Landlord responsibilities in England: a plain English checklist

In England, landlord responsibilities include keeping the property safe and free from health hazards, making sure gas and electrical equipment is safely installed and maintained, providing an Energy Performance Certificate, protecting deposits in a government approved scheme, and checking a tenant’s right to rent. This checklist points you to the official GOV.UK pages for each step.

What are the core landlord responsibilities in England?

The starting point is GOV.UK’s overview of renting out your property. It sets out the main duties that apply when you rent out a home in England.

As a landlord you must:

• keep your rented properties safe and free from health hazards
• make sure all gas equipment and electrical equipment is safely installed and maintained
• provide an Energy Performance Certificate for the property
• protect your tenant’s deposit in a government-approved scheme
• check your tenant has the right to rent your property if it’s in England

Those are the headline duties. The rest of this checklist breaks them down into what to do before the tenancy starts and what to keep doing while the tenant lives there.

Does the type of tenancy change what you must do?

GOV.UK says: “The rules about what can happen before or during a tenancy depend on what type of tenancy you have.” The most common type of tenancy is an “assured periodic tenancy (APT)”.

Since 1 May 2026, under the Renters' Rights Act 2025, assured shorthold tenancies in England have become assured periodic tenancies and no new section 21 notices can be served. Before you agree a new tenancy, you must give the tenant written information setting out its key terms. Existing tenants with a written agreement had to be given the government's Renters' Rights Act information sheet by 31 May 2026, and anyone without a written agreement had to be given a written statement of terms. Not doing so can lead to a fine.

GOV.UK also lists other tenancy types, including:

• excluded tenancies or licences
• regulated tenancies

GOV.UK notes that regulated tenancies can include “Tenancies starting before 15 January 1989”. That matters because GOV.UK says there are “special rules for changing rents and terms for regulated tenancies”. If you are not sure what you have, the GOV.UK page says you can check using “Shelter’s tenancy checker”.

What should you do before a tenant moves in?

Before move-in is where most compliance problems start, because you are trying to juggle viewings, referencing, inventory and keys. This pre-tenancy checklist is based on the GOV.UK responsibilities pages, so you can cross check each point on the official wording.

1) Provide an Energy Performance Certificate (EPC)

GOV.UK includes this in the core responsibilities list: “provide an Energy Performance Certificate for the property”. Give a copy to the tenant free of charge, and note that a private rented home must normally have a rating of E or above unless a valid exemption is registered. The tenant-facing GOV.UK page also says a tenant has the right to “see an Energy Performance Certificate for the property”. Use GOV.UK’s main renting guide to confirm what applies to your situation: Renting out your property.

2) Do right to rent checks (England only)

GOV.UK is clear that you must “check your tenant has the right to rent your property if it’s in England”. The tenant GOV.UK page explains what landlords must do and what evidence to keep: Private renting (document checks).

On that page, the “What your landlord must do” section says your landlord must:

• check documents, or carry out a digital right to rent check, for the tenant and “any other adults living in the property”
• keep copies of the documents, or evidence of the digital check (the landlord guide on GOV.UK says to keep these for the whole tenancy and for one year after the tenant leaves)
• return original documents once the check is finished

The same page also gives key timing triggers. It says a tenant must prove their right to rent if they are “starting a tenancy on or after 1 February 2016” and renting as their “main home”.

If the tenant has a time limit on their right to stay in the UK, the page explains follow-up checks. The landlord guidance on GOV.UK says the follow up check must be done just before whichever is later: the end of the tenant's permission to stay in the UK, or 12 months after your previous check.

3) Sort gas safety, and give the record at the right time

The tenant GOV.UK page sets out gas safety responsibilities. It says your landlord must:

• make sure gas equipment they supply is safely installed and maintained by a Gas Safe registered engineer
• have a registered engineer do an annual gas safety check on each appliance and flue
• give the tenant “a copy of the gas safety check record before you move in, or within 28 days of the check”

That “before you move in” wording is worth planning around. For a new tenant, the current gas safety record must be given before they move in. The 28 day limit is for existing tenants, who must get a copy within 28 days of each annual check.

4) Make sure the electrics and supplied appliances are safe

GOV.UK’s landlord overview includes the duty to “make sure all gas equipment and electrical equipment is safely installed and maintained”. In England you must also have the electrical installation inspected and tested by a qualified person at least every 5 years. Give a copy of the report to a new tenant before they move in and to existing tenants within 28 days of the inspection, and finish any remedial work the report requires within 28 days, or sooner if the report says so. The tenant GOV.UK page also says the landlord must make sure:

• “the electrical system is safe”, for example sockets and light fittings
• “all appliances they supply are safe”, for example cookers and kettles

5) Fit the right alarms and check fire safety duties

Fire safety shows up on both GOV.UK pages. The landlord overview page says it is your responsibility to “fit and test smoke alarms and carbon monoxide alarms”. The tenant page says your landlord must provide “a smoke alarm on each storey”.

The law in England goes further than that page, so plan around the regulations themselves: you must fit a smoke alarm on every storey that has a room used as living accommodation, and a carbon monoxide alarm in any room used as living accommodation that has a fixed combustion appliance, such as a gas boiler or a wood burning stove (gas cookers are excluded). You must check that every alarm works on the day a new tenancy starts, and repair or replace an alarm once you are told it is faulty.

The tenant page also says your landlord must:

• check the tenant has access to escape routes at all times
• make sure the furniture and furnishings they supply are fire safe
• provide fire alarms and extinguishers if the property is a large house in multiple occupation (HMO)

The landlord overview page also flags extra duties “for property in a purpose-built block of flats or for houses and property adapted into flats”, where you must “follow fire safety regulations”.

6) Protect the deposit in a government approved scheme

GOV.UK lists deposit protection as a must-do: “protect your tenant’s deposit in a government-approved scheme”. It also repeats the point in its damage and dispute section: “If you take a deposit from your tenant, you must protect the deposit with a government approved Tenancy Deposit Protection (TDP) scheme.”

You must protect the deposit, and give the tenant the prescribed information about where it is held and how to get it back, within 30 days of receiving it. If you do not, a court can order you to pay the tenant up to 3 times the deposit. Deposits are also the place where disputes often arise at the end, so it helps to be tidy with evidence from day one.

7) If you have a mortgage, get permission

GOV.UK includes this in “Financial responsibilities”: “If you have a mortgage on the property you want to rent out, you must get permission from your mortgage lender.”

What ongoing safety duties do you have during the tenancy?

Once a tenant has moved in, you are still responsible for keeping the home safe. The GOV.UK overview puts it simply: you must “keep your rented properties safe and free from health hazards”.

The tenant-facing GOV.UK page expands on this in “Your landlord’s safety responsibilities”. It includes:

• gas: an “annual gas safety check on each appliance and flue” (if you supply the gas equipment)
• electrical safety: keeping the “electrical system” safe and making sure supplied appliances are safe
• fire safety: maintaining alarms and making sure escape routes are accessible

If you let an HMO, the tenant page mentions additional fire safety provision for a “large house in multiple occupation (HMO)”.

What repairs are you responsible for, and what are tenants responsible for?

GOV.UK covers repairs in two useful ways: the landlord page gives a broad view of your repair responsibilities, and the tenant page lists repair categories in more detail. Together, they give you a good plain English checklist.

Landlord repair responsibilities

On the landlord overview page, GOV.UK says you are normally responsible for repairs to:

• the structure of your property
• basins, sinks, baths and other sanitary fittings
• heating and hot water systems
• anything you damage through attempting repairs

The tenant GOV.UK page is more detailed. It says your landlord is always responsible for repairs to:

• the property’s structure and exterior
• fire safety issues
• basins, sinks, baths and other sanitary fittings including pipes and drains
• heating and hot water
• gas appliances, pipes, flues and ventilation
• electrical wiring
• any damage they cause by attempting repairs

Common parts matter too. GOV.UK says landlords are usually responsible for repairing “common areas”, for example staircases in blocks of flats, and the tenant page suggests checking the tenancy agreement if you are unsure.

Tenant responsibilities that affect repairs

It helps to understand what GOV.UK says tenants should do, because it affects how you handle reports, access and damage.

The tenant GOV.UK page says tenants should:

• give the landlord access for inspections and repairs, with “at least 24 hours’ notice” and at a reasonable time of day, unless it’s an emergency
• take good care of the property
• repair or pay for damage caused by them, their family or friends

It also says tenants “should only carry out repairs if the tenancy agreement says you can”, and they “cannot be forced to do repairs that are your landlord’s responsibility”.

Access for inspections and repairs

On access, the landlord overview page says: “You have a legal right to enter your property to inspect it or carry out repairs. You must give your tenant at least 24 hours’ notice, although immediate access may be possible in emergencies.” The tenant page matches this and also says visits should be at a reasonable time of day unless it is an emergency.

What happens if the council inspects your property (HHSRS)?

The landlord overview page explains the Housing Health and Safety Rating System (HHSRS). It says HHSRS is used by councils to make sure properties are safe for people who live there, and that this involves inspecting the property for possible hazards.

GOV.UK says a council may decide to do an HHSRS inspection because:

• the tenant has asked for an inspection
• the council has done a survey of local properties and thinks the property might be hazardous

Inspectors look at “29 health and safety areas” and score each hazard as “category 1 or 2”. GOV.UK then says: “You must take action on enforcement notices from your council. You also have the right to appeal enforcement notices.”

If they find a serious hazard, GOV.UK says the council can:

• issue an improvement notice
• fix the hazard themselves and bill you for the cost
• stop you or anyone else from using part or all of the property

Is your property an HMO, and do you need a licence?

HMOs, Houses in Multiple Occupation, come with extra rules. GOV.UK says a property “may be” an HMO if you let to several tenants who are not members of the same family.

On the GOV.UK landlord overview page, your property is an HMO if both of the following apply:

• “at least 3 tenants live there, forming more than one household”
• toilet, bathroom or kitchen facilities are shared

GOV.UK explains that a household can be a single person or members of the same family who live together, including people who are married or living together and people in same-sex relationships.

On licensing, GOV.UK says: “An HMO must have a licence if it is occupied by 5 or more people. A council can also include other types of HMOs for licensing.” In practice, mandatory licensing applies where those 5 or more people form more than one household, and some councils also license other HMOs or, in some areas, all privately rented homes, so always check with your council. GOV.UK then says to find out if you need an HMO licence from your council.

Once an HMO licence application is in, GOV.UK says: “The council has to carry out a Housing Health and Safety Rating System (HHSRS) risk assessment on your HMO within 5 years of receiving a licence application.” If unacceptable risks are found, “you must carry out work to eliminate them.”

GOV.UK also sets out reporting changes to the council. You must tell the council if:

• you plan to make changes to an HMO
• your tenants make changes
• your tenants’ circumstances change (for example they have a child)

How do deposit disputes and property damage work?

GOV.UK’s landlord overview explains the basic flow if there is damage and you took a deposit.

• You may keep “some or all of the tenancy deposit to cover the cost of repair”.
• First, “Talk to your tenant about how much you are planning to keep.”
• If you agree the amount, you “may take this from the deposit at the end of the tenancy”.
• If you cannot agree, you can access “free Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) offered by your Tenancy Deposit Scheme.”

GOV.UK says ADR decisions are made based on evidence that you and the tenant provide, and that ADR “can be faster and cheaper than going to court”. It also says you will need to go to court if you want to recover any costs.

GOV.UK also covers court claims for money owed. It says you can make a court claim if your tenant owes you money, for example unpaid rent, or where damage costs are higher than the deposit, or where you did not take a deposit. It also says: “You cannot use this process to evict your tenant.”

For money claims, GOV.UK gives a key threshold. If the claim is:

• “less than £10,000, you’ll need to attend mediation”
• “more than £10,000, the court may offer you mediation”

What tax admin does GOV.UK say landlords should watch?

GOV.UK’s landlord overview includes a section on paying tax and National Insurance for rental income. The details can be situation-specific, so it is worth checking the wording on the official page if you are unsure: Renting out your property.

Some key points it states:

• “The first £1,000 of your income from property rental is tax-free. This is your ‘property allowance’.”
• “Contact HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) if your income from property rental is more than £1,000 a year, up to £2,500.”
• You must report it on a Self Assessment tax return if it’s more than “£2,500 after allowable expenses” or “£10,000 before allowable expenses”.
• If you do not usually send a tax return, you need to register by “5 October following the tax year you had rental income”.
• If you declare unpaid tax, GOV.UK says: “You’ll be given a disclosure reference number. You then have 3 months to work out what you owe and pay it.”

GOV.UK also notes that there are different rules in some areas, for example “Rent a Room Scheme”, and that rules for “furnished holiday lettings (rules ended April 2025)” are different.

Since 6 April 2026, Making Tax Digital for Income Tax has applied to landlords and sole traders whose qualifying income (gross income from self employment and property, before expenses) was over £50,000 in the 2024 to 2025 tax year. They must keep digital records and send HMRC quarterly updates using compatible software. The threshold falls to £30,000 from April 2027 and £20,000 from April 2028, based on qualifying income in the 2025 to 2026 and 2026 to 2027 tax years.

You can also use our landlord compliance check as a prompt list for what to review.