First-Time Landlord Compliance: Where to Start

You've bought your first buy-to-let. The mortgage is in place, the property looks ready, and you want tenants in as soon as possible. But before you can legally let a property in England, you need to meet a set of compliance obligations — and the order you tackle them matters.

This guide walks you through what to do, in what order, and roughly what it will cost.

The obligations that apply before you can let

Every residential landlord in England must comply with these requirements. Missing any one of them can result in fines, invalidate a future eviction notice, or leave you personally liable if something goes wrong.

Here is the full list for a standard (non-HMO) rental property:

Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) — rated E or above
Gas Safety Certificate (CP12) — if the property has a gas supply
Electrical Installation Condition Report (EICR)
Smoke and CO alarms — installed and tested
Legionella risk assessment
Deposit protection — within 30 days of receiving the deposit
Prescribed information — served on the tenant alongside the deposit
Right to Rent check — before the tenancy starts
How to Rent guide — provided to the tenant before or at the start of the tenancy

If the property qualifies as a House in Multiple Occupation (HMO) — five or more tenants forming two or more households — you will also need an HMO licence.

The order to tackle them

Not all of these can happen at the same time, and some must be completed before you even market the property. Here is a practical sequence.

8-12 weeks before you want tenants in

Get your EPC first. Under the Energy Efficiency (Private Rented Property) (England and Wales) Regulations 2015, you need a valid EPC rated E or above before you can market the property. If the rating comes back as F or G, you will need to make improvements or apply for an exemption before you can legally advertise.

Book your gas safety check. Under the Gas Safety (Installation and Use) Regulations 1998, a Gas Safe registered engineer must inspect all gas appliances, fittings, and flues. You need the certificate before a tenant moves in, and it is valid for 12 months. See our full gas safety certificate guide for details.

Book your EICR. Under the Electrical Safety Standards in the Private Rented Sector (England) Regulations 2020, you must have a satisfactory EICR before a new tenancy begins. If the report flags remedial work (C1 or C2 codes), you must complete it within 28 days or the period the inspector specifies.

Carry out your legionella risk assessment. The Health and Safety Executive requires landlords to assess and control legionella risk. For a standard domestic property, this does not usually require a specialist — but documenting the assessment is essential.

2-4 weeks before tenants move in

Install and test smoke and CO alarms. Under the Smoke and Carbon Monoxide Alarm (Amendment) Regulations 2022, you need a smoke alarm on every storey and a carbon monoxide alarm in any room with a fixed combustion appliance (including gas boilers). Alarms must be tested on the day the tenancy begins.

Prepare your tenancy agreement and prescribed information documents. You will need these ready for signing day.

On or before the tenancy start date

Conduct the Right to Rent check. Under the Immigration Act 2014, you must verify every adult tenant's right to rent in England before the tenancy starts. See our Right to Rent guide for the step-by-step process.

Provide the How to Rent guide. Give the tenant the current version of the government's "How to Rent" checklist.

Protect the deposit within 30 days. Once you receive the deposit, you have 30 days to protect it in a government-approved scheme and serve the prescribed information. Get this wrong and you cannot serve a valid Section 21 notice — and the tenant can claim compensation of one to three times the deposit amount. Our deposit protection guide explains everything.

What it costs to get compliant from scratch

Here are realistic costs for a single property in England as of early 2026:

Obligation	Typical cost	Frequency
EPC	£60–£120	Every 10 years
Gas safety check	£60–£120	Every 12 months
EICR	£120–£350	Every 5 years
Smoke and CO alarms	£30–£80	Initial install + replacements
Legionella risk assessment	£100–£250 (if using a specialist)	Every 2 years (recommended)
Deposit protection	£0 (custodial) or ~£25/year (insured)	Per tenancy

Total first-year cost: roughly £370–£940, depending on your property, location, and whether you use custodial or insured deposit protection. This excludes any remedial work flagged by the EICR or improvements needed to meet EPC minimum standards.

Common first-time mistakes

Not getting the EPC before marketing. You cannot legally advertise a property without a valid EPC. Agents will ask for it. Online listing platforms require the rating. Get it done first.

Forgetting the prescribed information. Many new landlords protect the deposit but fail to serve the prescribed information — a separate legal requirement under section 213 of the Housing Act 2004. Without it, you cannot serve a Section 21 notice and the tenant can claim compensation.

Assuming the EICR is optional. Since 1 April 2021, a satisfactory EICR has been mandatory before the start of any new tenancy in England. This catches some first-time landlords off guard.

Not keeping copies of everything. Every certificate, every check, every document served. If a dispute arises, you need the evidence. Dates matter.

Ignoring smoke and CO alarm testing. Installing the alarms is not enough. You must test them on the day the tenancy starts and ideally document that you did so.

Check where you stand

If you are unsure whether you have covered everything, start with these two resources:

The complete UK landlord compliance checklist for 2026 covers all 13 obligations in detail
Check your compliance score — answer 10 quick questions and see where your property stands

Stay on top of it with DueProper

Compliance is not a one-off task. Gas safety certificates expire every year. EICRs every five. Legislation changes. DueProper tracks every obligation for every property you own and tells you exactly what to do and when.

We are building the simplest way for landlords to stay compliant. Join the waitlist for early access.

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This article is for information only and does not constitute legal advice. Legislation and penalties can change. Always verify your obligations with current legislation at legislation.gov.uk and seek professional advice where needed.