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For landlords · Renters’ Rights Act era
Are you a compliant landlord?
The rules changed — and they’re still changing. Gas, electrical, EPC, deposits, alarms, Right to Rent, and now the Renters’ Rights Act. Take the free two-minute check below to see where you stand, then let a director confirm the detail. No jargon, no scare tactics.
Your two-minute check
Seven questions. Honest answers.
Answer for the property you let. “Not sure” is a perfectly good answer — it just means it’s worth a look.
- 01Gas Safety Certificate (CP12) in date?
- 02Electrical report (EICR) less than 5 years old?
- 03Valid EPC, rated E or above?
- 04Deposit protected in a government scheme, with prescribed information served?
- 05Smoke alarms on every storey and CO alarms where needed?
- 06Right to Rent checked for every adult occupier?
- 07Ready for the Renters' Rights Act changes?
Answer all 7 to see your result.
Want the full version? Our 40-point landlord compliance checklist covers every item in detail — free to download and re-run annually.
Why it matters now
Compliance isn’t a state. It’s a rhythm.
Most compliance failures aren’t deliberate — they’re a missed annual, a certificate that quietly expired, a rule that changed while you weren’t looking. And the cost of a gap has rarely been higher: civil penalties run to tens of thousands, and a single paperwork slip can block your route to possession entirely.
The Renters’ Rights Act has raised the stakes again — periodic tenancies, the end of Section 21, a new Ombudsman and a PRS Database to register on. None of it is unmanageable. All of it rewards getting ahead.
That’s exactly what a managed service is for. Our Fully Managed landlords get the compliance audit built into the fee — we walk the property annually and on every tenancy change, and handle the rest.
Landlord questions
Compliance, in plain English.
What does a landlord legally have to be compliant on?
The core statutory items are: an annual Gas Safety Record (if there's gas), an Electrical Installation Condition Report (EICR) renewed every five years, a valid EPC rated E or above, the tenancy deposit protected in a government scheme with prescribed information served, smoke alarms on every storey and carbon monoxide alarms in rooms with a fixed combustion appliance, Right to Rent checks on every adult occupier, and the current How to Rent guide served. On top of those, the Renters' Rights Act has reshaped tenancies and possession. The check on this page covers the headline items; a free review confirms the full picture for your property.
What is the Renters' Rights Act and what do I need to do?
It's the biggest change to private renting in a generation. It moves all tenancies to periodic (no more fixed-term ASTs), ends Section 21 'no-fault' evictions in favour of strengthened possession grounds, introduces a landlord Ombudsman and a PRS Database landlords must register on, and applies a Decent Homes Standard. For most landlords it's manageable — but it changes how you let, your paperwork and how you'd ever regain possession, so it's worth getting ahead of rather than discovering at the worst moment. Our landlord guides cover it in plain English, and we handle all of it for managed landlords.
Do I need an EICR every year?
No — a common confusion. The Gas Safety Record is annual; the Electrical Installation Condition Report (EICR) is every five years (with any C1 or C2 defects fixed within 28 days). Mixing the two up is one of the most frequent compliance slips we see.
What's the penalty for an out-of-date certificate?
It varies by item and can be significant. Electrical (EICR) non-compliance carries a civil penalty up to £30,000; deposit protection failures can mean one to three times the deposit and block your route to possession; gas safety breaches are a criminal matter. The figures aren't the main point, though — the bigger risk is being unable to regain possession or being exposed if something goes wrong. This is editorial guidance, not legal advice; we'll confirm your specific position.
Can a letting agent handle all of this for me?
Yes — that's the point of a fully managed service. At Kings Estates, our Fully Managed landlords get the compliance audit as part of the management fee: we walk the property, score it against the full checklist annually and on every tenancy change, and handle the certificates, alarms, deposit protection and RRA paperwork. You get a written report and a single point of contact.
Stop wondering. Know where you stand.
A free compliance review from our lettings team confirms exactly where your property stands and handles any gaps — the same audit our managed landlords get every year. No obligation.