Why this matters now
The Renters’ Rights Act 2025 came into force on 1 May 2026. If you are a private landlord in England, you are already legally obligated to comply. The penalties for non-compliance range from £7,000 fines to banning orders that prevent you from letting property at all.
This checklist covers every obligation you need to action, separated by urgency.
Immediate - by 31 May 2026
1. Serve the RRA 2025 Information Sheet on all existing tenants
If you have a written tenancy that predates 1 May 2026, you must give your tenant the official government Renters’ Rights Act 2025 Information Sheet by 31 May 2026. You can download the latest version free from GOV.UK. Serve it by email, post, or in person and keep a record of service. Fine: up to £7,000.
2. Provide a Written Statement to verbal tenancy tenants
If your tenancy is verbal only (no written agreement), you must provide the tenant with a Written Statement of the key terms by 31 May 2026. Fine: up to £7,000.
3. Serve Ground 4A notice to student tenants (if applicable)
If you let to full-time students and wish to retain the right to use Ground 4A to regain possession at the end of the academic year, you must serve a separate written notice on each student tenant by 31 May 2026. The RRA 2025 Information Sheet does not substitute for this notice.
Ongoing obligations
4. Gas Safety Certificate (CP12) - annually
Every gas appliance must be inspected by a Gas Safe registered engineer annually. Provide a copy to the tenant within 28 days of the inspection. You must also provide a copy to a new tenant before they move in. Fine: up to £6,000.
5. Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) - minimum Band E
Your property must have a valid EPC (valid for 10 years) with a minimum rating of E for new tenancies. A copy must be provided to the tenant. Note: from 1 October 2030, the minimum rating rises to Band C - see below.
6. Electrical Installation Condition Report (EICR) - every 5 years
Required every 5 years or at each change of tenancy. Provide a copy to the tenant within 28 days of the inspection and to new tenants before they move in. Local authority fine: up to £30,000.
7. Smoke and carbon monoxide alarms
A working smoke alarm must be fitted on every floor used as living accommodation. A carbon monoxide alarm must be fitted in any room containing a fixed combustion appliance (excluding gas cookers). Test on the first day of each tenancy. Fine: up to £5,000.
8. Deposit protection - within 30 days
Any tenancy deposit must be registered with a government-approved scheme (DPS, myDeposits, or TDS) within 30 days of receipt. Prescribed information must be provided to the tenant within the same period. Failure makes it very difficult to serve a valid Section 8 notice for rent arrears.
9. The Information Sheet replaces How to Rent
GOV.UK withdrew the How to Rent guide on 1 May 2026. Instead, every named tenant must be given the government's Renters' Rights Act Information Sheet: the PDF itself, unchanged, as an email attachment or a printed copy. A link to the GOV.UK page is not enough.
10. Rent increases - Section 13 only
Rent can only be increased once every 12 months using the statutory Section 13 process. You must give at least 2 months’ written notice using the prescribed Form 4A. Contractual rent review clauses (e.g. RPI-linked) are no longer enforceable after 1 May 2026.
11. Damp, mould and serious hazards - £7,000 council fines (and Awaab’s Law consultation)
From 22 June 2026, councils can fine private landlords up to £7,000 for failing to fix serious (Category 1) hazards such as severe damp and mould. Meanwhile, the government is consulting until 18 December 2026 on the exact statutory timescales for extending Awaab’s Law to private rented homes. Best practice now is to investigate any written hazard report within 5 working days and begin emergency works within 24 hours, keeping a timestamped log of every response.
Upcoming obligations
12. EPC upgrade to Band C - by 1 October 2030
All privately rented properties in England must achieve a minimum EPC Band C rating by 1 October 2030. Properties currently rated D or below need to plan upgrades now - boiler replacements, insulation improvements, and heat pump installations are in high demand and contractors are booking up. Fine for non-compliance: up to £30,000.
13. PRS Database registration - from 15 December 2026
All private landlords and their properties will need to be registered on the national Private Rented Sector Database, through the government’s “Register your rental property” service. Without registration, you cannot obtain Section 8 possession orders (except on anti-social behaviour grounds). It opens in the West Midlands on 15 December 2026, then one region a month, and every landlord must be registered by 14 November 2027. The standard fee is £65 per property per year, with all days before 15 November 2027 free during the rollout (so registering on opening day, 15 December 2026, costs £5.34 for the first year). Once you pay the fee, you have 28 days to upload any outstanding compliance certificates or your registration is deactivated.
14. Landlord Ombudsman registration - compulsory membership expected 2028
All private landlords in England will eventually need to register with a government-approved landlord ombudsman scheme. Per the government's published implementation roadmap, the Ombudsman scheme follows the PRS Database rollout, with compulsory membership not expected until 2028. Fine for non-registration once mandatory: up to £40,000 and potential banning order.
How to manage all of this
Comprent tracks every obligation on this list across all your properties and tenancies. The moment you add a property, the compliance tasks are generated automatically with the correct deadlines. Documents are generated and evidence is stored in one place. It takes 10 minutes to set up and keeps you compliant for good.