UK landlord compliance checklist: what to do, how often, by country

Most landlord compliance problems are not about not knowing the rules. They are about a date that slipped. This checklist pulls every recurring duty for a rented home in England, Scotland and Wales into one place, says how often each comes round, and links the official rule so you can check it yourself.

Two kinds of item are mixed in here on purpose. Dated items (gas, electrics, EPC, registration) expire and need a renewal booked. One-off items (deposit, right to rent, alarm check at move-in) happen at the start of each tenancy. Both belong on the same calendar.

The guides on gas safety, EICRs and possession go deeper on each topic; this page is the overview.

Before a tenancy starts

Item	England	Scotland	Wales
Landlord registration	Not yet. The private rented sector database starts rolling out from late 2026 under the Renters' Rights Act.	Register on the Scottish Landlord Register before letting; renew every 3 years. Letting unregistered is an offence with a fine of up to £50,000.	Register with Rent Smart Wales, and hold a licence if you manage the property yourself.
HMO licence	Mandatory if let to 5 or more people from more than one household; councils can license smaller HMOs. Lasts up to 5 years.	Council HMO licensing applies; check with the local authority.	Mandatory for HMOs of three or more storeys with five or more occupants from more than one household. Wales kept the storey test that England dropped in 2018, so a two-storey house let to five sharers needs a licence in England but not under the mandatory scheme in Wales. Councils can license smaller HMOs. Lasts up to 5 years.
Right to rent	Check every adult tenant before the tenancy starts.	Not required.	Not required.
EPC	Needed before marketing to rent; valid 10 years. Property must be rated E or better unless exempt.	Needed before marketing; valid 10 years.	Needed before marketing; valid 10 years. Property must be rated E or better unless exempt.
Gas safety record	Give the new tenant a copy before they move in.	Same.	Same.
EICR copy	Give the new tenant a copy before they move in.	Give prospective tenants the latest EICR before the tenancy starts.	Give the contract-holder a copy within 14 days of the occupation date.
Alarms	Each alarm must be working on the day a new tenancy begins.	Alarms must meet the standard at all times.	Alarms must meet the standard from the occupation date.
Deposit	Protect in an approved scheme and give the prescribed information within 30 days of receiving it.	Pay into an approved scheme and give the tenant the required information within 30 working days of the tenancy starting.	Same as England.
How to Rent guide	Withdrawn 1 May 2026; follow the assured periodic tenancy guidance for new tenancies.	Not applicable.	Not applicable.

Recurring dates

Item	How often	England	Scotland	Wales
Gas safety check	Every 12 months for each appliance and flue you provide. A check done 10 to 12 months after the last one keeps the original expiry date.	Yes	Yes	Yes
EICR	At least every 5 years, or sooner if the report says so.	Yes. Remedial work within 28 days; written confirmation to tenants and council within 28 days of completion.	Yes, before the tenancy and at intervals of no more than 5 years, including PAT of appliances you supply. Keep the report 6 years.	Yes. Copy to the contract-holder within 14 days.
Smoke and CO alarms	Check at each new tenancy and repair or replace as soon as a fault is reported. Most landlords also test on each visit.	Smoke alarm on every storey with living accommodation; CO alarm in any living room with a fixed combustion appliance (gas cookers excluded). Up to £5,000 per breach.	Interlinked smoke alarms in the living room and every hallway and landing, a heat alarm in the kitchen, and a CO detector where there is a carbon-fuelled appliance. The Tolerable Standard has applied to every home since 1 February 2022.	Mains-powered, interlinked smoke alarms on every storey; CO alarm in any room with a gas, oil or solid-fuel appliance you installed.
EPC	Renew every 10 years, or when the old one expires before a new tenancy.	Minimum rating E for all tenancies since 1 April 2020; spending cap £3,500 for exemptions; fines up to £5,000 per property.	EPC required; no minimum rating in force yet.	Minimum rating E, as England.
Legionella risk assessment	No fixed legal interval. Assess the risk, write it down, and review it when something changes (new tenant, works to the water system, a long void). No certificate is required and most landlords can do it themselves.	Yes	Yes	Yes
PAT testing of appliances you supply	Scotland: part of the 5-yearly electrical inspection, retested at the interval the tester sets. England and Wales: no statutory interval, but appliances you provide must be safe.	Keep safe	Yes	Keep safe
Landlord registration renewal	Scotland every 3 years. Wales as Rent Smart Wales sets.	No	Yes	Yes
HMO licence renewal	Before the licence expires; up to 5 years.	If licensed	If licensed	If licensed
Landlord insurance	Annual, by contract rather than law. Lapsed cover is the other way a bad year gets worse.	Yes	Yes	Yes

A worked example: one flat, one year

Take a two-bedroom flat in England with a gas combi boiler, let to a new tenant from 1 November 2026. Here is what the calendar looks like.

Before 1 November

Right to rent check for each adult tenant
EPC rated E or better, dated within the last 10 years
Gas safety record from a Gas Safe engineer, dated within the year before the tenancy starts, copy to the tenant. In this example the check is done on 15 October 2026.
EICR dated within the last 5 years, copy to the tenant
Test every smoke and CO alarm on moving-in day and note it
Legionella risk assessment written down

By 1 December 2026

Deposit protected and prescribed information served (30 days from receipt)

Autumn 2027

The gas safety check is due by 15 October 2027, 12 months after the last one. Book it for any date between 15 August and 15 October 2027, which is 10 to 12 months after the previous check. Done in that window, the new record is treated as if it had been done on the deadline, so the next check is due by 15 October 2028 and you never lose a month.

Then

EICR due 5 years from the date on the current report
EPC due 10 years from its issue date
Alarms checked again at the next change of tenant, and whenever a fault is reported

The same flat in Scotland would add a landlord registration renewal every 3 years and a PAT retest at the interval the electrician sets. In Wales it would add the Rent Smart Wales registration and licence, and the 14-day deadline for giving the EICR to the contract-holder.

How this looks in LandlordsDiary

Add the property once, tick the requirements that apply (gas, electrical, alarms, EPC, legionella, PAT, insurance, inspections), and enter the date of each certificate. The next due date is worked out for you, the dashboard shows what is overdue and what is coming up, and an email arrives before each date so you can book the engineer inside the renewal window. Upload the certificate when it comes back and the record is kept with the property.

Keep this list honest

Rules change. The Renters' Rights Act reshaped England's tenancy law on 1 May 2026, Wales rewrote its fitness rules in 2022, and Scotland moved alarm standards into the Tolerable Standard the same year. Every row above links to the official page it came from in the Sources list, and the review date on this guide tells you when we last checked them. If you spot a change we have missed, tell us.

This checklist was reviewed against the official sources listed below on 10 October 2026. It is general information, not legal advice. Licensing and registration conditions vary by council; check your local authority's requirements for the property.