The Kings Estates Compliance Checklist — RRA-Ready Edition

Right to Rent check completed for every adult occupier

Original documents (or share code) seen, copy filed, follow-up date noted if any document has an expiry. Failure to check = £3,000 civil penalty per tenant; knowing breach is criminal.

Reference: Immigration Act 2014

Tenancy deposit registered with TDS / DPS / mydeposits within 30 days of receipt

Custodial scheme preferred (TDS Custodial is what we use as standard). Failure to register on time invalidates Section 8 possession and exposes landlord to 1-3x deposit damages.

Reference: Housing Act 2004 ss.213-214

Prescribed Information document served on tenant

Together with the deposit registration. Must include scheme details, deposit amount, tenancy address, landlord address, complaints procedure, when deposit returns. Same penalty regime as the registration itself.

Gas Safety Certificate (CP12) in date and served on tenant before move-in

Valid 12 months. New certificate served at every renewal. Failure to serve before move-in voids Section 21 (now Section 8) until served.

Reference: Gas Safety Regulations 1998

Electrical Installation Condition Report (EICR) in date — under 5 years old

Five-year validity. New tenancy requires EICR served on tenant. £30,000 civil penalty for non-compliance.

Reference: Electrical Safety Standards Regulations 2020

Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) valid (10 years), rating E or above

Minimum E for residential lets since 2020. Tightening to C by 2030. Currently displayed at marketing stage AND served on tenant before move-in.

Reference: Minimum Energy Efficiency Standards (MEES) Regulations

How to Rent Guide (current edition) served on tenant

Government-published PDF, refreshed periodically. Must be the latest edition; serving an outdated one is a Section 8 defect. Available at gov.uk/government/publications/how-to-rent.

Smoke alarms on every storey, CO alarms in every room with a fuel-burning appliance

Tested and working at start of tenancy. Battery or hardwired both acceptable. Updated 2022 regs extended CO requirement to all fuel-burning appliances (not just solid-fuel).

Reference: Smoke and Carbon Monoxide Alarm Regulations 2022

Inventory and Schedule of Condition completed by independent clerk

Or by you with photographic evidence. Tenant signs at check-in. Essential evidence for deposit deductions — without it, disputes default to the tenant.

Tenancy agreement uses the post-RRA periodic template (not legacy fixed-term AST)

For any new tenancy from May 2026 onwards. Existing fixed-term ASTs run to their end date and then auto-convert. Legacy templates contain rent-review clauses that no longer have legal effect under Section 13.

No rent-review clause in the agreement (rent reviews now happen via Section 13 notice only)

Any rent-review clause in a post-RRA tenancy is void. Section 13 is the only valid mechanism. Rewriting your standard tenancy to remove it is a 30-second job — keep doing it and you risk confusion.

Pet policy clarified — either pet damage insurance clause or explicit policy on requests

Tenants have the right to request pets and you can't unreasonably refuse. The 28-day response clock starts the moment a written request arrives. Having a written policy makes responses faster and more defensible.

Permitted occupier list complete (every adult who'll live there)

Right to Rent checked on each. Discovering an unlisted adult mid-tenancy = breach of agreement and creates referencing/regulatory headaches.

Landlord name and address for service of notices included in the agreement

Different from your contact address. Must be a UK postal address. Often the agent's office address by arrangement — make this explicit in the agreement.

Guarantor agreement (if used) separately signed and properly executed

Guarantor's liability is independent of the tenant's — needs its own affordability check, Right to Rent isn't required but a CCJ check is wise. Cannot just be a name in the box.

Free from category 1 HHSRS hazards

Damp, excess cold, falls on stairs, fire, asbestos, lead, carbon monoxide, structural collapse. A local authority can issue an Improvement Notice on any category 1 hazard — penalty for ignoring it ranges £5,000 to £30,000.

Heating system serves all habitable rooms, is in working order, and was installed in the last 25 years (or upgraded to equivalent)

DHS minimum. Most modern boilers and central heating systems pass; storage heaters in flats can be marginal — check rating.

Kitchen — basic facilities (sink, food prep, cooker space, fridge space) and reasonably modern

DHS treats 'reasonably modern' as installed in the last 20 years OR functionally equivalent to a 20-year-old kitchen. Older kitchens can pass on functional grounds — but they tend to lose tenants faster.

Bathroom — basic facilities (bath or shower, basin, WC) and reasonably modern

DHS treats 'reasonably modern' as installed in the last 30 years OR functionally equivalent. Same functional carve-out as kitchen.

External weatherproofing — roof, walls, windows, doors all sound

No major leaks, no obvious structural movement, all openings closeable and lockable. Replacement timeline 25-40 years depending on component.

Insulation — loft insulation to at least 200mm (or equivalent for non-traditional construction)

Minimum standard from 2027 under DHS. Most properties built post-1980 already meet; older stock often needs a top-up. Grants available periodically.

Working primary heating in every habitable room

Not just the lounge. Bedrooms, kitchen, bathroom all need a working heat source. Storage heaters or radiators both acceptable.

Damp / mould monitoring system in place

Awaab's Law (Phase 1, 2026) gives you 14 days to investigate any reported damp / mould and 7 days to remediate category 1 hazards. Without a logged report-handling system, you can't prove compliance with the timeframe.

Gas Safety Certificate renewed annually, served on tenant within 28 days of renewal

Most common landlord failure. Set the reminder 30 days BEFORE expiry, not on it. Gas Safe registered engineer only.

Smoke and CO alarms tested at start of every tenancy, recorded in writing

Test, log, photograph. Tenants are responsible for ongoing battery replacement (where applicable) — your job is start-of-tenancy.

Annual property inspection (managed) or quarterly drive-by (self-managed)

Pre-empts maintenance issues escalating. Tenant's right to peaceful enjoyment means notice required (we use 7 days' written notice as standard).

Repair-response system clock-watched

Awaab's Law: 14 days to investigate any reported hazard, 7 days to remediate category 1, 28 days for category 2. Without a system, you'll miss these and create grounds for tenant claim.

Section 13 rent review served (annually, two months' notice, prescribed form)

Only one rent review per twelve-month period. Use the prescribed form (not a letter). Comparable evidence on file before serving.

Insurance schedule current and appropriate

Buildings insurance is mandatory; landlord-specific cover (loss-of-rent, malicious damage, legal expenses) is strongly recommended. Some clauses now require post-RRA-aware policies — confirm with broker.

Registered on the PRS Database (each property registered, compliance documents up to date)

Mandatory before letting any property from late 2026. Public register; tenants and local authorities both can check. Fines £7,000-£40,000 for non-compliance.

Member of the PRS Ombudsman scheme

Mandatory before letting. Annual membership fee. Provides binding dispute resolution; tenant can complain directly to the Ombudsman bypassing the landlord.

Section 8 templates ready — no Section 21 notices in standard library

Section 21 is abolished. Any agent or letting platform still using S21 templates is operating outside the law. Check and remove.

Pet damage insurance clause in the tenancy template (or process to recover premium)

Tenants have right to request pets. Your protection is the insurance clause. Premiums modest; landlord can pay then recover, or tenant can take out directly.

Pet-request response template + 28-day calendar reminder

Failure to respond within 28 days = automatic consent. Build the workflow before you get the request.

Comparable-evidence file maintained per property for rent reviews

Tribunal can challenge any Section 13 notice. Your evidence file (3-5 recent local lets, achieved rents, dates) is what wins or loses the challenge.

Rent ledger maintained — every payment, every shortfall, every late date

Spreadsheet or CRM. Essential for Ground 8 (mandatory ground, 3 months arrears) claims. Don't reconstruct retroactively — log as you go.

Tenant communication archived (email + written records of phone calls)

Repair requests, complaints, late-payment conversations. The Tribunal weighs contemporaneous notes far above recollection. Build a per-tenancy folder.

Inspection reports filed (date, condition, photographs)

Annual inspection minimum. More frequent if there are concerns. Photographs date-stamped.

Compliance documents version-controlled (gas / electrical / EPC stored centrally)

Each renewal saved with renewal date in filename. Past versions retained — landlord may need to prove a historical certificate was valid at a specific date.

Maintenance / repair log per property

Reported date, attended date, completed date, cost. Required for Awaab's Law compliance defence AND for end-of-tenancy deposit dispute evidence.