The Landlord Compliance Pack: Every Deadline in One Place

Twenty-three guides on this site each answer one question well. This page is different: it pulls the recurring deadlines and the new-tenancy steps into one place, so you're not hunting through separate articles when a certificate's about to lapse or a new tenant is moving in. The notice templates sit behind a free email unlock so we can send updates when the rules change.

The annual compliance calendar

Recurring obligations, however far into a tenancy you are. Set a calendar reminder for each — missing one is what breaks a possession claim later, not usually the certificate itself.

• Every 12 months: gas safety check (if any gas appliance) by a Gas Safe engineer — copy to tenant within 28 days, before move-in for new tenants. See gas & electrical certificates.
• Every 5 years (or on any C1/C2 remedial deadline): EICR electrical inspection. Remedial C1/C2 items must be fixed within 28 days of the report, or sooner if it says so.
• Every 10 years (or when it expires): EPC renewal — check the current minimum band before re-letting; standards have tightened before and are expected to again. See EPC requirements.
• Annually, on your own schedule: rent review — once-a-year limit applies under the Renters' Rights Act. Don't skip a year; it's gone for good. See raising rent legally.
• Every tenancy, at least once: smoke alarm test on every storey, CO alarm test in rooms with a fixed combustion appliance — test and record at the start of every tenancy, not just when installed.
• Whenever anything changes: licensing — check your council's selective/additional licensing map annually; schemes get added without much notice.

The new-tenancy checklist, in order

1. Right to rent check — every adult occupier, before they move in, evidence kept.
2. Referencing — affordability, credit check, previous landlord reference, guarantor if needed.
3. Gas safety certificate, EPC and the current How to Rent guide — all handed over before or at move-in.
4. Tenancy agreement signed — check it against the void-clause list in that guide.
5. Deposit protected in a government scheme within 30 days, prescribed information served on every named tenant.
6. Photographed inventory — the single most dispute-winning document you'll create. Date-stamped photos of every room, meter readings, existing damage noted.
7. Smoke/CO alarms tested in front of the tenant, noted on the inventory.
8. Confirm landlord insurance is active for this specific letting (not a lapsed policy from the last tenant).

Fast links to the full guides behind each item

Full legal obligations overview · Renters' Rights Act checklist · Tax on rental income · Repair responsibilities · Damp and mould rules

This is general information about the law in England, not personalised legal advice — Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland have different rules, and landlord law changes regularly (some areas covered here are under active reform). For anything that affects a real tenancy, check GOV.UK for the current position or speak to a solicitor or a body like the National Residential Landlords Association (NRLA).