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New Landlord Compliance Checklist: A First-Timer's Guide (2026)

Updated 29 July 2026

Letting your first property is exciting — and a little daunting, because being a landlord in England comes with a surprisingly long list of legal duties. Miss one and the penalties can be severe (some are criminal offences). The good news: if you do things in the right order, it's completely manageable. This is your new landlord compliance checklist — the essentials, in the order you'll actually need them.

For the full, detailed version covering every stage of a tenancy, see our complete UK Landlord Compliance Checklist. This guide is the first-timer's fast start.

Before your first tenant moves in

Most of the big penalties come from letting a property without the right paperwork already done. Get these in place before anyone moves in.

1
Energy Performance Certificate (EPC). You need a valid EPC of at least band E to let (band C is planned from 2030). Give a copy to the tenant before move-in.
2
Gas Safety Record (CP12). If there are any gas appliances, a Gas Safe registered engineer must check them — renewed every 12 months. Letting without one is a criminal offence.
3
Electrical safety (EICR). Have the fixed wiring inspected and tested — valid for up to 5 years — and fix any flagged faults. Penalties reach £30,000.
4
Smoke & carbon monoxide alarms. At least one smoke alarm per storey, and a CO alarm in any room with a combustion appliance. Test them at the start of the tenancy.
5
Right to Rent check. Confirm every adult occupier has the right to rent in the UK, keep dated evidence, and diarise time-limited checks.
6
Protect the deposit. Put any deposit in a government-approved scheme (DPS, MyDeposits or TDS) within 30 days and serve the prescribed information.
7
Serve the right documents. Give the tenant the current "How to Rent" guide, the EPC and the gas record, in a written tenancy agreement — and keep proof of what you served and when.
8
Check for licensing. Larger shared houses need an HMO licence; many councils run selective schemes covering ordinary rentals too. Check your local authority before letting.

The pattern to notice: almost every duty above has a date attached — an expiry, a deadline, a renewal. That's where new landlords slip up: not ignoring the rules, just losing track of the dates.

Once you're letting

Compliance isn't a one-off — it's a rolling set of renewals. Keep every certificate in date (gas yearly, EICR five-yearly, EPC ten-yearly), respond to repairs and reported hazards promptly, and keep your records and tenant communication organised in case you ever need to prove what you did.

What new landlords need to know about the Renters' Rights Act 2025

The rules changed significantly on 1 May 2026. If you're letting for the first time now, this is your normal: Section 21 "no-fault" evictions are abolished, and tenancies are periodic from the outset rather than fixed-term ASTs. Further measures are phasing in — a national PRS Database you'll need to register on, a mandatory Landlord Ombudsman, the Decent Homes Standard and Awaab's Law for private renting, annual rent increases via the Section 13 process, and a ban on bidding wars. Our full checklist breaks each of these down.

The easiest way to stay on top of it all

Every item above lives or dies by a date. JRM Compliance is built to track exactly that: store every certificate, get automatic reminders at 90, 60, 30, 7 and 1 days before anything expires, record your deposit protection and licensing, and keep tenants, contractors and evidence in one place. It's the difference between hoping you remembered and knowing the system did.

Read the full UK Landlord Compliance Checklist →  ·  See pricing →  ·  Ask us a question →

General guidance for landlords in England, not legal advice. Always check the current position on GOV.UK or with a qualified adviser before acting.

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