serve the How to Rent Guide
Legislation: Deregulation Act 2015, s. 37 (as preserved by the Renters' Rights Act 2025)
Requirement: The current version of the government's How to Rent guide must be served on the tenant at the start of the tenancy. The landlord must serve the version that is current at the date of service, not a previously downloaded copy.
Penalty: Non-service does not carry a standalone fine, but it is a prerequisite for a valid possession claim. A landlord who has not served the current How to Rent guide may find their Section 8 claim challenged.
Serve Gas Safety Certificate, EICR, and EPC
Requirement: Current copies of the CP12, EICR, and EPC must be served on the tenant at or before the start of the tenancy. These are separate obligations from obtaining the certificates and carry their own compliance consequences if missed.
Smoke and Carbon Monoxide Alarms
Legislation: Smoke and Carbon Monoxide Alarm (Amendment) Regulations 2022
Requirement: At least one smoke alarm must be installed on every storey used as living accommodation. A carbon monoxide alarm must be installed in any room containing a fixed combustion appliance (excluding gas cookers). Alarms must be tested and confirmed working at the start of every new tenancy.
Penalty: Civil penalty of up to £5,000.
During the Tenancy
These obligations apply on an ongoing basis throughout the tenancy.
Gas Safety Renewal
Cycle: Every 12 months. The two-month early renewal window allows landlords to book the inspection up to two months before expiry without losing the anniversary date.
EICR Renewal
Cycle: Every five years, or sooner if specified in the report. C1 and C2 findings must be remediated within 28 days or the period specified.
Deposit Protection Maintenance
The deposit must remain protected in an approved scheme for the entire duration of the tenancy. If a deposit is re-protected at renewal, Prescribed Information must be re-served within 30 days.
Repairs and Maintenance
Legislation: Landlord and Tenant Act 1985, s. 11
Requirement: The landlord must keep in repair the structure and exterior of the dwelling, and keep in repair and proper working order the installations for the supply of water, gas, electricity, sanitation, and space and water heating.
Pet Requests
Legislation: Renters' Rights Act 2025
Requirement: Tenants have a statutory right to request permission to keep a pet. The landlord must respond within 28 days. Permission can only be refused on reasonable grounds. The landlord may require the tenant to take out pet damage insurance.
Rent Increases
Legislation: Housing Act 1988, s. 13 (as amended by the Renters' Rights Act 2025)
Requirement: Rent may only be increased once per year. The landlord must give at least two months' notice using the prescribed Form 4A. Contractual rent review clauses in existing tenancy agreements have no effect from 1 May 2026. The increase must reflect market rent. Tenants can challenge the increase at the First-tier Tribunal.
Property Inspections
Best practice: Give at least 48 hours' written notice before any inspection visit. The Renters' Rights Act 2025 reinforced the principle that 24 hours is the statutory minimum, but 48 hours is considered best practice.
Rent and Finance
Making Tax Digital for Income Tax
Legislation: Finance (No. 2) Act 2017, as implemented from April 2026
Requirement: Landlords with combined rental and self-employment income above £50,000 must keep digital records using MTD-compatible software and submit quarterly updates to HMRC. The threshold is expected to drop to £30,000 from April 2027 and to £20,000 from April 2028.
Penalty: HMRC operates a points-based system. Each missed quarterly deadline adds a point. Once the threshold is reached, a penalty of £200 is applied. Late payment attracts percentage-based charges.
Rent in Advance
Legislation: Renters' Rights Act 2025
Requirement: For tenancies created on or after 1 May 2026, a landlord may not require rent before the tenancy agreement is signed and may not demand more than one month's rent at a time after the agreement is signed.
Rental Bidding
Legislation: Renters' Rights Act 2025
Requirement: Property advertisements must include a set rent figure. Landlords may not accept or encourage offers above the advertised rent.
What's Coming Next
The following obligations have been enacted but are not yet in force. Landlords are advised to prepare now.
PRS Database
Legislation: Renters' Rights Act 2025, Part 2
Status: The PRS Database is in prototype and is expected to begin regional rollout from late 2026, with mandatory registration likely in 2027. Every private landlord of an assured or regulated tenancy will be required to register themselves and each property, uploading current safety certificates and compliance information.
Penalty: Civil penalty of up to £7,000 for a first failure; up to £40,000 for serious or repeat breaches. False information on the register carries an unlimited fine on criminal prosecution.
What to do now: Ensure all certificates are current, properly stored, and ready to upload. Landlords using LLCR will have their compliance documentation organised in a format designed to transfer directly to the PRS Database when registration opens.
Decent Homes Standard
Legislation: Renters' Rights Act 2025 (extending the Decent Homes Standard to the PRS)
Status: The government is consulting on implementation. The standard is not expected to apply in full until 2030 at the earliest, with some estimates suggesting 2035. The property must be free from Category 1 hazards under the Housing Health and Safety Rating System and meet minimum standards for repair, facilities, and thermal comfort.
Awaab's Law
Legislation: Renters' Rights Act 2025 (extending Social Housing (Regulation) Act 2023 framework to PRS)
Status: The government is consulting on implementation timescales. Once in force, landlords will be required to acknowledge hazard reports within 14 days, investigate within a further 14 days, begin emergency repairs within 24 hours, and begin non-emergency repairs within 7 days.
PRS Landlord Ombudsman
Legislation: Renters' Rights Act 2025
Status: Mandatory sign-up is targeted for 2028. The ombudsman will handle tenant complaints and issue binding decisions, providing an alternative to court proceedings.
The Penalty Landscape at a Glance
The following is a summary of the maximum penalties currently in force. Penalties are per property and per breach unless otherwise stated.
Gas Safety (no CP12): Unlimited fine + up to 6 months' imprisonment. EICR (no valid report or unremedied C1/C2): Up to £30,000. EPC (letting below E rating): Up to £5,000. Deposit Protection (failure to protect or serve PI): 1–3x deposit amount. Right to Rent (first breach): Up to £2,500 per tenant. Right to Rent (repeat breach): Up to £20,000 per tenant. Unlicensed HMO: Unlimited fine + Rent Repayment Order up to 12 months' rent. RRA Information Sheet (first breach): Up to £7,000. RRA Information Sheet (serious/repeat): Up to £40,000. Written Statement of Terms (failure to provide): Up to £7,000. Smoke/CO Alarms (non-compliance): Up to £5,000. PRS Database (when in force, first breach): Up to £7,000. PRS Database (when in force, serious/repeat): Up to £40,000.
Penalties are cumulative. A landlord with multiple properties each carrying a separate breach faces separate penalties for each. A single property with multiple gaps faces separate penalties for each obligation missed.
Building a Compliance System
The common thread across every obligation in this checklist is evidence. Every certificate must be obtained, served on the tenant, and stored. Every deadline must be tracked. Every action must be documented with a date and a record of what was done.
Spreadsheets and calendar reminders work at small scale but fail silently. A formula error, a forgotten row, or a cell that was not updated creates exposure the landlord does not know about until it is too late. The consequences in the post-Section 21 landscape are more severe than they have ever been, because every gap is now a direct barrier to possession and an invitation for enforcement action.
LLCR was built specifically for this problem. It tracks every certificate expiry, calculates a compliance score for each property, stores all documentation in a tamper-evident Document Vault with timestamped audit trails, and generates a one-click Compliance Defence Pack that consolidates the evidence a landlord needs for a Section 8 claim, a local authority inspection, or the PRS Database when it opens. The built-in Form 3A and Form 4A notice builders produce the prescribed forms required under the Renters' Rights Act 2025, pre-populated with the correct statutory wording.
Compliance is not complicated once the right system is in place. Every obligation in this checklist follows a predictable cycle. The risk is not in the complexity of any single requirement — it is in the accumulation of deadlines across a portfolio where a single lapse can block a possession claim or trigger a five-figure fine.
Frequently asked questions
What are the legal requirements for landlords in 2026?
Private landlords in England must hold a valid gas safety certificate (renewed annually), an Electrical Installation Condition Report (every five years), and an EPC rated E or above. Deposits must be protected in a government-approved scheme within 30 days of receipt, Right to Rent checks must be completed before the tenancy starts, and smoke and carbon monoxide alarms must be installed and tested. From 1 May 2026, the Renters' Rights Act 2025 added new obligations including serving the RRA Information Sheet on existing tenants by 31 May 2026, providing a written statement of terms for new tenancies, and using Form 4A for all rent increases. LLCR tracks every one of these obligations, flags expiring certificates before they lapse, and stores all documentation in a tamper-evident audit trail designed for the post-Section 21 compliance landscape.
What is the landlord compliance checklist for 2026?
A landlord compliance checklist for 2026 covers every legal obligation a private landlord must meet to lawfully let a property in England. The core requirements are gas safety (CP12), EICR, EPC, deposit protection, Right to Rent checks, smoke and CO alarms, and the How to Rent guide. The Renters' Rights Act 2025 added the RRA Information Sheet (served by 31 May 2026 for existing tenancies), a written statement of terms for new tenancies, and new rules on rent increases, pet requests, and rental bidding. Later in 2026, the PRS Database will require landlords to register themselves and each property with current compliance records. LLCR automates this checklist with per-property compliance scoring, certificate tracking, and the Compliance Defence Pack that consolidates all evidence into a single downloadable bundle.
What happens if a landlord is not compliant in 2026?
Penalties vary by obligation. Gas safety failures carry an unlimited fine and up to six months' imprisonment. A missing EICR can result in a civil penalty of up to £30,000 per property. Failing to protect a deposit exposes the landlord to a court-ordered penalty of one to three times the deposit amount. Breaches of the Renters' Rights Act 2025, including failure to serve the Information Sheet, carry civil penalties of up to £7,000 for a first offence and up to £40,000 for serious or repeat breaches. Since Section 21 was abolished on 1 May 2026, compliance gaps also directly block Section 8 possession claims, meaning a landlord cannot regain possession of their property until the gap is closed. LLCR's compliance scoring engine identifies these gaps before they become enforcement risks, giving landlords visibility across their entire portfolio.
How can landlords prepare for the PRS Database?
The PRS Database is expected to begin regional rollout from late 2026, with mandatory registration likely in 2027. Every private landlord of an assured or regulated tenancy will be required to register themselves and each property, uploading current safety certificates and compliance information. The best preparation is to ensure all certificates are current, all documents are digitally stored and accessible, and all compliance gaps are closed before registration opens. LLCR organises compliance documentation in a format designed to transfer directly to the PRS Database, with every certificate tracked by expiry date and every document stored with a timestamped, tamper-evident audit trail.
This article is provided for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. LLCR is a compliance management platform, not a law firm. For advice specific to your situation, consult a qualified solicitor.