Our Landlord Regulation Timeline covers how UK landlord law got here. This is the practical, working-landlord version: every certificate and deadline you actually need in place right now, organised by when it's due, plus the exact legal timeframes under Awaab's Law and what's coming next with the PRS Database and Ombudsman.
Figures below reference the Renters' Rights Act 2025 and its commencement regulations, the Hazards in Social Housing (Prescribed Requirements) (England) Regulations 2025 (SI 2025/1042), and published 2026 industry compliance guidance, current to mid-2026. This is general information, not legal advice specific to your properties.
1. The full compliance checklist by timing
The genuine practical difficulty of landlord compliance isn't any single requirement, it's that they run on entirely different cycles simultaneously, annual, five-year, ten-year, and one-off, which makes it easy for one to quietly lapse while you're focused on another.
| Timing | Requirement |
|---|---|
| Before letting / at start of tenancy | Gas Safety Certificate (CP12), EICR, EPC (minimum E), smoke and CO alarms tested, deposit protected within 30 days with Prescribed Information served, Right to Rent check completed, current How to Rent guide provided, written statement of terms, inventory |
| Annually | Gas safety re-inspection (book roughly 2 months before expiry, using MOT-style flexibility), fire risk and Awaab's Law readiness review |
| Every 2 years | Legionella risk assessment review |
| Every 5 years | EICR renewal (a change of tenancy does not invalidate a current EICR) |
| Every 10 years | EPC renewal, sooner if a Minimum Energy Efficiency Standards (MEES) change requires it |
| Ad hoc / ongoing | Right to Rent follow-up checks for time-limited migrants, Prescribed Information re-service on any change, Renters' Rights Act Information Sheet service, pet request responses within 28 days |
An unprotected deposit, a missing or expired gas certificate, or an unserved Prescribed Information can each independently prevent a landlord from validly serving a Section 8 notice, the only route to possession now that Section 21 has been abolished for tenancies from 1 May 2026. Compliance isn't a background administrative task anymore, it's a direct precondition for being able to manage your own property if something goes wrong.
2. Awaab's Law: the exact timeframes
Awaab's Law, named after Awaab Ishak, a two-year-old who died as a result of prolonged exposure to mould in social housing, was introduced for social landlords from 27 October 2025 under the Hazards in Social Housing (Prescribed Requirements) (England) Regulations 2025, and the Renters' Rights Act 2025 contains the legal framework to extend it to the private rented sector, with secondary legislation confirming the exact private-sector timeframes still awaited as of mid-2026.
Acknowledge a tenant's hazard report within 14 days. Investigate within a further 14 days of acknowledgment. Begin emergency repairs within 24 hours. Begin non-emergency repairs within 7 days of investigation. Complete standard repairs within 28 days. Failing to meet this prescribed timetable exposes a landlord to enforcement action, independent of any separate claim the tenant might bring under the Homes (Fitness for Human Habitation) Act.
Setting up a clear, simple system for tenants to report hazards, and documenting every stage of the response with dates, is now a genuine operational necessity rather than good practice alone, since the timetable itself is the compliance standard you'll be measured against.
3. The PRS Database and Ombudsman
The Renters' Rights Act's reforms are being delivered in two broad phases. Phase 1, in force from 1 May 2026, delivered the headline tenancy law changes: the abolition of Section 21, the move to periodic-only tenancies, and the extension of Awaab's Law to the private sector. Phase 2 introduces the longer-term institutional infrastructure: a mandatory Private Rented Sector Database and a new PRS Ombudsman, both expected later in 2026 and beyond, though exact commencement dates for full mandatory registration remain to be confirmed.
- PRS Database. Expected to require registration for essentially every private landlord letting residential property in England, with supporting documents likely including current EPC, gas safety, EICR and deposit protection records for each property. Prospective tenants will reportedly be able to search the database to verify a landlord's registration and compliance status, and landlords who aren't registered are expected to be unable to serve a valid Section 8 notice.
- PRS Ombudsman. Expected to become a mandatory dispute resolution body that every private landlord letting under an assured tenancy must join, giving tenants a route to escalate unresolved complaints once a landlord's own internal process has been exhausted.
Given that registration is expected to require proof of current compliance documents across your entire portfolio, the practical preparation step available right now is auditing every property's current EPC, gas safety, EICR and deposit protection status, and correcting any gaps, well before the database becomes a live requirement, rather than scrambling to assemble scattered paperwork against a registration deadline.
4. What non-compliance actually costs
| Breach | Typical penalty |
|---|---|
| First breach of most Renters' Rights Act duties | Civil penalty of up to £7,000 |
| Repeat or serious breaches | Civil penalty of up to £30,000–£40,000, or criminal prosecution |
| Attempting to end a tenancy orally, outside Section 8 | Civil penalty of up to £7,000 |
| Rent repayment order | Tenant can recover up to 12 months' rent (previously capped lower) for certain serious breaches |
| Serious or persistent non-compliance | Banning orders, with records published on the PRS Database and accessible to councils and the public |
5. Building a record-keeping system that actually works
Given how many separate cycles and deadlines are running simultaneously across even a small portfolio, an ad hoc approach, remembering renewal dates or relying on paper files, becomes genuinely risky once you own more than one or two properties. A functional system needs three things: a single, dated record of every certificate and its expiry per property, proof that each document was actually served on the tenant (a timestamped email is generally treated as reliable evidence of this), and an advance-warning mechanism, whether a simple calendar reminder or dedicated software, that flags renewals well before they lapse rather than after.
Keep records for at least the periods specified for each document type, gas safety records are commonly retained for a minimum of two years, but given the increasing role of documented compliance history in database registration, dispute resolution, and rent repayment order defences, retaining a longer, complete history for each property is genuinely the safer practice.
6. Frequently asked questions
How often does an EICR need to be renewed?
Every five years. A change of tenancy doesn't invalidate a current EICR, it remains valid for the period specified on the report regardless of a new tenant moving in.
What are the exact timeframes under Awaab's Law?
As it applies in social housing, and expected to broadly mirror the private sector requirement once confirmed: acknowledge a hazard report within 14 days, investigate within a further 14 days, begin emergency repairs within 24 hours, begin non-emergency repairs within 7 days, and complete standard repairs within 28 days.
What is the PRS Database and do I need to register now?
The Private Rented Sector Database is expected to require mandatory registration for private landlords in England, with supporting compliance documents. It isn't yet a live, mandatory requirement as of mid-2026, but auditing your compliance records now is worthwhile preparation ahead of registration opening.
What happens if I miss a compliance deadline?
Penalties range from civil penalties of up to £7,000 for a first breach of most duties, to £30,000 to £40,000 or criminal prosecution for repeat or serious breaches, alongside rent repayment orders and, in serious cases, banning orders. Beyond financial penalties, some breaches, particularly an unprotected deposit or unserved Prescribed Information, can also prevent you validly serving a Section 8 notice.
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