The short answer
A landlord in England is generally tracking five recurring compliance clocks at once: gas safety, electrical safety (EICR), EPC, deposit protection, and Right to Rent rechecks where they apply. Each runs on its own cycle, needs its own evidence kept on file, and has its own consequence for getting it wrong. This checklist covers what each one is and where to check the current official position. It isn't legal advice, and it isn't a sales pitch for compliance software either, most of what ranks for this search is one or the other.
This checklist is written for England. Scotland and Wales have their own, different rules for several of these items, so if your property is there, check the equivalent guidance for that nation rather than applying this one. Last checked: 7 October 2026.
What this checklist is, and isn't
This is a plain list of what to track and where the official guidance lives, not legal advice and not a substitute for checking gov.uk yourself before a deadline. Rules in this area move, most recently through the Renters' Rights Act 2025, so treat anything here with a specific figure or date as a starting point to verify, not a final answer.
Gas safety
Every property with a gas appliance needs an annual safety check carried out by a Gas Safe registered engineer, with the certificate renewed every twelve months without a gap. Keep the certificate itself, not just a note that it happened, since that's the evidence that actually matters if it's ever questioned. Official guidance: gov.uk's landlord safety responsibilities.
Electrical safety (EICR)
Rented properties in England need the electrical installation inspected and tested, generally every five years, or sooner if the previous report flagged something that needs following up. The inspection has to be carried out by a qualified person, and the report kept on file as evidence. Check the current detail on gov.uk's guidance for landlords, tenants and local authorities, since the exact detail of what counts as compliant is set out there rather than repeated reliably across the web.
EPC and minimum energy efficiency standards
Every let property needs a current Energy Performance Certificate. Minimum energy efficiency standards for privately rented homes have been proposed for reform more than once, and the timetable has moved before, so don't rely on a specific date you've seen quoted elsewhere, including anything written before today. Check gov.uk's current EPC guidance for what applies right now, and treat any proposed future minimum standard as "not yet confirmed as law" until gov.uk says otherwise.
Deposit protection
Once a deposit is taken, it must generally be placed in a government-approved scheme, such as the Deposit Protection Service, mydeposits or the Tenancy Deposit Scheme, within 30 days of receiving it, with prescribed information given to the tenant at the same time. This is one of the few items here with a fixed, confirmed figure rather than one that's likely to change soon. Official guidance: gov.uk's deposit protection schemes page.
Right to Rent rechecks
For a tenant with time-limited permission to live in the UK, the initial right to rent check isn't a one-off. A follow-up check is generally needed before that permission expires, not done once at move-in and then forgotten. This is the item most likely to quietly slip, because the initial check happens naturally during move-in and the recheck doesn't have an equivalent trigger. Official guidance: gov.uk's right to rent checks.
A note on the Renters' Rights Act
The Renters' Rights Act 2025 received Royal Assent in October 2025 and is being brought in over several stages rather than all at once; assured shorthold tenancies in England have moved to open-ended periodic tenancies as part of that rollout. It also extends Awaab's Law, which sets timescales for responding to hazards like damp and mould, from social housing into the private rented sector, though the timetable and detail for private landlords need secondary legislation and aren't fully confirmed yet. None of this changes the five clocks above, but it's worth checking gov.uk's Renters' Rights Act guidance for where things stand before relying on anything written about it, including this paragraph, after today's date.
Check you're not already behind: a 10-minute audit
For each property, write down the requirement, the last date it was done, and when it's next due. If you can't answer that in under a minute per property without searching an inbox or a drawer, that's the actual problem this checklist is meant to catch, not just missing a date outright.
When a checklist stops being enough
A checklist works as a one-off audit. It doesn't send you a reminder, store your evidence, or catch a date that's drifted since you last looked. For a handful of properties, a properly structured compliance tracker covers that gap well. Once the portfolio's grown further, or more than one person needs to see the same dates, a CRM or simple system set up around your portfolio does the same job with reminders that fire automatically and documents attached to each date, rather than relying on anyone remembering to look.
When to get help, and what we'd do
Most of the time, the fix isn't new software for its own sake, it's one reliable place holding every property, every requirement and every date, with reminders that fire weeks ahead rather than on the day. A CRM or simple system set up around your portfolio starts from £900 and typically takes two to four weeks, including a clean import of whatever you're tracking this on today. These are guide prices for a typical project; the fixed quote comes after a free 30-minute call.
Related
- General guide: The business runs on a spreadsheet that's creaking
- Sector pillar: Property spreadsheet chaos
- Sibling page: Free landlord compliance tracker
- Industry page: Property
Frequently asked questions
Do I need letting agency software like Reapit or Alto just to track compliance?
Usually not. Those platforms are built for agencies managing large numbers of tenancies across a team. A self-managing landlord with a handful of properties is typically better served by a properly structured spreadsheet or a simpler system scoped to compliance tracking, which costs less and takes less time to learn.
What happens if I miss a gas safety or EICR deadline?
The practical risk is a lapse in a legal safety check you're required to keep current, which can affect insurance, mortgage conditions and your ability to serve certain notices, alongside the safety risk itself. Catching it before it happens, with reminders set weeks ahead, is considerably easier than fixing it after the fact.
Is this checklist valid for Scotland or Wales?
No. This checklist is written for England. Scotland and Wales have their own frameworks for several of these items, including deposit protection and electrical safety, so check the equivalent official guidance for that nation rather than applying this one.
How do I know if I've already fallen behind on one of these?
Run the 10-minute audit above: for each property, write down the requirement, when it was last done, and when it's next due. Any requirement you can't answer for in under a minute, without searching an inbox or a drawer, is the one most likely to already be overdue or close to it.
Is a PDF version of this checklist available?
We don't currently publish one as a standalone download, but the structure above (requirement, last done, next due, evidence) is exactly what we'd set up for you as a working, reminder-driven system rather than a static document, which tends to be more useful once you're tracking more than a property or two.