A private landlord in England needs a gas safety record (every 12 months), an EICR (every five years), an EPC of band E or above (valid 10 years), deposit protection with prescribed information (within 30 days), working smoke and CO alarms, any HMO or council licence, and Right to Rent records. PRS database registration is not yet in force.
Updated 15 October 2026 · Figures checked against legislation.gov.uk and GOV.UK on 15 October 2026 · Statutory penalties are maximums; councils and courts decide the amount.
There is no single "landlord certificate". A private landlord in England holds a set of documents, each required by a different law and on its own clock, most with a duty to give the tenant a copy. Missing one carries its own penalty; one of them, an unprotected deposit, also stops the court making a possession order.
The core list is:
Registration on the Private Rented Sector Database is coming but is not yet a legal requirement. Penalties below are the maximum the law allows; councils and courts decide the actual figure.
Under regulation 36 of the Gas Safety (Installation and Use) Regulations 1998, every gas appliance and flue the landlord provides must be checked "at intervals of not more than 12 months" by a Gas Safe registered engineer, who issues the record.
The Electrical Safety Standards in the Private Rented Sector (England) Regulations 2020 require the fixed electrical installation to be inspected and tested by a qualified person "at intervals of no more than 5 years", or sooner if the last report says so, and before a new tenancy starts.
Two sets of rules apply. The Energy Performance of Buildings (England and Wales) Regulations 2012 require a valid EPC to be made available free to a prospective tenant "at the earliest opportunity", and no later than the first written information or the viewing. A certificate is valid for 10 years from entry on the register (regulation 9). Not providing one carries a fixed penalty of £200 under regulation 38.
The minimum standard comes from the Energy Efficiency (Private Rented Property) (England and Wales) Regulations 2015 (MEES): a landlord "must not let" a sub-standard property, meaning below band E (regulation 22), unless an exemption is registered.
Under section 213 of the Housing Act 2004 a deposit must be protected in an authorised scheme and the scheme's "initial requirements" met "within the period of 30 days beginning with the date on which it is received". Within the same 30 days the landlord must give the tenant the prescribed information set out in the Housing (Tenancy Deposits) (Prescribed Information) Order 2007. The period begins with the day the deposit is received, so that day counts as day one.
Not a certificate, but it belongs on the list. Under regulation 4 of the Smoke and Carbon Monoxide Alarm (England) Regulations 2015, as amended in 2022, the landlord must ensure a smoke alarm on each storey with living accommodation, a carbon monoxide alarm in any room with a fixed combustion appliance "other than a gas cooker", a working check on the first day of a new tenancy, and repair or replacement "as soon as reasonably practicable" once a fault is reported.
A property let to five or more people forming two or more households, sharing facilities, needs a mandatory HMO licence from the council under the Housing Act 2004 and the Licensing of Houses in Multiple Occupation (Prescribed Description) (England) Order 2018. There is no minimum number of storeys. Councils can also run additional licensing (smaller HMOs) and selective licensing (all private lets in a designated area), so a single-family let can need a licence.
Under the Immigration Act 2014 every adult who will live in the property as their only or main home must be checked before the tenancy starts, by a manual document check, the Home Office online service with a share code, or a registered digital provider. Copies are kept for the tenancy and one year after. The civil penalty runs up to £10,000 per occupier for a first breach and up to £20,000 for a repeat. See the Right to Rent check guide.
The Renters' Rights Act 2025 creates a Private Rented Sector Database on which landlords and their properties will have to be registered. As at 15 October 2026 the duty is not in force. The draft Private Rented Sector Database Regulations 2026 state they have "not yet been made"; they propose a regional rollout starting with the West Midlands on 15 December 2026 and ending with the South West on 15 August 2027. Nothing can be registered yet and no penalty applies.
| Document | How often | Who issues it | Tenant must receive | Maximum penalty |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gas safety record | Every 12 months | Gas Safe registered engineer | Copy within 28 days; new tenant before moving in | Unlimited fine, up to 2 years' imprisonment |
| EICR | Every 5 years, or sooner if the report says | Qualified electrician | Copy within 28 days; new tenant before moving in | Civil penalty up to £40,000 per breach |
| EPC (band E or above) | Valid 10 years | Accredited energy assessor | Free copy at the earliest opportunity | Up to £5,000 per property (MEES); £200 for not providing it |
| Deposit certificate and prescribed information | Within 30 days of each deposit | Authorised scheme (certificate); landlord (prescribed information) | Both, within 30 days | 1 to 3 times the deposit; possession barred until fixed |
| Smoke and CO alarms | Ongoing; test on day one of each tenancy | Landlord's own record | Working alarms on day one | Up to £5,000 per remedial notice |
| HMO / additional / selective licence | Per licence term | Local housing authority | Not a tenant document | Unlimited fine or civil penalty up to £40,000; rent repayment order up to 24 months |
| Right to Rent check | Before the tenancy; follow-up for time-limited rights | Landlord's record (or registered DVSP report) | Nothing; copies kept for the tenancy plus 1 year | Up to £10,000 per occupier, £20,000 repeat; up to 5 years' imprisonment (knowledge or reasonable cause to believe) |
| PRS database registration | Not yet in force; regional rollout proposed from 15 December 2026 | Government service | Not applicable yet | None yet |
ComplyWithMe Landlord records each certificate, works out the renewal date and the exact last compliant day, reminds the landlord ahead of it, and shows where a lapsed document is capping the Protection Score. The free exposure check runs through every item on this list.
Government changes that bear on this duty. Where the status says in force the rule already applies; everything else is not yet law for private landlords. Dates are quoted as the government has published them, checked on 15 October 2026.
| Change | Status today | Published timing | Sensible preparation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mandatory landlord and property registration on the Private Rented Sector Database (the landlord register), with an annual fee | regulations in draft | Regional rollout from 15 December 2026 (West Midlands first) to 15 September 2027 for all other purposes, per the draft Private Rented Sector Database Regulations 2026 | Keep copies, not just dates, of the gas safety record, EICR and EPC for each property, and know whether a licence applies; those are what the draft regulations say the entry needs. Source |
| Minimum energy efficiency standard for private rented homes raised from EPC band E to the equivalent of band C, measured against new EPC metrics, with a £10,000 per-property cost cap | policy decision, regulations not yet made | Government response published January 2026 alongside the Warm Homes Plan: a single compliance date of 1 October 2030 for all tenancies; properties without an EER C before 1 October 2029 must meet the new-metric standard. The amending regulations have not been made, so band E remains the only binding minimum. | If a property is below band C, read its EPC recommendations now; spending on recommended measures from 1 October 2025 is stated to count towards the cost cap. Source |
| Awaab's Law extended to private rented tenancies: fixed timescales to investigate and make safe serious hazards such as damp and mould | consultation open | Consultation published 9 October 2026, closes 18 December 2026; the government's impact assessment models phased implementation in 2028, 2029 and 2030. Not in force for private landlords. | Log every repair report with the date received and the date fixed, and keep dated photographs; the social-sector rules already turn on those dates. Source |
| A Decent Homes Standard applied to the private rented sector for the first time, enforced by councils | consultation closed, response awaited | Consulted 2 July to 12 September 2025 with a proposed start in 2035 or 2037; the roadmap lists implementation as "TBC, subject to consultation" | Nothing is required yet; the government's stated expectation is that landlords start works earlier where feasible. Source |
In England: a gas safety record (annual), an EICR (five-yearly), an EPC of band E or above, deposit protection with prescribed information, working smoke and CO alarms, any licence the property or council requires, and Right to Rent records for every adult occupier.
Every 12 months. Each tenant must get a copy within 28 days of the check, and a new tenant must get the latest record before moving in.
Yes, in England since 2020. The electrical installation must be inspected and tested at least every five years by a qualified person, and the report given to tenants within 28 days. The council can impose a civil penalty of up to £40,000.
Not yet. The legal minimum to let in England is band E. Band C from 1 October 2030 is confirmed government policy (21 January 2026 response), but the regulations have not been made, so it is not yet law.
There is no national landlord licence. A mandatory HMO licence is needed for five or more people in two or more households, and councils can run additional or selective licensing schemes that cover other properties in their area.
No. The Private Rented Sector Database is created by the Renters' Rights Act 2025 but the registration duty is not in force. The draft regulations propose a regional rollout starting with the West Midlands on 15 December 2026.
It is a criminal offence enforced by the Health and Safety Executive, carrying an unlimited fine and up to two years' imprisonment. It is not a bar to a possession order, but a judge hearing a discretionary ground may take it into account.
When a compliance question becomes a court or tribunal matter, BundleCreator.co, from the same company, turns the records into a court-ready bundle. From the letter of claim to the hearing, with the evidence each stage needs. Start with the housing disrepair journey.
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