The Complete 2026/27 UK Landlord Compliance Checklist (England)

Everything a self-managing landlord in England needs to stay legal

There are two kinds of compliance a landlord has to juggle: the big dated changes rolling in between now and 2030, and the recurring checks you do for every property and every tenancy. Miss either and the penalties are real — and increasingly, a slip on the recurring stuff can block you from regaining possession. Here's the full picture, with links to the detail on each.

Part 1 — The big dated changes (2026 → 2030)

Renters' Rights Act 2025 — Section 21 "no-fault" evictions abolished and tenancies now periodic, in force since 1 May 2026. → What the Renters' Rights Act means for you
Making Tax Digital (MTD) for Income Tax — quarterly digital tax filing: £50k+ gross from April 2026, £30k+ from 2027, £20k+ from 2028. → Are you in MTD? + the free checker
EPC C — all rented homes expected to need EPC C by 2030 (and no, not 2028). → EPC C: what's actually required

Part 2 — Your recurring checklist (per property / per tenancy)

Gas Safety (CP12) — annual check by a Gas Safe engineer; record to tenants.
Electrical (EICR) — every 5 years; copy to tenants. → Electrical safety & the EICR
EPC — valid certificate (min. E now), provided to tenants.
Deposit protection — approved scheme within 30 days + Prescribed Information. → The 30-day deposit trap
Right to Rent — check every adult tenant before the tenancy.
Smoke & CO alarms — smoke alarm per storey, CO alarm by combustion appliances, checked day one. → Smoke & CO alarms + tenancy information
Required tenancy information — give the current required document each tenancy (the "How to Rent" position changed under the Renters' Rights Act).
HMO licence — if you let to sharers, check whether you need one. → Do you need an HMO licence?
Regaining possession — with Section 21 gone, possession runs through Section 8. → The revised Section 8 grounds

Part 3 — What to do next

Work out which of the dated changes apply to you now (start with the MTD checker).
Run every new tenancy off a fixed checklist so nothing slips.
Diarise your safety-certificate renewals with a warning window.
Keep one dated source of truth for all of it.

Free: That single dated source of truth is the 2026/27 UK Landlord Compliance Calendar — every deadline above, on one page, kept current as the rules change. Get it here.

Information, not legal or tax advice. All items sourced to GOV.UK / legislation.gov.uk, verified 6 July 2026. England only; Wales, Scotland & NI differ.