London Landlord Compliance Checklist 2026

Electrical Safety Standards in the Private Rented Sector (England) Regulations 2020. This is the item most commonly missed on portfolio handovers in prime London, because period wiring and shared risers make remedial work slower to book.

• Valid EICR (Electrical Installation Condition Report)

  At least every 5 years, and at each change of tenancy if the report has expired

  Fixed installations in a privately rented home in England must be inspected and tested at intervals of no more than five years by a qualified and competent person. The report must confirm the installation is safe, or set out the remedial work needed.

  • Book the inspection before the current report expires, not after the tenant reports a fault
  • Give a copy to existing tenants within 28 days of the inspection
  • Give a copy to any new tenant before they occupy the property
  • Supply a copy to the local authority within 7 days if they request one
  • Keep the report until the next inspection so it can be handed to the next inspector

  GOV.UK — Electrical safety standards in the private rented sector

• C1, C2 and FI remedial work completed and evidenced

  Within 28 days of the report, or sooner if the report specifies

  Where an EICR identifies C1 (danger present), C2 (potentially dangerous) or FI (further investigation required) codes, the work must be carried out within 28 days or any shorter period stated in the report, and written confirmation obtained.

  • Instruct remedials as soon as the report lands — access in managed blocks can take days to arrange
  • Obtain written confirmation from the electrician that the work is complete and the installation is now safe
  • Send that confirmation to tenants and, where requested, the local authority within 28 days

  GOV.UK — Landlord guidance on remedial work

• Portable appliance safety for anything you supply

  Risk-based; commonly annually in furnished and short-let properties

  There is no fixed legal testing interval for portable appliances in a standard let, but appliances you supply must be safe. In furnished and short-let stock, a documented PAT round is the simplest way to evidence that.

  • Keep an inventory of supplied appliances with their last check date
  • Remove or replace anything unsafe rather than repairing informally

  HSE — Maintaining portable electrical equipment

Gas Safety (Installation and Use) Regulations 1998. Annual, non-negotiable, and the record must reach the tenant on a fixed timetable.

• Annual Gas Safety Record (CP12) by a Gas Safe registered engineer

  Every 12 months

  Every gas appliance, fitting and flue provided for a tenant's use must be checked for safety every 12 months by an engineer on the Gas Safe Register, and a record issued.

  • Check the engineer's Gas Safe ID card and registration number on the day
  • Give a copy of the record to existing tenants within 28 days of the check
  • Give a copy to new tenants before they move in
  • Keep records for at least 2 years

  GOV.UK — Gas safety: landlords and letting agents

• Appliances and flues maintained in a safe condition

  Ongoing, plus servicing to the manufacturer's schedule

  The annual check is not the same as a service. Boilers, flues and gas fires must be maintained in a safe condition, which normally means servicing at the interval the manufacturer specifies.

  • Set boiler servicing on the same calendar reminder as the CP12 to save an access visit
  • Log tenant-reported faults and the date they were attended

  HSE — Landlords' gas safety responsibilities

• Carbon monoxide alarms in rooms with a fixed combustion appliance

  Tested at the start of each tenancy; repaired or replaced when reported faulty

  A carbon monoxide alarm is required in any room used as living accommodation that contains a fixed combustion appliance, excluding gas cookers. Faulty alarms must be repaired or replaced once reported.

  • Record the alarm test at check-in on the inventory, signed by the tenant
  • Keep spare alarms with the turnaround kit so a failed unit is replaced on the day

  GOV.UK — Smoke and carbon monoxide alarms: explanatory booklet for landlords

Smoke and Carbon Monoxide Alarm (England) Regulations 2015 as amended in 2022, the Fire Safety (England) Regulations 2022 for blocks of flats, and the Furniture and Furnishings (Fire) (Safety) Regulations 1988.

• Smoke alarm on every storey used as living accommodation

  Tested at the start of each tenancy; repaired or replaced when reported

  At least one smoke alarm is required on each storey of the property that is used as living accommodation, including split-level and mezzanine layouts common in prime London conversions.

  • Walk each storey at check-in and test every alarm in front of the tenant
  • Photograph alarm positions for the file so the next inspection is quick

  GOV.UK — Smoke and carbon monoxide alarms guidance

• Flat entrance door and communal fire duties confirmed with the building

  Check annually with the freeholder or managing agent

  In blocks of flats, duties such as fire door checks, signage and information for residents sit with the building's responsible person under the Fire Safety (England) Regulations 2022. Leaseholder landlords need to know what the building does and what falls to them at flat level.

  • Ask the managing agent in writing what checks they carry out and at what frequency
  • Do not replace or alter a flat entrance door without written consent — fire performance is part of the building's strategy
  • Keep the current fire action notice and building information with the tenancy pack

  GOV.UK — Fire Safety (England) Regulations 2022

• Upholstered furniture meets the fire safety labelling requirements

  Check at purchase and at every refurbishment or restyle

  Furniture supplied in a let property must comply with the Furniture and Furnishings (Fire) (Safety) Regulations 1988. Reupholstered heritage pieces and imported designer items are the usual problem in high-end interiors.

  • Keep the permanent fire labels attached and photograph them for the inventory
  • Ask suppliers for written confirmation of compliance before a staging or restyle order

  GOV.UK — Furniture and furnishings fire safety regulations

Housing Health and Safety Rating System hazards, the Homes (Fitness for Human Habitation) Act 2018, MEES energy rules and HSE legionella guidance.

• Valid EPC, minimum band E under MEES

  EPC valid 10 years; check the rating before every new letting

  A property let on most tenancy types in England must have an EPC of at least band E unless a valid exemption is registered on the PRS Exemptions Register. Government has consulted on raising the minimum standard, so check the current position before budgeting improvement works.

  • Give the EPC to the tenant before the tenancy starts
  • Register any exemption rather than relying on it informally
  • Plan fabric and heating upgrades around void periods rather than mid-tenancy

  GOV.UK — Domestic private rented property: minimum energy efficiency standard

• Damp, mould and disrepair addressed promptly and in writing

  Ongoing; inspect at every changeover

  A let home must be fit for human habitation throughout the tenancy. Damp and mould are treated as a serious hazard, and government has been extending stricter repair timescales into the private rented sector — check the current requirements before setting your own service levels.

  • Log every report with a date, photographs and the action taken
  • Treat the cause, not just the surface — ventilation, cold bridging and failed seals
  • Redecorate properly after remedial work so the fix is evidenced at the next inspection

  GOV.UK — Understanding and addressing the health risks of damp and mould

• Legionella risk assessed for the water system

  Assess and review periodically, and after any system change or long void

  Landlords must assess and control the risk of exposure to legionella bacteria. For most domestic lets this is a simple, proportionate assessment rather than a certificate, but voids and stored-water systems in older prime London stock need attention.

  • Flush outlets after a long void or between short-let bookings
  • Set stored hot water and check for redundant pipework after any bathroom refit

  HSE — Legionella and landlords' responsibilities

The administrative items that invalidate a Section 21 notice or trigger a civil penalty far more often than a technical defect does.

• Deposit protected and prescribed information served

  Within 30 days of receiving the deposit

  Deposits taken on assured shorthold tenancies must be protected in a government-approved scheme, with the prescribed information served on the tenant within 30 days.

  • Protect on the day funds clear, not on the tenancy start date
  • Keep the certificate and the served prescribed information together in the tenancy file

  GOV.UK — Tenancy deposit protection

• Current How to Rent guide, EPC, gas and electrical records served at the start

  At the start of every tenancy, and on renewal where the guide has changed

  The tenancy pack matters as much as the certificates. Serving the wrong version of the How to Rent guide is a common and avoidable error.

  • Download the guide fresh on the day of service and save the dated PDF you actually sent
  • Record how and when each document was served

  GOV.UK — How to rent guide

• Right to Rent checks completed before occupation

  Before the tenancy starts, with follow-up checks where a permission is time-limited

  Landlords in England must check that adult occupiers have the right to rent, using manual document checks, the Home Office online service, or a certified identity service provider.

  • Check every adult occupier, not just the named tenant
  • Diarise follow-up checks where the right to rent is time-limited

  GOV.UK — Right to rent checks: landlords' guide

• Borough licensing confirmed — HMO, additional and selective schemes

  Check before every letting and when a scheme is renewed

  Mandatory HMO licensing applies across England, and individual London boroughs run additional and selective licensing schemes with their own boundaries, conditions and renewal dates. Schemes change; a property that needed no licence last year may need one now.

  • Check the specific borough's licensing pages for the property address before marketing
  • Diarise the licence expiry and the conditions attached, such as inspection or amenity standards

  GOV.UK — House in multiple occupation licence

• Tenancy reform changes tracked and processes updated

  Review each quarter until all provisions are in force

  Reform of the private rented sector in England is being implemented in phases, affecting notices, tenancy structure and enforcement. Confirm the position that applies on the date you serve any notice rather than relying on last year's template.

  • Re-check notice templates and tenancy agreements against current GOV.UK guidance before each use
  • Take independent legal advice on possession before serving notice

  GOV.UK — Private renting guidance for landlords

London-specific rules and the operational standards that keep a short-let property lettable between guests. Safety duties do not disappear because the stay is short.

• 90-night limit on short lets in Greater London

  Track cumulatively across each calendar year

  In Greater London, using a residential premises as temporary sleeping accommodation for more than 90 nights in a calendar year normally counts as a material change of use requiring planning permission. Leases, freeholder consents and mortgage terms often restrict short lets further.

  • Keep a per-property night count across all booking platforms, not just one
  • Check the lease and any managing-agent rules before listing a flat in a mansion block
  • Confirm the insurance policy covers short-let use

  GOV.UK — Short-term letting in London

• Safety pack maintained between guests

  Every changeover

  Gas and electrical safety, working alarms, safe furniture and a clear fire escape route apply to short lets as much as to long tenancies. A fire risk assessment is generally expected for this type of accommodation.

  • Test every smoke and CO alarm at each changeover and log it
  • Keep the current gas and electrical records available for guests and platforms
  • Display fire escape information and emergency contact details in the property

  GOV.UK — Fire safety risk assessment guidance

• Presentation standards that hold up across a season of bookings

  Every changeover, with a deeper reset each quarter

  Short-let stock wears faster than a long tenancy. The properties that keep their rating are the ones with a scheduled reset rather than reactive repairs between guests.

  • Scuff-and-touch-up decoration on high-traffic walls, skirtings and door frames
  • Replace failed silicone and grout in bathrooms and kitchens before it stains
  • Check flooring and carpets for wear, lifting edges and trip hazards
  • Reset ironmongery, blinds, door closers and loose fixings on a fixed schedule
  • Deep clean, including extract filters, appliance seals and ventilation grilles

  GOV.UK — Renting out your property