Landlord Record Keeping: What Evidence to Store and For How Long

Most landlord obligations come with a paper trail. A gas safety certificate is not just a document for your tenant — it is evidence that you met a legal duty on a specific date. If you cannot produce that evidence when it matters — during a tribunal hearing, an insurance claim, a council inspection, or a property sale — then as far as the law is concerned, the work may as well not have been done.

Here is a record-by-record breakdown of what you must keep, what you should keep, and for how long.

Records you must keep by law

Gas Safety Records (CP12)

Legal minimum retention: 2 years

Under the Gas Safety (Installation and Use) Regulations 1998, Regulation 36(6)(b), you must retain each gas safety record for at least 2 years from the date of the check. You must also provide a copy to existing tenants within 28 days and to new tenants before they move in.

Recommendation: Keep every CP12 for the full duration of your ownership of the property. Old records demonstrate a consistent history of compliance, which is valuable if you ever face a dispute about a historic period. See our gas safety certificate guide for details on the requirements.

EICR Reports

Legal minimum retention: duration of the report's validity (typically 5 years) plus a reasonable period after

The Electrical Safety Standards in the Private Rented Sector (England) Regulations 2020 require you to provide copies to tenants within 28 days and to the local authority within 7 days on request. While the regulations do not specify an exact retention period beyond the report's validity, you should keep each report for at least the duration of the tenancy it covers — and longer if there were any C1, C2, or FI findings, since these could become relevant in future disputes.

Recommendation: Keep all EICRs permanently. They form part of the property's electrical history and are useful for future electricians assessing the installation. See our EICR guide.

EPC Certificates

Validity: 10 years from issue date

EPCs are stored on the national EPC Register, so you can retrieve them at any time. However, you should still keep your own copy because the register can be slow to search, and having it to hand speeds up any application, inspection, or sale.

Recommendation: Keep a copy for at least the 10-year validity period. The register is your backup.

Deposit Protection Certificates and Prescribed Information

Legal minimum retention: duration of the tenancy plus a reasonable period after

Under the Housing Act 2004, sections 213-215, you must protect the deposit within 30 days and serve the prescribed information. If a tenant disputes the protection or claims you did not serve the prescribed information, you need evidence that you did.

Recommendation: Keep the deposit protection certificate, proof of service of the prescribed information (signed acknowledgement, recorded delivery receipt, or email confirmation), and any end-of-tenancy correspondence for at least 12 months after the tenancy ends. Deposit disputes can be raised up to 12 months after the tenancy ends in some schemes, and tenant claims for non-protection penalties have a limitation period of 6 years. Keeping records for 6 years after the tenancy ends is the safest approach. See our deposit protection guide.

Right to Rent Check Copies

Legal minimum retention: duration of the tenancy plus 12 months after

The Immigration Act 2014 requires you to keep copies of the identity documents you checked for each tenant. The Home Office statutory code of practice specifies that copies must be retained for the duration of the tenancy and for at least 12 months after the tenancy ends.

Recommendation: Follow the legal minimum as an absolute floor, but keep records for longer if you want added protection against delayed enforcement action. See our Right to Rent guide.

Smoke and CO Alarm Test Records

Legal requirement to keep records: none specified

The Smoke and Carbon Monoxide Alarm (Amendment) Regulations 2022 require you to ensure alarms are in working order on the day a tenancy begins, but do not mandate written records of testing.

Recommendation: Despite no legal record-keeping requirement, document your alarm checks at the start of every tenancy. A simple dated record — "smoke alarms tested and working on [date] at [property address], witnessed by [tenant name]" — signed by both parties, costs nothing and provides evidence if a tenant later claims the alarms were not working. Keep these for the duration of the tenancy plus 12 months.

Records you should keep (best practice)

Legionella Risk Assessments

No statute specifies a retention period, but the Health and Safety Executive guidance on legionella control recommends keeping assessments for the duration of their relevance. In practice, keep each assessment until a new one is carried out, plus at least 5 years after.

Furniture Fire Safety Evidence

Photographs of fire safety labels, purchase receipts for new furniture. Keep for as long as the item is in the property, plus the duration of any tenancy that used it.

Tenancy Agreements and Correspondence

Keep every signed tenancy agreement, variation, and notice (Section 21, Section 8, rent increase notices) for at least 6 years after the tenancy ends. The limitation period for most contract claims is 6 years under the Limitation Act 1980.

Inventory and Check-In/Check-Out Reports

Essential for deposit disputes. Keep for at least 12 months after the tenancy ends, or longer if a dispute is ongoing. Date-stamped photographs are particularly powerful evidence.

Maintenance Invoices and Receipts

Keep all invoices for repairs, maintenance, and safety work for at least 6 years — both for tax purposes (HMRC can investigate up to 6 years back, or 20 years if fraud is suspected) and to evidence that you maintained the property to a reasonable standard.

Why evidence matters: four scenarios

1. Tribunal defence

If a tenant applies for a Rent Repayment Order, you must demonstrate compliance. A tribunal will ask to see your gas safety record, EICR, licence (if required), and other documents. If you cannot produce them, the tribunal is likely to rule against you, even if you did comply at the time.

2. Insurance claims

If a fire or flood damages your property, your insurer may ask for evidence that you met your safety obligations. A missing gas safety certificate or absent EICR can give insurers grounds to reduce or reject a claim.

3. Local authority disputes

If a council serves an improvement notice and you believe the property was already compliant, your records are your defence. Date-stamped evidence of completed work can overturn an incorrect notice.

4. Property sales

Buyers (and their solicitors) increasingly request compliance histories for rental properties. A well-organised evidence folder speeds up due diligence and can support your asking price.

A practical folder structure

Whether you use physical folders or digital storage, organise records per property with this structure:

[Property Address]/
  Tenancy - [Tenant Name] - [Start Date]/
    Tenancy agreement (signed)
    Deposit protection certificate
    Prescribed information (with proof of service)
    Right to Rent check copies
    Inventory and check-in report
    Smoke alarm test record
    Correspondence and notices
    Check-out report
  Certificates/
    Gas Safety - [Year]/
    EICR - [Year]/
    EPC - [Year]/
    HMO Licence (if applicable)/
    Selective Licence (if applicable)/
  Maintenance/
    [Year] - invoices and receipts
  Legionella/
    Risk assessment - [Date]
  Furniture/
    Fire safety label photos
    Purchase receipts

For digital storage, use a cloud service with automatic backup. Name files consistently: GasSafety_2026-03-15_123HighStreet.pdf is easier to find than scan001.pdf.

Quick reference: retention periods

Record	Legal minimum	Recommended
Gas Safety Certificate (CP12)	2 years	Duration of ownership
EICR	Report validity + reasonable period	Permanently
EPC	10 years (on register)	10 years (own copy)
Deposit protection	Duration of tenancy	Tenancy + 6 years
Right to Rent copies	Tenancy + 12 months	Tenancy + 12 months
Smoke alarm test records	No legal minimum	Tenancy + 12 months
Tenancy agreements	No specific requirement	Tenancy + 6 years
Maintenance invoices	No specific requirement	6 years (tax)

How DueProper will help

DueProper will give you a single digital home for every compliance record across all your properties. Upload certificates, set automatic renewal reminders, and maintain a timestamped evidence trail — so you are always ready for an inspection, a tribunal, or a sale.

Coming soon — join the waitlist for early access.

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Free tools

Compliance Deadline Calculator — check when your certificates expire
Landlord Fine Calculator — see the cost of missing a record

This article is for information only and does not constitute legal advice. Retention periods stated here reflect our understanding of current legislation and best practice. Always verify your obligations with current legislation at legislation.gov.uk.