How to become a landlord: a 2026 checklist for England

How to become a landlord in England

You become a landlord the moment you let a home to someone who pays you rent. There is no exam and, today, no national licence. What there is instead is a list of legal duties that apply from before you advertise, and most of them carry a fine if you skip them.

GOV.UK sums up the core responsibilities: keep the property safe and free from health hazards, make sure gas and electrical equipment is safely installed and maintained, provide an Energy Performance Certificate, protect the tenant’s deposit in a government-approved scheme, and check the tenant has the right to rent in England. You must also fit and test smoke alarms and carbon monoxide alarms.

The rules changed on 1 May 2026, when the Renters’ Rights Act took effect. Tenancies are now rolling, with no fixed term, and section 21 no-fault eviction has gone. If you last let a property before then, read the new landlord rules for 2026 first. This guide covers England only: Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland have their own systems.

Sources: GOV.UK: renting out your property, landlord responsibilities · GOV.UK: Renters’ Rights Act, an overview for landlords

How to rent out your house: permissions to get first

Start with the people who can say no. GOV.UK says you need your mortgage lender’s permission before renting out a mortgaged property. If the property is a leasehold flat, read the lease to see whether it restricts letting or requires the freeholder’s consent. Tell your insurer as well, and ask whether your policy covers a let property.

Next, check licensing with the council where the property is. A house shared by five or more people from more than one household needs an HMO licence everywhere in England, and some councils license smaller shared houses too. Some councils also run selective licensing, where every private let in a named area needs a licence. Letting without a licence you need is a serious offence, so check before you take a tenant.

Rental income is taxable. GOV.UK says you may have to pay Income Tax on your rental income, less your day-to-day running expenses, so tell HMRC and keep records from the first month. Landlords above an income threshold must now use HMRC’s Making Tax Digital for Income Tax: see Making Tax Digital for landlords.

Sources: GOV.UK: renting out your property, landlord responsibilities

Safety checks to finish before a tenant moves in

Get the safety work done before you advertise, because faults take time to fix. If the property has gas, a Gas Safe registered engineer must check every gas appliance and flue you provide, and then again every 12 months. A new tenant must be given the record before they move in. See landlord gas safety certificates.

The fixed wiring must be inspected and tested by a qualified person at least every five years. The report is called an EICR. A new tenant must get a copy before they occupy the property, and any remedial work the report requires must be completed within 28 days, or sooner if the report says so. The government’s guidance gives the maximum fine as £40,000. See EICR rules for landlords.

You need a valid Energy Performance Certificate before you market the property, and the rating must meet the minimum standard: see EPC rules for landlords. Fit a smoke alarm on every storey that has living accommodation and a carbon monoxide alarm in rooms with a fixed fuel-burning appliance, as set out in the smoke and carbon monoxide alarm rules. You must also assess the risk from legionella in the water system, which most landlords can do themselves: see legionella risk assessments.

Sources: HSE: landlords’ gas safety responsibilities · GOV.UK: electrical safety standards guidance for landlords · GOV.UK: renting out your property, landlord responsibilities

Advertising and choosing a tenant lawfully

Advertise one asking rent and stick to it. Since 1 May 2026 GOV.UK says it is illegal to encourage people to bid, and you cannot accept an offer above the advertised rent. You also cannot discriminate against applicants because they receive benefits or have children.

Before you agree a tenancy, check that every adult who will live there has the right to rent in England. Check everyone the same way, whatever their nationality. The steps, including share codes, are in right to rent checks for landlords.

You may take a holding deposit of up to one week’s rent to reserve the property while you do your checks. It has its own deadlines for agreement and refund: see the holding deposit rules. You cannot ask for, encourage or accept any rent before the tenancy agreement is signed.

Sources: GOV.UK: Renters’ Rights Act, an overview for landlords · GOV.UK: renting out your property, landlord responsibilities · GOV.UK: rent in advance and deposits

The paperwork at the start of the tenancy

Before the agreement is signed, you must give the tenant written information about the key terms of the tenancy. Regulations list 18 items, and GOV.UK says you could be fined up to £7,000 if you do not give them. The simplest way is an agreement that contains them all: see what a tenancy agreement must contain.

The agreement creates an assured periodic tenancy. It cannot have an end date. Once it is signed you can ask for the first month’s rent, or 28 days’ rent if the rent is paid more often than monthly, and no more than that before the tenancy starts.

A tenancy deposit is capped at five weeks’ rent where the annual rent is under £50,000 and six weeks’ rent where it is £50,000 or more. It must go into a government-approved scheme, and the tenant must be given the scheme details. The 30-day deadline is explained in tenancy deposit protection.

Sources: GOV.UK: written information you need to give to your tenant · GOV.UK: rent in advance and deposits · GOV.UK: Renters’ Rights Act, an overview for landlords

Landlord duties, deadlines and who does the work

The table puts the duties in the order you meet them. ‘You’ means the landlord. A letting agent can do most of these for you, but the legal responsibility usually stays with the landlord, so ask the agent for the evidence each time.

Sources: GOV.UK: renting out your property, landlord responsibilities · HSE: landlords’ gas safety responsibilities · GOV.UK: electrical safety standards guidance for landlords · GOV.UK: written information you need to give to your tenant · GOV.UK: rent in advance and deposits · GOV.UK news: landlord registration service launch dates

What private landlords must keep doing after move-in

The duties do not stop at the handover. Repairs to the structure, the exterior, and the water, gas, electricity, heating and sanitation are the landlord’s job, and the home must stay free of serious hazards. Councils can inspect and serve enforcement notices where it is not.

Rent can go up once a year, not in the first year, and only by serving Form 4A with at least two months’ notice. Read how much a landlord can increase rent before you plan a review. A tenant can ask to keep a pet, and you can refuse a pet only for a valid reason.

Ending the tenancy now needs a legal reason and a section 8 notice, with notice periods that GOV.UK says are usually four months and shorter for some grounds. You cannot use the grounds for selling or moving in during the first 12 months of a tenancy. The section 8 grounds for possession are worth reading before you let, not when something goes wrong.

Every certificate has an expiry date and a tenant copy to prove. TenancyDesk keeps each property’s certificates and deadlines in one record and emails you before they run out. The landlord certificates checklist lists what to track.

Sources: GOV.UK: renting out your property, landlord responsibilities · GOV.UK: Renters’ Rights Act, an overview for landlords

What is still to come for new landlords

A national register of landlords is on its way. The government announced that the registration service will launch on 15 December 2026, starting in the West Midlands and extending to other areas over 12 months. When your area is called forward you will have three months to sign up, and all landlords actively letting must be registered by 14 November 2027. Registration numbers will have to appear on adverts. See the private rented sector database.

Other parts of the Renters’ Rights Act are not yet in force for private landlords, including a compulsory private landlord ombudsman and a Decent Homes Standard for private rented homes. Check the current position before you rely on a date you have read in an older article.

• Get your lender’s permission, check the lease and tell your insurer.
• Ask the council whether the property needs an HMO or selective licence.
• Book the gas safety check, the electrical inspection and the energy assessment, and fix what they find.
• Fit and test the alarms and do a legionella risk assessment.
• Advertise at one asking rent and treat every applicant the same.
• Check each adult’s right to rent and keep the copies.
• Give the written tenancy information, then sign the agreement.
• Take the first month’s rent only after signing, and protect the deposit within 30 days.
• Give the tenant the gas record, the electrical report and the Energy Performance Certificate, and keep proof.
• Tell HMRC about the income and note the date your area opens for landlord registration.

Sources: GOV.UK news: landlord registration service launch dates

Common questions