Complete Landlord Compliance Checklist UK 2026
If you're a landlord in England, you're responsible for meeting a growing list of legal requirements. Get any of them wrong and you face fines ranging from £5,000 to £30,000 — or even criminal prosecution.
This guide covers every compliance obligation you need to know about in 2026, with the specific fine for each breach.
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Start Free Trial →1. Energy Performance Certificate (EPC)
Every rental property must have a valid EPC with a minimum rating of E. EPCs last 10 years but must be renewed before expiry if you want to continue letting.
Requirements
- ✓ Valid EPC before marketing or letting a property
- ✓ Minimum E rating (F and G ratings cannot be legally let, with limited exemptions)
- ✓ Copy provided to tenant before they move in
- ✓ EPC displayed in any property advertisement
Fine: up to £5,000
You can check any property's EPC for free on the NewCo Comply EPC checker — just enter the postcode.
2. Gas Safety Certificate (CP12)
If your property has any gas appliances (boiler, cooker, gas fire), you must have an annual gas safety check carried out by a Gas Safe registered engineer.
Requirements
- ✓ Annual gas safety inspection by Gas Safe engineer
- ✓ CP12 certificate provided to existing tenants within 28 days
- ✓ Copy provided to new tenants before they move in
- ✓ Records kept for 2 years
Fine: up to £6,000 and/or 6 months imprisonment
3. Electrical Installation Condition Report (EICR)
Since July 2020, all rental properties in England must have an EICR every 5 years. This checks the condition of the fixed electrical wiring and fittings.
Requirements
- ✓ EICR conducted every 5 years by a qualified electrician
- ✓ Copy provided to tenant within 28 days of inspection
- ✓ Copy provided to local authority within 7 days if requested
- ✓ Remedial work completed within 28 days (or as specified)
Fine: up to £30,000
4. Smoke and Carbon Monoxide Alarms
The Smoke and Carbon Monoxide Alarm (Amendment) Regulations 2022 extended requirements significantly:
Requirements
- ✓ Working smoke alarm on every storey with a habitable room
- ✓ Carbon monoxide alarm in any room with a fixed combustion appliance (excluding gas cookers)
- ✓ Alarms tested and working at the start of every new tenancy
- ✓ Replacement alarms fitted if defective
Fine: up to £5,000
5. HMO Licensing
If your property is a House in Multiple Occupation (HMO) — typically 5+ tenants from 2+ households sharing facilities — you need a mandatory HMO licence.
Requirements
- ✓ Mandatory licence for large HMOs (5+ tenants, 2+ households)
- ✓ Check if your council has additional/selective licensing schemes
- ✓ Meet space standards (minimum room sizes)
- ✓ Adequate fire safety and kitchen/bathroom facilities
- ✓ Pass fit and proper person test
Fine: up to £30,000 + rent repayment orders
6. Tenant Deposit Protection
All tenancy deposits must be protected in a government-approved scheme within 30 days of receiving them.
Requirements
- ✓ Protect deposit in DPS, MyDeposits, or TDS within 30 days
- ✓ Provide tenant with prescribed information within 30 days
- ✓ Re-protect deposit if tenancy is renewed
- ✓ Cannot serve valid Section 21 notice if deposit not protected
Penalty: 1–3x deposit amount in compensation to tenant
7. Right to Rent Checks
Landlords must verify that all adult tenants have the right to rent in England before the tenancy starts.
Requirements
- ✓ Check original documents (passport, biometric residence permit, etc.)
- ✓ Use the Home Office online checking service where applicable
- ✓ Take and keep copies of documents
- ✓ Conduct follow-up checks for time-limited immigration status
Fine: up to £3,000 per tenant
8. Legionella Risk Assessment
Landlords have a duty to assess and manage the risk of Legionella bacteria in the water systems of their rental properties.
Requirements
- ✓ Conduct Legionella risk assessment (can be done yourself for simple systems)
- ✓ Ensure water temperatures are correctly managed
- ✓ Flush through the system before new tenants move in
- ✓ Review assessment periodically and when changes occur
9. How to Rent Guide
You must provide every new tenant with the government's How to Rent booklet at the start of their tenancy. Without this, you cannot serve a valid Section 21 eviction notice.
The Cost of Non-Compliance
Let's add it up. A single property that's missing its EPC, gas safety certificate, and EICR could face combined fines of over £41,000. For a portfolio landlord, the risk multiplies with every property.
That's before you factor in:
- Rent repayment orders (tenants can claim back up to 12 months' rent)
- Inability to serve Section 21 notices
- Criminal prosecution for gas safety offences
- Mortgage lender consequences
- Insurance policy invalidation
Never Miss a Deadline Again
NewCo Comply tracks every compliance certificate across your entire portfolio. Automatic EPC monitoring, smart deadline alerts, and a traffic-light dashboard. Plans from £19/month.
Start Free 7-Day Trial →Staying on Top of It All
The biggest risk isn't ignorance — it's simply forgetting. Gas safety expires annually, EPCs every 10 years, EICRs every 5 years, HMO licences every 5 years. Different properties, different dates, different requirements.
Spreadsheets work until they don't. One missed cell, one forgotten renewal, and you're facing a five-figure fine.
That's exactly why we built NewCo Comply. It automatically pulls EPC data from the government register, tracks all your certificate dates, and sends you alerts at 90, 60, and 30 days before anything expires.
Try it free for 7 days: newcodata.co.uk/comply