The London Landlord Compliance Checklist for 2026

Letting a property in London now involves more legal obligations than most owners realise — and 2026 added several new ones. This checklist pulls everything into one place: the fixed annual and five-yearly requirements, the documents you must serve, the licensing schemes spreading across the capital, and the changes brought in by the Renters' Rights Act on 1 May 2026. Work through it honestly; the penalties for gaps have never been higher.

Gas, electrical and alarm safety

The safety fundamentals have not changed, and they remain the obligations most commonly enforced. Every property with gas appliances needs a gas safety check by a Gas Safe registered engineer every 12 months, with the record given to tenants within 28 days of the check (and to new tenants before they move in). Electrical installations need an EICR (Electrical Installation Condition Report) at least every five years, with a copy supplied to tenants and any remedial work classified as necessary completed within 28 days. Smoke alarms are required on every storey used as living accommodation, and carbon monoxide alarms in any room with a fixed combustion appliance (excluding gas cookers). Alarms must be shown to work at the start of each tenancy.

• Gas safety certificate (CP12): every 12 months, copy to tenants within 28 days
• EICR: at least every 5 years, copy to new tenants before occupation
• Smoke alarms on every storey; CO alarms with fixed combustion appliances
• Legionella risk assessment: a documented, proportionate assessment of water systems
• Furniture in furnished lets must meet fire safety regulations

Deposits and money

Deposits must be protected in a government-approved scheme within 30 days of receipt, with the prescribed information served in the same window. The deposit itself is capped — for most tenancies, five weeks' rent. Get either step wrong and you face a penalty of up to three times the deposit, and historically deposit failures have also undermined possession claims, so this is not a box to half-tick. Since 1 May 2026 there is a further money rule: you can no longer require more than one month's rent in advance, and rental bidding — accepting or inviting offers above the advertised rent — is banned.

Documents you must serve

At the start of every tenancy, tenants must receive the current How to Rent guide, the gas safety record, the EICR and the Energy Performance Certificate. You must also complete right to rent checks on all adult occupiers before the tenancy starts — checking original documents or using the Home Office online service — and keep dated copies. Serve everything in writing, keep proof of service, and refresh the How to Rent guide when the Government updates it.

EPC: where the standard is heading

Right now, a rental property in England needs a valid EPC at a minimum of band E (unless a formal exemption applies). The direction of travel is firmly upwards: in early 2026 the Government confirmed its plan for privately rented homes to reach the equivalent of EPC band C by 2030, alongside a reformed EPC methodology and a proposed cost cap of around £10,000 per property on required improvements. The detail — new metrics, phase-in dates for new versus existing tenancies, exemptions — is still being finalised as of mid-2026, so do not panic-retrofit, but do factor upgrade costs into any purchase or refurbishment you are planning now. Check the latest GOV.UK guidance before committing to works.

Licensing: the London-specific trap

Licensing is where diligent landlords most often get caught out, because the rules change street by street. Mandatory HMO licensing applies across England to larger house shares (five or more people from two or more households). But London boroughs are also expanding selective licensing — which applies to ordinary single-family lets — at pace: Waltham Forest runs a borough-wide scheme, Westminster's scheme went live in November 2025 covering most of the borough, Lambeth's covers nearly the whole borough, Wandsworth extended its scheme from April 2026 and Harrow has schemes starting in July 2026, with more boroughs consulting. Fees typically run several hundred pounds per property over a five-year licence. Letting an unlicensed property in a designated area is a criminal offence and exposes you to civil penalties and rent repayment orders — now up to 24 months' rent under the Renters' Rights Act enforcement regime. Check your exact address with the borough every time you let, not just once.

The Renters' Rights Act layer

Since 1 May 2026, all ASTs are periodic assured tenancies, Section 21 is gone, pet requests need a reasoned response within 28 days, and rent increases run through the statutory annual route. A national PRS database is expected to open for landlord registration from late 2026, with an ombudsman to follow. If any of that is news, read our full guide to what the Renters' Rights Act means for London landlords before doing anything else.

Tax admin: Making Tax Digital arrived in April

One non-property deadline that caught landlords out this year: from 6 April 2026, landlords with qualifying gross income over £50,000 (measured on the 2024/25 tax year) must keep digital records and send HMRC quarterly updates under Making Tax Digital for Income Tax. The threshold is set to fall to £30,000 in April 2027 and £20,000 in April 2028, so most London landlords with one or two properties will be drawn in over the next two years. HMRC has indicated a light-touch first year on late-submission penalty points, but the record-keeping obligation is live now — if your rent still lives in a shoebox of statements, this is the year to fix it.

Compliance is not a one-off task. It is a calendar — and every entry has a fine attached to missing it.

The full 2026 checklist

1. Valid EPC (band E minimum today; plan for the confirmed 2030 band C trajectory)
2. Annual gas safety certificate, served on tenants within 28 days
3. EICR no more than five years old, served before occupation
4. Smoke and CO alarms installed and tested at tenancy start
5. Deposit protected within 30 days, prescribed information served, five-week cap respected
6. Right to rent checks completed and documented for all adult occupiers
7. How to Rent guide (current version) served
8. Borough licensing checked for the specific address — selective, additional and HMO
9. No more than one month's rent taken in advance; advertised rent honoured
10. Digital records ready for Making Tax Digital if your rental income exceeds the threshold

If reading that list felt like a second job, that is because it is one. Our property management service runs this calendar for hundreds of London tenancies, with every certificate, licence and notice logged and renewed before it lapses — ask for a quote and we will audit your current compliance position as part of onboarding. This guide is general information, not legal advice — rules change frequently, so check current GOV.UK guidance or speak to us.