The question most landlords actually have is not "what are the rules?" It is "which certificate on which property runs out next, and have I missed one?" A single missed gas check or an expired licence can cost you a penalty, block a possession claim, or invalidate a deposit deduction. The rules themselves are fairly stable. The failure point is the calendar.
So this checklist is built around dates, not just duties. For each obligation you get the frequency, then a way to turn it into a per-property "renew by" date you can track. Do that once and compliance stops being a scramble between tenancies.
The core duties, and how often they recur
These apply to a typical assured tenancy in England. Devolved nations differ in detail, so check your own scheme if you let in Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland.
- Gas safety check (CP12) - every 12 months where there is a gas appliance, under the Gas Safety (Installation and Use) Regulations 1998. Give the tenant a copy within 28 days.
- Electrical inspection (EICR) - at least every 5 years under the Electrical Safety Standards in the Private Rented Sector (England) Regulations 2020. Some reports specify a shorter interval; use whatever the report states.
- Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) - valid for 10 years. The current minimum to let is band E. A minimum of band C is proposed for new tenancies by 2028 and all tenancies by 2030 (government consultation position, gov.uk, as at July 2026, not yet law).
- Deposit protection - protect any deposit in an approved scheme and serve the prescribed information within 30 days of receipt (Housing Act 2004). This is a one-off per deposit, but it must be re-checked whenever a tenancy renews or a tenant swaps.
- Smoke and carbon monoxide alarms - a smoke alarm on every storey and a CO alarm in any room with a fixed combustion appliance, tested at the start of each tenancy (Smoke and Carbon Monoxide Alarm (Amendment) Regulations 2022).
- Property licence - selective and HMO licences typically run up to 5 years. Terms and renewal windows are set by the local council, so the date is specific to each property.
- Right to Rent, How to Rent, legionella - a right to rent check before the tenancy, the current How to Rent guide at the start and at renewal, and a legionella risk assessment reviewed periodically.
What changed for 2026
The Renters' Rights Act 2025 received Royal Assent on 27 October 2025, and the main tenancy reforms commenced on 1 May 2026 (legislation.gov.uk). From that date Section 21 "no fault" evictions are abolished and all assured tenancies become periodic. A Section 21 notice served before 1 May 2026 remains enforceable in court only until 31 July 2026, so if you are relying on one, the court date matters.
The practical compliance point: because tenancies now roll periodically rather than resetting on a fixed anniversary, there is no natural annual moment that forces you to re-check certificates. That is exactly why a per-property date list matters more in 2026 than it did before.
Turn each duty into a renewal date
Here is the method for one property. Take the completion date of each certificate, add its validity period, then subtract a lead time so you book the renewal before it lapses. For gas, the rule is generous: you can carry out the next check up to two months before the current one expires and keep the original expiry date, so a booking buffer costs you nothing.
Worked example, a single flat with gas heating and a selective licence:
| Duty | Last done | Valid for | Expires | Renew by (buffer) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gas safety (CP12) | 14 Mar 2026 | 12 months | 13 Mar 2027 | 14 Feb 2027 (1 month) |
| EICR | 2 Jun 2024 | 5 years | 1 Jun 2029 | 1 Apr 2029 (2 months) |
| EPC | 9 Sep 2019 | 10 years | 8 Sep 2029 | 8 Jun 2029 (3 months) |
| Selective licence | 1 Apr 2023 | 5 years | 31 Mar 2028 | 1 Jan 2028 (3 months) |
| Deposit prescribed info | 5 Jan 2026 | per tenancy | on renewal | re-check at each renewal |
The buffers are yours to choose, but bigger ones for the slow, council-controlled items. A licence renewal can take weeks to process, and letting one lapse can mean managing an unlicensed HMO, which carries civil penalties and rent repayment order risk. A three-month lead on the licence and EPC, and a one-month lead on gas, keeps you clear without over-servicing.
If you run several properties, keep one row per property per duty in a single sheet sorted by "renew by" date. The next action is always the top row. Padlord derives these renewal dates for you from the certificate dates you record against each property, and flags the ones coming due, but the logic above works just as well in a spreadsheet.
The between-tenancy checklist
A change of tenant is the moment things silently break, because a certificate that was fine for the outgoing tenant may not be re-served to the incoming one. At every new or renewed tenancy, run this short list:
- Serve the current How to Rent guide (check the version date on gov.uk, it is updated periodically).
- Give the new tenant the existing gas and EICR certificates.
- Complete a right to rent check before they move in.
- Test every smoke and CO alarm and record the date.
- Protect the deposit and serve prescribed information within 30 days.
- Confirm the EPC is still band E or above, and note whether a band C upgrade will be needed before the 2028 to 2030 timeline bites.
Miss the deposit or How to Rent steps and you may lose the ability to rely on possession grounds later, quite apart from any penalty. These are cheap to get right and expensive to get wrong.
Keep it boring
Good compliance is deliberately dull. Record the date each certificate was issued, calculate the "renew by" date once, sort by soonest, and act on the top of the list. Because 2026 tenancies roll on periodically with no annual reset, that dated list is now the only thing standing between you and a quietly expired certificate.
This is general information, not tax or financial advice. Licensing rules and enforcement vary by council, so confirm the specifics with your local authority and check gov.uk for the current version of any guide or regulation before you rely on it.
