Which compliance checks are annual?

The gas safety check is the only one that must be done every year. The electrical report is at least every five years and the EPC lasts ten.

Do these rules apply to commercial property?

Not in the same form. This checklist is for residential lettings. Commercial property has its own requirements, such as fire risk assessments and asbestos management for non-domestic premises.

Guide · Compliance

The landlord compliance checklist for England

Letting a home in England comes with a set of legal checks, each on its own cycle, and a set of documents your tenants must receive at the start. This is the whole list in one place.

Updated 21 September 2026

Recurring safety checks

These repeat for as long as you let the property:

Gas safety check by a Gas Safe registered engineer, every 12 months, where there are gas appliances
Electrical installation condition report (EICR) by a qualified person, at least every five years
Energy performance certificate (EPC), valid for ten years, with a minimum rating of E to let
Smoke alarm on every storey with living accommodation, and carbon monoxide alarms where required, checked on the first day of each tenancy

Before the tenancy starts

For each new tenancy:

Right to Rent checks on every adult who will live in the property
Give the tenants a copy of the current gas safety record
Give them the EPC and the most recent electrical safety report
Give them the government’s current How to Rent guide
Check the smoke and carbon monoxide alarms work on the day the tenancy starts

The deposit

If you take a deposit on an assured shorthold tenancy, you must protect it in a government-approved scheme within 30 days of receiving it, and give your tenants the prescribed information about the scheme within the same 30 days. The deposit stays protected for the length of that tenancy — there is no renewal date to track.

Licensing

A house in multiple occupation let to five or more people forming two or more households needs a mandatory licence. Many councils also run additional or selective licensing schemes that cover other properties in their area, so check with the council for each property you let.

Keeping the record

Being able to show what you did, and when, matters as much as doing it. Keep each certificate, the date it was given to your tenants, and the date the deposit was protected. If you ever need to rely on it, a clear record is what counts.

Common questions

Which compliance checks are annual?: The gas safety check is the only one that must be done every year. The electrical report is at least every five years and the EPC lasts ten.
Do these rules apply to commercial property?: Not in the same form. This checklist is for residential lettings. Commercial property has its own requirements, such as fire risk assessments and asbestos management for non-domestic premises.