Yearly renewals checklist for a managed rental property: gas, EICR, EPC, licence and rent

Every managed property has a yearly round: the gas check, a look at the electrical report and the EPC, the licence, and the question of whether the rent goes up. Done one certificate at a time, something is always left until the week it expires. This list runs the whole round for one property in a single pass, starting about eight weeks before the gas record runs out, because that is when the early window for the check opens. It is written for the property manager who holds the file for a let in England. Use one list per property per year.

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Yearly renewals checklist for a managed property

Tick each step as it is done. The ticks are kept in this browser only, so you can come back to the list; nothing is sent anywhere.

Eight weeks before the gas date: check the file

List the property's gas, EICR, EPC and licence dates in one place Check the management agreement says who arranges the gas check and keeps the records Check your record holds contact details for every joint landlord

The gas safety check

Book the Gas Safe engineer as soon as the two-month window opens Offer the tenant appointment times in writing and keep the message and any reply No access: leave a card and send a letter after each failed visit, three visits at least Fit all three attempts in before the 12 months run out Send the new gas record to the tenant within 28 days of the check Keep the old gas record for at least two years New boiler this year: diary its first check within 12 months of the installation date

Electrical report, EPC and alarms

Read the last EICR for its next inspection date; do not assume five years New EICR this year: give the tenant a copy within 28 days EICR lists remedial work: get it done within 28 days, or sooner if the report says Check the EPC expiry date even though the property is occupied At the yearly visit, note a smoke alarm on each storey and a CO alarm where one is needed

Licence and the PRS Database

Count the occupiers and households again and check whether a licence is now needed Licensed property: diary the licence end date and any fee still to pay Record the property details the PRS Database is expected to ask for Tell the landlord in writing whether database registration is in your management fee

Rent and the tenancy file

Check the date of the last rent increase before you propose a new one Serve any increase on Form 4A at least two months before the new rent starts Record the date, the method and who served the Form 4A Tenancy began before 1 May 2026: check the file proves the information sheet was given Check any pet request made this year was answered in writing within 28 days Log this year's repairs and complaints with the dates you replied

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A working list, not a certificate and not advice: the rule behind each step, with its source, is set out below.

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Eight weeks before the gas date: check the file

List the property's gas, EICR, EPC and licence dates in one place. The PRS Database, rolling out from late 2026, is expected to ask for gas, electrical and Energy Performance Certificate details for every property, so the list made for this run is the one registration will need. Source: MHCLG, Implementing the Renters' Rights Act 2025: our roadmap. The working is in The PRS Database and Landlord Ombudsman.

Check the management agreement says who arranges the gas check and keeps the records. HSE says the contract should state who does both. Where it gives the agent the responsibility, the same duties apply to the agent as to a landlord, and the duty cannot be passed to the tenant. Source: HSE, Gas safety: landlords and letting agents. The working is in Tenant will not give access for the gas safety check.

Check your record holds contact details for every joint landlord. The roadmap expects the database to ask for the landlord's contact details, including every joint landlord. Many agency records hold only the lead contact. Source: MHCLG, Implementing the Renters' Rights Act 2025: our roadmap. The working is in The PRS Database and Landlord Ombudsman.

The gas safety check

Book the Gas Safe engineer as soon as the two-month window opens. The check can be done up to two months before the deadline while keeping the original expiry date. A check due on 1 November can be done from 1 September, and the next one is still due the following 1 November. Source: HSE, Gas safety: landlords and letting agents. The working is in Lettings compliance date tracker.

Offer the tenant appointment times in writing and keep the message and any reply. HSE strongly advises that a record be kept of all correspondence. If access is refused later, a landlord who misses the check has to show that all reasonable steps were taken, and the first offer is where that record starts. Source: HSE, Gas safety: landlords and letting agents. The working is in Tenant will not give access for the gas safety check.

No access: leave a card and send a letter after each failed visit, three visits at least. HSE says its inspectors will look for at least three attempts to complete the check, and that force must not be used to enter. It recommends leaving a notice with your contact details and writing to explain that the check is a legal requirement. Source: HSE, Gas safety: landlords and letting agents, FAQs. The working is in Tenant will not give access for the gas safety check.

Fit all three attempts in before the 12 months run out. The two-month early window is the only slack: HSE's pages describe nothing that allows a check after the 12 months. For a record ending on 1 November 2026 our timetable puts the visits on 8 September, 22 September and 6 October. Source: HSE, Gas safety checks: what if? The working is in Tenant will not give access for the gas safety check.

Send the new gas record to the tenant within 28 days of the check. Existing tenants get a copy within 28 days, by email if they are happy with that and on paper if they ask. The record is issued when the check is complete, even if faults are found. Source: Gas Safety (Installation and Use) Regulations 1998, regulation 36; HSE guidance. The working is in Tenant will not give access for the gas safety check.

Keep the old gas record for at least two years. Each record must be kept for at least two years, or until two further checks have been done if you use the early window. Source: HSE, Gas safety check records and what to keep. The working is in Tenant will not give access for the gas safety check.

New boiler this year: diary its first check within 12 months of the installation date. A new appliance needs its first check within 12 months of installation. HSE allows a one-off extension of up to two months to line its date up with the other appliances in the property. Source: HSE, Gas safety: landlords and letting agents. The working is in Tenant will not give access for the gas safety check.

Electrical report, EPC and alarms

Read the last EICR for its next inspection date; do not assume five years. The installation must be inspected at intervals of no more than five years, or sooner if the last report says so. Some reports recommend three years, or less for older installations. Source: Electrical Safety Standards in the Private Rented Sector (England) Regulations 2020, regulation 3. The working is in Lettings compliance date tracker.

New EICR this year: give the tenant a copy within 28 days. Existing tenants get a copy of the report within 28 days of the inspection. The council gets one within 7 days of asking in writing, and a prospective tenant who asks in writing gets one within 28 days. Source: Electrical Safety Standards in the Private Rented Sector (England) Regulations 2020. The working is in Lettings compliance date tracker.

EICR lists remedial work: get it done within 28 days, or sooner if the report says. Remedial work must be done within 28 days, or within a shorter period if the report gives one. Councils can fine a landlord up to £40,000 for breaching the regulations. Source: Electrical Safety Standards in the Private Rented Sector (England) Regulations 2020. The working is in Lettings compliance date tracker.

Check the EPC expiry date even though the property is occupied. An EPC lasts 10 years and a valid one is needed before marketing. If it has expired during the tenancy and the tenant gives notice, the property cannot be marketed until a new certificate is in place. Source: GOV.UK EPC guidance for landlords. The working is in Lettings compliance date tracker.

At the yearly visit, note a smoke alarm on each storey and a CO alarm where one is needed. Alarms have no due date, but they must be confirmed working on the first day of every new tenancy: a smoke alarm on each storey used as living accommodation, and a carbon monoxide alarm in any room with a fixed combustion appliance, except gas cookers. Source: GOV.UK, Smoke and Carbon Monoxide Alarm Regulations: guidance for landlords and tenants, read 1 October 2026. The working is in Lettings compliance date tracker.

Licence and the PRS Database

Count the occupiers and households again and check whether a licence is now needed. Five or more occupiers from two or more households need a mandatory HMO licence anywhere in England. In Reading, 3 or 4 occupiers have needed an additional licence since 1 March 2026, so a house let to three sharers that nobody called an HMO may now need one. Source: Housing Act 2004; Reading Borough Council licensing pages. The working is in HMO licence cost in Reading.

Licensed property: diary the licence end date and any fee still to pay. In Reading a licence for a 3 or 4 person HMO costs £1,500, paid as two parts of £750, or £1,750 if the application is more than 12 weeks late. It runs for up to five years or to the end of the scheme on 28 February 2031. Source: Reading Borough Council and Home Safe fee pages. The working is in HMO licence cost in Reading.

Record the property details the PRS Database is expected to ask for. The roadmap lists the full address, whether it is a flat or house, the number of bedrooms, the number of households and residents, and whether the property is occupied and furnished. Source: MHCLG, Implementing the Renters' Rights Act 2025: our roadmap. The working is in The PRS Database and Landlord Ombudsman.

Tell the landlord in writing whether database registration is in your management fee. Joining will be mandatory for all private landlords, with an annual fee to be confirmed closer to launch. Whether agents will be able to register on a landlord's behalf has not yet been set out in regulations. Source: MHCLG, Implementing the Renters' Rights Act 2025: our roadmap. The working is in The PRS Database and Landlord Ombudsman.

Rent and the tenancy file

Check the date of the last rent increase before you propose a new one. An increase cannot start sooner than 52 weeks after the last one took effect, or after the tenancy began if there has been none. GOV.UK's example: rent that went up on 1 February 2026 cannot go up again before 1 February 2027. Source: Housing Act 1988, section 13(2); GOV.UK, Assured periodic tenancies: a guide for landlords. The working is in Section 13 rent increase.

Serve any increase on Form 4A at least two months before the new rent starts. The form is needed every time, even if the increase is already agreed with the tenant, and the new rent has to start on the first day of a tenancy period. A notice that fails on dates wastes at least two months. Source: Housing Act 1988, section 13; Form 4A, Note A. The working is in Section 13 rent increase.

Record the date, the method and who served the Form 4A. The form carries its own warning that you need to be able to evidence that you served the notice. The tenant can apply to the tribunal up to the day before the new rent starts, and nothing is backdated. Source: Form 4A; Housing Act 1988, section 14ZB. The working is in Section 13 rent increase.

Tenancy began before 1 May 2026: check the file proves the information sheet was given. The sheet was due by 31 May 2026 as the exact PDF, printed or attached, to every tenant named on the agreement; a link is not valid. The maximum penalty is £7,000, and proof of service is among the papers checked before a Section 8 notice. Source: GOV.UK, The Renters' Rights Act Information Sheet 2026. The working is in Renters' Rights Act information sheet.

Check any pet request made this year was answered in writing within 28 days. A landlord must give or refuse consent to a tenant's written pet request in writing on or before the 28th day after the request. Where the landlord asks for more information, the deadline is the 7th day after the tenant supplies it, if that is later. Source: Housing Act 1988, section 16A. The working is in Can a landlord refuse a pet in 2026? The 28-day reply rule for letting agents, with dates and reply letters.

Log this year's repairs and complaints with the dates you replied. Our compliance list has repairs and complaints recorded with response times. Councils have had new investigatory powers since 27 December 2025, and the coming Ombudsman will handle tenant complaints. Source: GOV.UK, Guide to the Renters' Rights Act. The working is in Lettings compliance checklist 2026 (England).

How to use the list

Keep the finished list, dated, on the property file and send the landlord a short note of what was done and what is due next. Carry forward anything left unticked, such as a gas check still waiting on access, as an open job with its own diary date. The dates you confirmed on this run are the same ones the PRS Database is expected to ask for, so the list doubles as the record you will register from.

A ticked list is a record that the steps were done, not proof that each was done properly. The list covers the points our guides and the official pages named above set out; it is not every duty a firm has. This page is general information, not legal advice.

Overlyft sets up AI assistants for letting agents: they prepare drafts for a person to approve. They do not tick off any of these steps for you, and you can do every one without them.