Renters Rights Act 2026: Your Complete Landlord Compliance Checklist
The Renters Rights Act comes into force on 1 May 2026. This is not optional. Every private landlord in England needs to understand what is changing and take action before the deadline. Fines for non-compliance range from £7,000 to £40,000.
The Renters Rights Act is the biggest overhaul of private renting law in a generation. It abolishes Section 21 no-fault evictions, introduces the mandatory PRS Database, and gives tenants new protections that landlords must comply with from day one.
If you are a private landlord in England, this affects you. Whether you own one buy-to-let or a portfolio of fifty, the same rules apply. I have put together this checklist so you can work through everything methodically, rather than scrambling when enforcement begins.
What the Act Actually Changes
Before we get into the checklist, here is a quick summary of the headline changes. The Act does four major things:
Section 21 is abolished. You can no longer evict tenants without a specific legal ground. All evictions must now use Section 8, which requires a valid reason such as rent arrears, anti-social behaviour, or the landlord needing to sell or move in.
The PRS Database is mandatory. Every landlord must register themselves and every rental property on the new Private Rented Sector Database. You cannot create new tenancies without registration once the database is live (expected late 2026).
Tenancies become periodic by default. Fixed-term tenancies are effectively abolished. All tenancies will be periodic (rolling), and tenants can leave with two months notice at any time.
A new Ombudsman for landlords. All private landlords must join the new landlord ombudsman service, giving tenants a free route to resolve disputes without going to court.
Your Compliance Checklist
Work through each item below. If you can tick every one, you are in good shape for 1 May and beyond.
1. Gas Safety Certificate (CP12)
Every rental property with a gas supply must have a valid Gas Safety Certificate, renewed annually. You must give a copy to your tenant within 28 days of the inspection and keep records for two years. If yours has expired or is due within the next few months, book a Gas Safe registered engineer now.
2. EICR (Electrical Safety)
An Electrical Installation Condition Report is required every five years for all rental properties. The report must show a satisfactory result. If any remedial work is identified as urgent (C1 or C2 codes), it must be completed within 28 days and the local authority notified. Check your EICR date — five years goes quickly.
3. EPC (Energy Performance Certificate)
Your property must have a valid EPC with a minimum rating of E to be legally let. EPCs last ten years. The government has also signalled that the minimum rating will rise to C by 2030, so if your property is currently a D or E, start thinking about improvements now. You could be saving money on the work by acting early rather than when every landlord is competing for tradespeople.
4. HMO Licence (If Applicable)
If your property is let to five or more people forming two or more households, you need a mandatory HMO licence from your local council. Many councils also operate additional or selective licensing schemes that cover smaller shared properties. Check with your local authority — fines for unlicensed HMOs can reach £30,000 and rent repayment orders can be backdated up to 12 months.
5. Tenant Deposit Protection
Every deposit must be protected in a government-approved scheme (DPS, MyDeposits, or TDS) within 30 days of receipt. You must also serve the prescribed information to your tenant. Without valid deposit protection, you cannot serve a valid Section 8 notice for some grounds — this is even more critical now that Section 21 is gone.
6. Smoke and Carbon Monoxide Alarms
You must have a working smoke alarm on every storey of the property and a carbon monoxide alarm in any room with a fixed combustion appliance (boiler, gas fire, wood burner). Since October 2022, this applies to all tenancies, not just new ones. Test them and replace batteries or units as needed.
7. PRS Database Registration
The PRS Database is expected to launch late 2026. When it goes live, you will need to register your details and every property you let, along with evidence of compliance (gas cert, EICR, EPC). You cannot wait until launch day — get your documents in order now so registration is straightforward. See our full PRS Database guide for details.
8. Join the Landlord Ombudsman
All private landlords will be required to join the new landlord ombudsman service. Details are still being finalised, but this will be mandatory — not optional. Watch for announcements from MHCLG on timing and how to register.
9. Review Your Tenancy Agreements
Fixed-term tenancies are being replaced with periodic tenancies. If your current agreements include fixed terms, they will still run to completion, but any new tenancy must be periodic from the start. Review your standard agreement with a solicitor or the NRLA to ensure it is compliant with the new rules.
10. Understand the New Eviction Rules
Without Section 21, you need to know the Section 8 grounds inside out. Key grounds include: Ground 1 (landlord wants to sell), Ground 1A (landlord or family wants to move in), Ground 8 (serious rent arrears — two months or more), and Ground 14 (anti-social behaviour). Each ground has specific notice periods and evidence requirements. Get familiar with them before you need them.
The Penalties for Getting It Wrong
The government has been clear: enforcement will be robust. Here is what you face if you are not compliant:
£7,000
PRS Database: first offence
£40,000
Repeat offence / false info
£30,000
Unlicensed HMO
Local councils can issue civil penalties without going to court. And with the PRS Database giving councils a clear view of every landlord in their area, it will be much harder to fly under the radar than it has been in the past.
How to Stay on Top of It All
The biggest risk for most landlords is not deliberate non-compliance — it is simply losing track of when things expire. A gas cert that lapsed two months ago because you forgot to check the date can cost you thousands.
ComplianceBot was built to solve exactly this problem. Upload your gas cert, EICR, EPC, and HMO licence — the system reads the expiry dates automatically using OCR and sends you email alerts at 30 days, 14 days, and 7 days before anything expires. It also stores all the property data the PRS Database will require, so you will be ready to register as soon as the database launches.
Stay Compliant. Avoid Fines.
Free compliance tracking for UK landlords. Automatic expiry alerts. PRS Database ready.
Start Free — No Card RequiredThe Renters Rights Act is happening. The countdown to 1 May is on. Use this checklist, get your documents in order, and you will be one of the landlords who sails through the transition rather than scrambling to catch up.
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