A compliance register is a document or system that records every legal obligation attached to each property you let, the evidence that confirms you have met it, and when each item is next due. It is not a legal requirement in itself, but the individual obligations it tracks are, and the consequences of missing them have grown significantly under the Renters Rights Act 2025. This guide explains what a compliance register should contain, why it matters more than it ever has, and what a well-organised register looks like in practice.
Why a compliance register matters more now than it did before
Under the old system, the main practical consequence of missing a compliance document was that you could not serve a valid Section 21 notice. Section 21 is now abolished. Under the Renters Rights Act 2025, the consequences of non-compliance are broader and in some cases more severe.
Failure to protect a deposit in an approved scheme blocks most possession grounds entirely, not just Section 21. The court will not grant a possession order if the deposit is unprotected, and the landlord can be ordered to pay the tenant up to three times the deposit amount. (Source: Tenancy deposit protection, GOV.UK)
Failure to register on the new Private Rented Sector Database has the same effect: it blocks possession proceedings except for antisocial behaviour grounds. (Source: Guide to the Renters Rights Act, GOV.UK, November 2025)
Failure to maintain a valid gas safety record is a criminal offence, not a civil one, and there is no financial penalty cap. (Source: Gas Safety (Installation and Use) Regulations 1998, Regulation 36, HSE guidance)
Failure to have a valid EICR or carry out required remedial work can result in a civil penalty of up to £40,000 from the local council. (Source: Electrical safety standards in the private and social rented sectors: guidance, GOV.UK, November 2025)
Failure to meet the minimum energy efficiency standard of EPC band E can result in penalties of up to £5,000 per property. (Source: Domestic private rented property: minimum energy efficiency standard, landlord guidance, GOV.UK)
Operating an HMO without a licence is a criminal offence and exposes a landlord to a rent repayment order of up to 24 months rent under the Renters Rights Act 2025. (Source: Guide to the Renters Rights Act, GOV.UK)
The pattern across all of these is consistent: compliance failures either block your ability to manage the tenancy and recover your property, or expose you to financial penalties, or both. A register does not prevent problems occurring, but it creates the conditions in which you can spot them in advance and act before they become critical.
What a compliance register should contain
A compliance register needs to track two things for each property: what the obligation is, and the current status of the document or action that satisfies it. For most obligations, that means knowing the date of issue, the expiry or renewal date, and whether the tenant has received a copy where that is required.
The core items every private landlord in England should track for each property are as follows.
Gas Safety Record (CP12). Annual. Issued by a Gas Safe registered engineer. Must be given to new tenants before they move in and to existing tenants within 28 days of the check. Records must be kept until two further checks have been completed. Track: date of last check, name and Gas Safe number of engineer, date given to tenant, next due date. (Source: Gas Safety (Installation and Use) Regulations 1998, Regulation 36)
Electrical Installation Condition Report (EICR). Every five years, or sooner if the report specifies it. Must be given to new tenants before they move in and to existing tenants within 28 days of the inspection. Track: date of inspection, inspector details, classification codes on the report, any remedial work required and when completed, date given to tenant, next due date. (Source: Electrical Safety Standards in the Private Rented Sector (England) Regulations 2020)
Energy Performance Certificate (EPC). Valid for ten years. Must be given to the tenant at the start of the tenancy. Must show band E or above unless a valid exemption is registered on the PRS Exemptions Register. Track: certificate reference number, rating, expiry date, date given to tenant, any exemption registered and when it expires. (Source: Domestic private rented property: minimum energy efficiency standard, landlord guidance, GOV.UK)
Tenancy deposit protection. Per tenancy. Must be protected within 30 days of receipt. Prescribed information must be given to the tenant within the same 30-day window. Track: scheme name, protection reference number, date protected, date prescribed information given to tenant, deposit amount, name of scheme. (Source: Tenancy deposit protection, GOV.UK)
Smoke and carbon monoxide alarms. Per tenancy. At least one smoke alarm per storey and a carbon monoxide alarm in every room containing a fixed combustion appliance other than a gas cooker. Test on the first day of every new tenancy and keep a record. Track: number and location of alarms, date tested at start of tenancy, how the test was evidenced, any faults reported and remedied. (Source: Smoke and Carbon Monoxide Alarm (Amendment) Regulations 2022: guidance, GOV.UK)
How to Rent guide. Per new tenancy. Current version must be given to the tenant before they move in, either as a printed copy or PDF by email with their agreement. Track: version date of the guide given, date given, method of delivery. (Source: How to Rent guide, DLUHC, October 2023)
Right to Rent check. Per tenancy, before the start date. Every adult aged 18 or over who will use the property as their main home must be checked. Track: check method used for each adult, documents checked or share code reference, date of check, copies retained, whether a follow-up check is required and when. (Source: Checking your tenant's right to rent, GOV.UK)
HMO licence (where applicable). If your property meets the mandatory licensing threshold, track: licence number, issuing council, date granted, expiry date, maximum permitted occupants, any conditions attached. If the property is in an additional or selective licensing scheme area, track this separately. (Source: HMOs and residential property licensing reforms guidance, MHCLG, 2018)
PRS Database registration (once operational). Required under the Renters Rights Act 2025 for all landlords of assured and regulated tenancies. Track: registration date, property reference on the database. (Source: Guide to the Renters Rights Act, GOV.UK)
PRS Landlord Ombudsman membership (once operational). Required under the Renters Rights Act 2025 for all private landlords of assured or regulated tenancies. Track: membership date, scheme name once designated. (Source: Guide to the Renters Rights Act, GOV.UK)
What a register needs to do beyond listing documents
A list of documents is the foundation, but a useful compliance register does three things beyond listing. It tells you what is coming up. It flags what is overdue. And it gives you a record of what was given to which tenant and when.
The third point is the one most landlords underinvest in. In any dispute or enforcement action, you need to be able to show not only that the document existed but that you provided it to the tenant on the correct date. An EICR report sitting in a folder that was never sent to the tenant does not satisfy the legal obligation. A gas safety record issued last year that has not been renewed does not satisfy the legal obligation. A deposit registered with a scheme but with no evidence that the prescribed information was provided to the tenant within 30 days leaves you exposed. The register needs to capture both the document and the proof of delivery.
How many properties does this apply to?
All of it. There is no threshold below which these obligations stop applying. A landlord with one property has exactly the same obligations as one with ten. The difference is that with one property you might manage the tracking in your head or across a few folders. With more than two or three properties, the number of individual items to track, each with its own renewal date and delivery requirement, means that a structured approach is the only reliable one.
A portfolio of four properties, each with a different tenancy start date, can have upward of forty individual compliance items to track at any one time across gas safety, electrical safety, EPC, deposit protection, alarms, right to rent, and the How to Rent guide alone. Add in follow-up right to rent checks for tenants on time-limited visas, EICR remedial work deadlines, and PRS database and ombudsman registration, and the number grows further.
Where LLCR fits in
LLCR, the Landlord Compliance Register, is built specifically for this. It is designed for self-managing landlords in England who need a clear, structured record of every compliance obligation across their portfolio, without the complexity and cost of systems built for large portfolio operators.
LLCR tracks each obligation by property and by tenancy, records expiry and renewal dates, and reminds you when action is due. It stores copies of your documents against each entry so you have a single place to go when a tenant, a local council, or a court asks for evidence. It is updated to reflect the requirements under the Renters Rights Act 2025, including the new PRS Database and ombudsman obligations as they come into force.
If you manage one property or ten, the principle is the same: know what you owe, know when it is due, and have the evidence ready. LLCR is the tool built to help you do that. You can find out more and get started at llcr.uk.
What this means for landlords
A compliance register is the difference between managing your obligations proactively and discovering a gap when something goes wrong. Under the Renters Rights Act 2025, compliance failures block possession, expose you to financial penalties, and leave you vulnerable to rent repayment orders. The documents required are not complicated, but there are a lot of them, and each has its own deadline and delivery requirement. A structured register, maintained consistently, is the practical solution.
This guide is for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice.