Most of a landlord's legal duties in England run to a timetable. Some come round every year, some every five or ten, and some fall on the day a tenancy starts. Miss one and a tenant can be left at risk and a landlord exposed. Here is the calendar, with the official rules behind each date.
Every year: the gas safety check
Where a home has gas appliances, pipework or flues provided by the landlord, a Gas Safe registered engineer must check them at intervals of no more than 12 months. The engineer issues a gas safety record. According to the Health and Safety Executive:
- existing tenants must receive a copy within 28 days of the check;
- a prospective tenant must receive a copy before moving in;
- records must be kept for at least two years.
Since a 2018 amendment, a check can be carried out up to two months before it is due while keeping the original deadline date, so the annual cycle does not creep earlier each year. If you use this, keep the record until two further checks have been done, as proof of the dates.
Every five years: the electrical report
The Electrical Safety Standards in the Private Rented Sector (England) Regulations 2020 require the electrical installation to be inspected and tested by a qualified person at least every five years, or sooner if the last report says so. The result is usually an Electrical Installation Condition Report (EICR). The landlord must:
- give existing tenants a copy within 28 days of the inspection, and a new tenant a copy before they move in;
- give the council a copy within 7 days if it asks in writing;
- carry out any remedial work within 28 days, or sooner if the report requires, and send written confirmation to the tenant and the council within 28 days of completion.
Government guidance updated this month says councils can impose a financial penalty of up to £40,000 for breaches.
Every ten years: the EPC
An Energy Performance Certificate is valid for ten years, and one must be in place before a home is marketed to let. Under the minimum energy efficiency standard, a property covered by the rules cannot be let, or continue to be let, with a rating below E unless a valid exemption is registered on the PRS Exemptions Register. Councils can fine up to £5,000 per property, and exemptions and penalties can be searched publicly.
A higher bar is coming. The government has committed to as many privately rented homes as possible reaching band C or equivalent by 2030, and says it is working on the policy design following the 2026 consultation. Until the detail is confirmed, a landlord planning works such as insulation, glazing or a new boiler is wise to ask the assessor what each would do for the rating.
On day one of every tenancy
- Alarms: At least one smoke alarm on every storey with living accommodation, and a carbon monoxide alarm in any room with a fixed combustion appliance (gas cookers excluded). Each must be working on the day a new tenancy begins.
- Deposit: Protected in a government approved scheme within 30 days of receipt, with the prescribed information given to the tenant in the same period.
- Right to rent: Every adult tenant checked before the tenancy starts. Where permission to stay is time limited, the check must happen in the 28 days before the start, with a follow up check later.
- Documents: The current gas safety record, electrical report and EPC handed over.
What is on the horizon
The government's Renters' Rights Act roadmap expects the new private rented sector database to go live from late 2026, with registration mandatory for landlords. Membership of the new landlord ombudsman is expected in 2028. A consultation on extending Awaab's Law, which sets deadlines for dealing with hazards such as damp and mould, to private tenancies runs until 18 December 2026, and timings for a Decent Homes Standard in the sector are still to be confirmed. Our Renters' Rights Act guide covers the changes already in force.
Keeping it in one place
The simplest system is one list per property: when each check was done, when the next is due, and when each document reached the tenant. A reminder two months ahead of each deadline leaves time to book engineers and fix what they find.
Where we fit
With our property management service we track these dates for you, arrange the checks, chase remedial work and keep the records. With guaranteed rent you receive an agreed sum each month, and we explain at the outset how compliance is handled for your home. To find out what your property could achieve, use our rent calculator and a property manager will come back to you with a figure.
Sources: HSE, Gas safety check records and what to keep; legislation.gov.uk, Gas Safety (Installation and Use) Regulations 1998, regulation 36; legislation.gov.uk, Electrical Safety Standards in the Private Rented Sector (England) Regulations 2020, regulation 3; GOV.UK, Electrical safety standards in the private and social rented sectors: guidance; GOV.UK, Domestic private rented property: minimum energy efficiency standard, landlord guidance; GOV.UK, Energy Performance Certificates; GOV.UK, Smoke and carbon monoxide alarms: guidance for landlords and tenants; GOV.UK, Deposit protection schemes and landlords; GOV.UK, Check your tenant's right to rent; GOV.UK, Implementing the Renters' Rights Act 2025: our roadmap; GOV.UK consultation, Extending Awaab's Law to private rented tenancies and to licences.
