What a rented property in London needs
Letting a home in England comes with a short list of checks and a longer list of deadlines. The checks themselves are not complicated. What catches landlords out is the timing: a report that ran out between tenancies, a gas record that never reached the tenant, remedial work that slipped past its 28 days.
This page is the overview. Each certificate has its own page with the detail, the dates and what happens if something is found. Start here to work out what applies to your property, then follow the link to the one you need.
A single flat let on an assured shorthold tenancy, a house in multiple occupation and a block of social housing are all covered by the same core duties, but the expectations around them differ. Houses in multiple occupation carry licence conditions set by the borough, and social landlords now sit inside the electrical safety rules with a deadline of their own. If you are not certain which group you are in, the safest approach is to check with your local authority before you rely on an assumption.
When a check finds something, the clock often matters more than the repair itself. An unsatisfactory EICR gives you 28 days to get the remedial or further investigative work done, or less if the report says so, and then written confirmation has to go to the tenant and the council. We quote remedial work in writing so you can decide who does it and still meet the date.
We are NAPIT registered, registration 64777, and fully insured including public liability. Gas work is carried out by Gas Safe registered engineers we work with, because that is the registration gas work requires and we do not hold it ourselves. It means you deal with one company while each job sits with the right trade.
The four you are likely to need
Two are hard legal duties with fixed intervals. One governs whether you can let at all. The fourth is about evidence rather than a fixed date.
EICR
Electrical Installation Condition Report
A test of the fixed wiring: the consumer unit, the circuits, the sockets and switches. The report comes back satisfactory or unsatisfactory, and anything coded C1, C2 or FI has to be put right within 28 days.
- At least every 5 years
- From £80 for a studio or one-bed
EPC
Energy Performance Certificate
Since 1 April 2020 you cannot let, or carry on letting, a home rated below E unless a valid exemption is registered. An EPC has to be produced by an accredited domestic energy assessor, so we arrange the assessment and handle any improvement work.
- Band E is the minimum to let
- Assessment arranged for you
PAT testing
Portable appliance testing
Testing the appliances you supply with the let. It is not a standalone legal requirement for every landlord in the way the other two are, but it is the usual way to show the equipment you provide is safe. Social landlords have a firm requirement.
- Commonly annual, or at changeover
- Priced on the appliance count
Put the whole property on one calendar
Certificates go wrong at the edges. A landlord with three flats ends up with six renewal dates scattered across the year, remembers four of them, and finds out about the fifth when a tenant asks for a copy.
The fix is dull and it works. Write down, for each property, the date of the last gas check, the date on the EICR, the expiry on the EPC and the date of the last appliance test. Then pull the dates together. The gas check can be carried out up to two months early while keeping the original anniversary date, which is the one lever you have for moving a date without losing a year.
Once the dates sit near each other, one reminder covers the property. Tell us what you have and we will work to your dates rather than ours.
The cycle, in order
- AnnualThe gas safety check. It can be done up to two months early while keeping the original anniversary date, which is how you drag the date to somewhere convenient without losing ground.
- Annual, by habitPAT testing, if you supply appliances. No fixed interval in law for private lets, so most landlords peg it to the gas visit.
- Every five yearsThe EICR, and sooner if the report itself asks for it or a new tenancy starts after the report has run out.
- Every tenancyServing the paperwork. New tenants get the EICR and the gas record before they move in, not after.
Social landlords: 1 November 2026
The electrical safety rules came into force for the social rented sector on 1 November 2025. For social housing tenancies granted before 1 December 2025, the electrical installation has to be inspected and tested, and any electrical equipment the landlord supplies has to be checked, before 1 November 2026.
If that covers stock you manage, the work is easier to plan in blocks than property by property.
What getting it wrong costs
Each set of rules has its own penalty, and they are separate from one another.
Electrical: up to £40,000
Councils can fine landlords up to £40,000 for breaching the electrical safety standards. Offences from 1 May 2026 are dealt with under the Renters' Rights Act 2025.
Gas: fines and prosecution
Breaches of the gas safety duties can mean a substantial fine, a custodial sentence, or both. Records must be kept for at least two years.
Energy: up to £5,000
The maximum penalty for breaching the minimum energy efficiency standard is £5,000 per property in total.
Why landlords use us for this
Compliance work is repetitive, and the value is in it being done properly and on time rather than in anything clever. That is what we set out to do.
- NAPIT registered, registration 64777, and fully insured including public liability
- Gas work carried out by the Gas Safe registered engineers we work with
- Everywhere inside the M25, and just outside it
- A fixed price agreed before we book, not a figure that moves on the day
- Remedial work quoted in writing, with no obligation to use us for it
Certificates and membership
An EICR starts at £80 for a studio or one-bed, and a gas safety certificate at £80 for a typical flat with one gas appliance. Larger properties are priced on the number of circuits and appliances, and we agree the figure before we book.
A membership takes 5% to 20% off certificates depending on tier, includes at least one free certificate a year, and brings hourly work down to from £75 an hour, which matters when remedial work follows a report.
Landlord certificate questions
Which certificates does a London landlord actually need?
For a typical private let: an EICR at least every five years, and a gas safety check every twelve months on each gas appliance and flue you provide. You also need a valid EPC, and since 1 April 2020 the property cannot be let at below band E unless a valid exemption is registered. PAT testing sits alongside these rather than among them, because the duty is to keep the equipment you supply safe rather than to test it on a set date.
How often does each one need renewing?
The gas safety check is annual. The EICR is at least every five years, and at the start of a new tenancy if the existing report has expired. The EPC has a fixed period of validity shown on the certificate itself. PAT testing has no interval set in law for private lets, and most landlords do it yearly or at each change of tenancy.
When do the documents have to reach the tenant?
The EICR goes to an existing tenant within 28 days, to a new tenant before they occupy, to a prospective tenant within 28 days of a request, and to the council within 7 days of a request. The gas safety record goes to an existing tenant within 28 days and to a new tenant before they move in.
What happens if the EICR comes back unsatisfactory?
An unsatisfactory report means at least one C1, C2 or FI observation was recorded. The remedial or further investigative work has to be done within 28 days, or sooner if the report says so, and written confirmation then goes to the tenant and the council within 28 days of completion. C3 observations are advisory only and do not make a report unsatisfactory.
Is Hem Gas Safe registered?
No, and we will not pretend otherwise. Hem is NAPIT registered, registration 64777, which covers the electrical work. Gas work, including the annual safety check, is carried out by Gas Safe registered engineers we work with. You get one company to deal with and the right registration behind each job.
Can you do the certificates on the same visit?
The electrical work usually can be combined, so an EICR and PAT testing on one appointment is straightforward. The gas check is a separate trade and needs a Gas Safe registered engineer, so it is a separate attendance, though we can line the dates up so your tenant only has to be in twice.
What does it cost?
An EICR starts at £80 for a studio or one-bedroom flat, with larger properties priced on the number of circuits. A gas safety certificate starts at £80 for a typical flat with one gas appliance. PAT testing is priced on the number of items. Members get 5% to 20% off certificates depending on tier, at least one free certificate a year, and hourly work from £75 an hour.
Do you work with agents and portfolio landlords?
Yes. If you look after a block or a portfolio, we can work through the properties together and keep the paperwork in one place rather than chasing it property by property. Call 020 4634 2681 or look at our partnerships page.
The legal duties, dates and penalties on this page are taken from the GOV.UK guidance Electrical safety standards in the private and social rented sectors, the HSE guidance on gas safety for landlords and the GOV.UK guidance on the domestic minimum energy efficiency standard. All three were last checked on 12 September 2026. This is a summary written to be useful, not legal advice, and the rules can change. Landlords remain responsible for confirming their own obligations.