The 2026 UK Landlord Compliance Checklist: Every Legal Duty in One Place

There are now more than 150 separate rules governing a let property in England, and 2026 is the year the biggest of them change at once. This checklist pulls every active duty into one place — what it is, the deadline, and the penalty for missing it — so you can see your whole compliance picture on a single page.

It is written for England. Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland have their own regimes (Renting Homes (Wales), the Repairing Standard, and so on), so treat the principles as a guide rather than gospel if you let outside England.

1. Safety certificates

These are the non-negotiables. Several carry criminal liability, not just civil fines, and the new Section 8 possession regime makes most of them a precondition for ever getting your property back.

Gas safety (CP12)

• Required annually for every property with a gas appliance, pipe or flue, carried out by a Gas Safe registered engineer.
• The certificate must be given to existing tenants within 28 days of the check, and to new tenants before they move in.
• Letting without a valid certificate is a criminal offence carrying an unlimited fine and potential liability if a tenant is harmed.

Electrical safety (EICR)

• An Electrical Installation Condition Report is required at least every 5 years (or sooner if the report says so), carried out by a qualified electrician.
• Any C1 or C2 faults must be remedied within 28 days.
• Local authorities can impose a civil penalty of up to £30,000 for letting without a valid EICR.

Smoke and carbon monoxide alarms

• At least one smoke alarm on every storey used as living accommodation.
• A carbon monoxide alarm in any room with a fixed combustion appliance such as a boiler or wood burner (gas cookers are excluded).
• Alarms must be working at the start of each tenancy, and you must repair or replace a faulty alarm as soon as a tenant reports it. Breaches carry a penalty of up to £5,000.

2. Tenancy deposits

• Protect the deposit in a government-approved scheme within 30 calendar days of receiving it — there is no grace period.
• Serve the prescribed information within the same window.
• Deposits are capped at 5 weeks' rent where annual rent is under £50,000, and 6 weeks' rent above that.
• Get it wrong and a tenant can claim 1 to 3 times the deposit in compensation — and under the Renters' Rights Act, an unprotected deposit blocks most Section 8 possession grounds.

3. Energy performance (EPC and MEES)

Today the Minimum Energy Efficiency Standard requires a valid EPC of at least band E to let a property. The government has confirmed this is rising to band C: for new tenancies from 2028 and for all existing tenancies by 2030, subject to a £10,000 cost cap per property (or 10% of value for homes under £100,000). The EPC methodology itself is being overhauled, so an upgrade you plan now should target real fabric performance, not just a paper score.

4. The Renters' Rights Act 2025

The single biggest change in a generation. From 1 May 2026, Section 21 "no-fault" evictions are abolished, assured shorthold tenancies convert to periodic tenancies, and rent can only be raised once a year through the Section 13 process. A landlord database and a new Ombudsman follow later. We cover this in depth in our Renters' Rights Act guide.

5. Licensing

• Mandatory HMO licensing applies to houses let to 5 or more people forming 2 or more households who share facilities.
• Many councils run additional HMO licensing (smaller HMOs) and selective licensing (all rentals in a designated area) on top of that.
• Renting an unlicensed property that needs a licence is an offence and can trigger a Rent Repayment Order of up to 12 months' rent. Always check the rules of the specific local authority.

6. Right to Rent

Before a tenancy begins you must check that every adult occupier has the right to rent in the UK, using original documents, a digital identity check or a Home Office share code. Keep dated copies for the length of the tenancy plus one year.

7. Making Tax Digital for Income Tax

From April 2026, landlords with qualifying income (property plus self-employment, before expenses) over £50,000 must keep digital records and file quarterly updates to HMRC, plus a final declaration. The threshold drops to £30,000 in April 2027 and £20,000 in April 2028. See our Making Tax Digital guide for the full timetable.

8. Records and documents to keep

• The current EPC, gas certificate, EICR and the government's 'How to Rent' guide — all served on the tenant.
• Deposit protection certificate and prescribed information.
• Right to Rent evidence.
• Digital income and expense records for MTD.

Treat this page as your annual review. Work through each section, confirm the date of your last certificate, and diarise the next one. The penalties above stack — a single non-compliant property can attract several at once — so a quiet hour now is the cheapest insurance you will buy all year.