Four things, four different clocks
Landlord compliance in England is not one big obligation. It is a handful of separate duties, each with its own interval, paperwork and penalty. They rarely line up, which is how an organised landlord ends up with an expired gas record and a five-year-old EICR at once.
The table below is the short version. Electrics at least every five years, gas every twelve months, the EPC at band E or better the whole time the property is let. Alarms have their own rules, and we point you at GOV.UK rather than repeat a figure we cannot verify.
If you manage more than one property, write every expiry date in one place and work backwards from the earliest.
The checklist
Duty, how often, who gets the paperwork, and the penalty.
| Duty | How often | Who gets the paperwork | What happens if you do not |
|---|---|---|---|
| Electrical installation condition report (EICR)EICR in London | At least every 5 years | Current tenant within 28 days. New tenant before they move in. Prospective tenant within 28 days of asking. Council within 7 days. | Up to £40,000. Offences from 1 May 2026 fall under the Renters' Rights Act 2025. |
| Gas safety check on landlord-supplied appliances and fluesGas safety certificates | Every 12 months, by a Gas Safe registered engineer | Current tenant within 28 days. New tenant before they move in. Keep records 2 years. | A substantial fine and, in serious cases, a custodial sentence. |
| Energy Performance Certificate at band E or betterEPCs for landlords | Certificate valid 10 years; band E applies throughout the tenancy | Give the certificate to the tenant. Any exemption must be on the PRS Exemptions Register. | Up to £5,000 per property. |
| Smoke and carbon monoxide alarms | Check the current requirements on GOV.UK | Check the current requirements on GOV.UK | Check the current requirements on GOV.UK |
Alarm duties are real and enforced, but we will not state a figure we cannot verify. Read the current requirements on GOV.UK before your next tenancy starts.
Each duty in a bit more detail
Electrics: every five years
The fixed wiring is inspected and tested by a qualified person at least every five years, and again at the start of a new tenancy where the old report has run out. Some reports ask for a shorter interval.
More on EICRs in LondonGas: every twelve months
Every gas appliance and flue you supply is safety checked each year by a Gas Safe registered engineer. The check can be done up to two months early while keeping the original anniversary date. A safety check is not a service; the HSE says not to assume one covers the other.
More on gas safety certificatesEPC: band E or better
Since 1 April 2020 you cannot let, or carry on letting, a property rated below E unless a valid exemption is registered. The certificate lasts ten years. EPC band C by 2030 is a stated government aim, not a confirmed legal deadline, so plan around band E.
More on EPCs for landlordsSmoke and carbon monoxide alarms
Landlords have duties around smoke and carbon monoxide alarms, and those duties have changed more than once. Check the current requirements on GOV.UK before each tenancy, and test the alarms the day the tenant moves in.
Current requirements on GOV.UKSocial housing: 1 November 2026
The electrical safety rules were extended to the social rented sector. For social housing tenancies granted before 1 December 2025, the installation has to be inspected and tested, and any electrical equipment the landlord supplies checked, before 1 November 2026.
If that date is tight across a portfolio, talk to us about scheduling in batches and keeping the reports in one place.
When a report comes back unsatisfactory
Landlords get caught out here: the deadline starts on the day of the report, not the day you read it.
- Any C1, C2 or FI observation makes an EICR unsatisfactory
- The work must be done within 28 days, or sooner if the report says so
- Written confirmation then goes to the tenant and the council within 28 days of completion
- C3 observations are advisory, and a report with only C3 items is still satisfactory
Before a new tenant moves in
A new tenancy resets several of these. Run through the list before handing over the keys.
- Gas safety record handed over before the tenant moves in
- A valid EICR in place, or a new one if the old report has run out
- EPC at band E or better, or an exemption already on the register
- Alarms checked against the current GOV.UK requirements
- Copies of everything filed where you can find them in a hurry
NAPIT registered
Registration 64777, fully insured including public liability. Gas work is done by Gas Safe registered engineers we work with.
Inside the M25 and just outside
One team for the whole portfolio.
Certificates from £80
EICR from £80 for a studio or one-bed; gas safety certificate from £80 for a flat with one appliance.
Compliance questions landlords ask
What certificates does a London landlord actually need?
For a typical private rented flat: an EICR at least every five years, a gas safety check every 12 months on each landlord-supplied appliance and flue, and an EPC at band E or better. Alarm duties apply too; check the current requirements on GOV.UK.
How often does each check have to be done?
Electrics at least every five years, and again at the start of a new tenancy if the report has expired. Gas every 12 months. An EPC lasts ten years, but band E applies the whole time the property is let.
Who has to be given the paperwork?
Your current tenant gets the EICR and the gas record within 28 days. A new tenant gets both before moving in. A prospective tenant who asks for the EICR gets it within 28 days, the council within seven days. Gas records are kept at least two years.
What happens if a report comes back unsatisfactory?
Any C1, C2 or FI observation makes an EICR unsatisfactory. The work has to be done within 28 days, or sooner if the report says so, then written confirmation goes to the tenant and council within 28 days of completion. C3 items are advisory.
Is there a deadline for social housing?
Yes. For social housing tenancies granted before 1 December 2025, the installation must be inspected and tested, and landlord-supplied electrical equipment checked, before 1 November 2026.
What are the penalties for getting it wrong?
Electrical safety breaches carry up to £40,000 and the minimum energy efficiency standard up to £5,000 per property. Gas safety breaches can mean a substantial fine and, in serious cases, a custodial sentence.
Can one company do all of it?
Mostly. Our electricians are NAPIT registered, registration 64777, and do the EICR and any remedial work. Gas work is done by Gas Safe registered engineers we work with, as Hem is not itself Gas Safe registered. EPCs come from accredited assessors, which we arrange.
Does membership help with compliance?
Every plan takes 5% to 20% off certificates and includes at least one free certificate a year, four on Platinum. Member rates are from £75 or £80 an hour against our standard rate of £120 we use for comparison, with no call-out fees.
Work through the list with us
Start with the EICR, add the gas safety certificate and the EPC, or book the lot together through landlord certificates. A membership takes 5% to 20% off certificates and removes call-out fees.
The duties on this page are taken from the GOV.UK guidance Electrical safety standards in the private and social rented sectors, the HSE gas safety guidance for landlords and the GOV.UK guidance Domestic private rented property: minimum energy efficiency standard, all last checked on 12 September 2026. Smoke and carbon monoxide alarm requirements are not summarised here; check them on GOV.UK. This is a summary written to be useful, not legal advice, and the rules can change. Landlords remain responsible for confirming their own obligations.