How often does a rental property need an EICR?

In England, at least every 5 years (or sooner if the report specifies). Give the report to existing tenants within 28 days of the inspection, and to new tenants before they occupy.

What EPC rating do I need to let a property?

Band E is the current minimum for lettings in England and Wales, and the certificate itself is valid for 10 years. The government has confirmed plans to raise the minimum standard, so check the latest MEES guidance before committing to works.

Do I need a carbon monoxide alarm in every room?

No — in every room used as living accommodation that has a fixed combustion appliance, such as a boiler or wood burner. Gas cookers are excepted. Smoke alarms are required on every storey with living accommodation.

08 Jul 20263 min readJoachim, FounderLandlord compliance

The accidental landlord’s compliance calendar

Gas safety, EICR, EPC, alarms, deposits — every recurring deadline for a landlord in England, what triggers it, and the proof to keep.

Checked on 08 Jul 2026

General information, not legal or tax advice.

At a glance

Gas safety record: every 12 months; give tenants a copy within 28 days
EICR (electrical report): at least every 5 years
EPC: valid 10 years; band E is the minimum to let
Smoke alarm on every storey; carbon monoxide alarm in any room with a fixed combustion appliance
Deposit protected in a government-approved scheme within 30 days, with prescribed information
Everything here is per property, and much of it per tenancy — the deadlines multiply

Nobody becomes a landlord to study statutory instruments. But if you let property in England — including the flat you inherited or the house you couldn't sell — a set of legal duties applies, each with its own clock, and no single official list arrives in the post. This is that list.

(This calendar covers England. Scotland and Wales run their own versions of most of these duties, and Northern Ireland has separate rules again — the shape is similar, the cadences and paperwork differ.)

The calendar

Obligation	How often	The proof to keep
Gas safety record (CP12)	Every 12 months	The record; tenants get a copy within 28 days
EICR — electrical installation report	At least every 5 years	The report; give it to tenants within 28 days of the inspection, and to new tenants before they move in
EPC — energy performance certificate	Valid 10 years; minimum band E to let	The certificate; give it to tenants
Smoke alarms	One per storey; confirmed working at the start of each tenancy	Check-in / inventory record
Carbon monoxide alarms	Any room with a fixed combustion appliance (gas cookers excepted)	Same
Deposit protection	Within 30 days of receiving the deposit, each tenancy	Scheme certificate + the prescribed information you served
Right to rent checks	Before the tenant moves in	Copies of the documents you checked
“How to Rent” guide	The current version at each new tenancy	Proof you provided it
Legionella risk assessment	No fixed statutory interval — assess, then review regularly and on changes	The assessment

Two kinds of deadline

Half of these are anniversary clocks (gas every 12 months, EICR every 5 years, EPC every 10) and half are tenancy triggers (deposits, right to rent, alarms, the guide). The tenancy-triggered ones at least announce themselves — a new tenant is hard to miss. The anniversary ones lapse silently, which is why the gas record catches so many people out — the CP12 has a two-month renewal rule worth knowing.

What's changing

The Renters' Rights Act 2025 began commencing in May 2026: tenancies are converting to periodic, new prescribed-information duties apply, and penalties for getting the paperwork wrong reach £40,000. The Private Rented Sector Database is rolling out behind it, and registration is expected to mean uploading exactly the certificates in the table above — gas, EICR and EPC. And the EPC minimum is under review: government has confirmed its intention to raise the standard from band E, so check the current MEES guidance before planning works.

The direction of travel is one-way: less tolerance for missing paperwork, more requirement to produce it digitally, on demand.

Keeping it all

One property is nine-ish deadlines. Three properties with tenant turnover is closer to thirty, on different clocks, none of which sends a reminder. The filing cabinet approach fails not because landlords are careless but because the system is genuinely hard to hold in your head.

The fix is to make the paperwork itself carry the dates: photograph each certificate as you receive it — KeepUp reads the dates, files the document against the property, and builds the calendar across everything you let. See how it works.

Common questions

How often does a rental property need an EICR?: In England, at least every 5 years (or sooner if the report specifies). Give the report to existing tenants within 28 days of the inspection, and to new tenants before they occupy.
What EPC rating do I need to let a property?: Band E is the current minimum for lettings in England and Wales, and the certificate itself is valid for 10 years. The government has confirmed plans to raise the minimum standard, so check the latest MEES guidance before committing to works.
Do I need a carbon monoxide alarm in every room?: No — in every room used as living accommodation that has a fixed combustion appliance, such as a boiler or wood burner. Gas cookers are excepted. Smoke alarms are required on every storey with living accommodation.