Landlord guide

What safety certificates do landlords need in England?

Gas check every 12 months, EICR at least every five years, EPC rated E or better, smoke and CO alarms: tenant deadlines, fines, and why EPC C is not law yet.

Atlas Estates · 10 September 2026 ·5 min read

To let a home in England you need a gas safety record from the last 12 months if you provide any gas appliances, an electrical installation condition report (EICR) no more than five years old, a valid EPC rated E or better (or a registered exemption), and a smoke alarm on every floor with living accommodation plus a carbon monoxide alarm in any living space with a fixed combustion appliance other than a gas cooker. Tenants must be given copies of the gas record, the EICR and the EPC, each on its own deadline. A higher EPC C minimum for 2030 has been confirmed as government policy, but it is not yet law.

Gas safety: every 12 months

Every gas appliance and flue you provide, such as the boiler, a gas fire or a hob, must be safety-checked at least every 12 months by a Gas Safe registered engineer, and within the 12 months before a new tenancy starts. You must:

give existing tenants a copy of the gas safety record within 28 days of the check
give new tenants a copy before they move in
keep each record until two further checks have been carried out

A check done up to two months early keeps the original anniversary date. The duty cannot be passed to the tenant by a clause in the tenancy.

Breaching the gas regulations is a criminal offence. On conviction in the Crown Court the penalty can be an unlimited fine, up to two years in prison, or both.

Electrical safety: an EICR at least every five years

The fixed installation (wiring, sockets, lights, consumer unit, fixed equipment such as showers) must be inspected and tested by a qualified person at least every five years, or sooner if the last report says so. Copies of the report, usually an EICR, must go to:

existing tenants within 28 days of the inspection
new tenants before they move in
prospective tenants within 28 days of a written request
the council within 7 days of a written request

Any C1 (danger present), C2 (potentially dangerous) or FI (further investigation) item must be dealt with within 28 days of the inspection, or sooner if the report says so. Within 28 days of finishing, the tenant and the council must each receive the electrician's written confirmation with the report. A C3 is only a recommendation.

You do not need a new inspection between tenancies if the report is under five years old and required no further work. A new-build or fully rewired home should have an Electrical Installation Certificate covering its first five years.

Councils can fine up to £40,000 per breach, up from £30,000 since 1 November 2025.

EPC: E or better, for now

Before you advertise, you must have a valid EPC (one lodged on the register within the last 10 years) or at least have commissioned one. Prospective tenants must be able to see it free, at the latest when you first send written details or they view, and the eventual tenant must be given a copy. Failing to do either carries a £200 penalty.

Since 1 April 2020 you cannot let, or continue to let, a home rated F or G without an exemption registered on the PRS Exemptions Register. The main ones:

All improvements made: everything recommended within the £3,500 cost cap (including VAT) is done and the rating is still below E
High cost: the cheapest recommended measure alone would cost more than £3,500
Consent refused by a freeholder, planning authority or other third party
Wall insulation that expert advice says would damage the building, or devaluation of more than 5% on a surveyor's report
New landlord: six months' grace in certain circumstances

Most exemptions last five years. Letting a sub-standard home without one can bring fines of up to £5,000 per property.

Is EPC C coming?

It is confirmed policy, not law. In January 2026 the government said all private tenancies will have to reach the equivalent of EPC C, on a new style of EPC, by 1 October 2030, with required spending capped at £10,000 per property. A home rated C on a current-style EPC issued before 1 October 2029 would count as compliant until that certificate expires, and qualifying spending from 1 October 2025 would count towards the cap. Maximum fines would rise to £30,000.

It still needs new powers from Parliament and then regulations, which the government aims to have in force in 2027. Until then, the legal minimum is E.

Smoke and carbon monoxide alarms

A smoke alarm on every storey with a room used as living accommodation (a bathroom or toilet counts)
A carbon monoxide alarm in every room used as living accommodation that has a fixed combustion appliance, such as a gas or oil boiler or a log-burning stove; gas cookers are excluded
A check that every alarm works on the day a new tenancy begins
Repair or replacement, as soon as reasonably practicable, of any alarm reported faulty

HMOs that need a licence are covered by licence conditions instead, which our HMO licensing guide explains.

Councils enforce this with a remedial notice giving 28 days to comply; failing to comply can cost up to £5,000 per breach.

What changed in 2026

Before 1 May 2026, failing to give a tenant the gas safety record or the EPC could stop a landlord serving a valid section 21 notice. Section 21 has gone for private tenancies, and that consequence has gone with it. The duties, and the penalties above, remain.

Since 22 June 2026, councils can fine up to £7,000 where a rented home has a category 1 hazard that it would have been reasonably practicable to remove. And the government's roadmap expects the new private rented sector database, which begins with landlord registration from 15 December 2026, to hold gas, electrical and EPC details for each property. Our guide to what the Renters' Rights Act changed covers the rest.

Keeping on top of it

The certificates are easy to get; the risk is in the dates. Keep a calendar for each property, with the electrical date taken from the last report rather than assumed.

A fully managed service should keep that calendar and arrange the checks for you; what ours includes is on our fees page.

If you are not sure where a property stands, ring 0161 710 4510 and we will go through the certificates with you. Letting for the first time? You can also book a valuation.

General information, current at September 2026, and not legal advice. The EPC C changes described are government policy awaiting legislation. Confirm the requirements for a specific property with your local council, the HSE or GOV.UK.