Common pitfalls for new landlords
Four things to get right early, however you came to be a landlord.
Not knowing which documents are required
Penalties depend on the document: up to £40,000 for electrical safety, and an unlimited fine for a gas safety offence.
Keeping track of renewal dates
Gas checks are due every 12 months, EICRs at least every five years, and an EPC lasts ten. The dates rarely line up.
Proving you gave documents to tenants
If a tenant says a document never arrived, you'll want a dated record. A sent email only shows you sent it.
Keeping up with regulation changes
The Renters' Rights Act 2025 ended Section 21 on 1 May 2026, and the landlord database opens on 15 December 2026, becoming compulsory region by region.
First time landlord checklist: essential documents
These are England's rules, and most need doing before the tenancy starts.
Energy Performance Certificate (EPC)
Rated E or above, unless you've registered an exemption. Lasts ten years. Order it before you advertise.
Gas Safety Certificate (CP12)
A Gas Safe registered engineer checks the appliances every 12 months. The tenant gets a copy before moving in.
Electrical Installation Condition Report (EICR)
At least every five years, sooner if the last report says so. The tenant gets a copy before moving in.
Written statement of terms
Give it before the tenancy is entered into, and keep proof you did. New tenancies don't need the How to Rent guide or the Renters' Rights Act Information Sheet.
Deposit Protection Certificate
Protect the deposit in an approved scheme and give the prescribed information within 30 days of receiving it.
Right to Rent check
Check every adult who'll live there before the tenancy starts, named on the agreement or not.
Need more detail? The landlord compliance checklist takes each requirement in turn.
How HouseFile helps
HouseFile tracks the checklist above for each property you let.
Pre-built compliance checklist
Each property starts with a list of the documents it needs.
Upload & organise
Keep each property's documents in one place, so you're not hunting through old emails for last year's gas record.
Secure tenant sharing
Your tenant gets a link you can send by email, text or WhatsApp.
Proof of delivery
HouseFile records when your tenant opens each document and whether they acknowledge it, and the record downloads as a PDF.
QR code access
Print a QR code for the property. Tenants scan it to see their documents and contacts.
Automatic reminders
Reminders before a document needs renewing, and when a tenant hasn't confirmed theirs yet.
Frequently asked questions
What documents do I need before my tenant moves in?
An EPC, an EICR, a gas safety record if there's gas, and a written statement of terms. Do the Right to Rent checks too, and protect any deposit within 30 days of receiving it, with the prescribed information.
Do I need to use a letting agent?
No. You can manage a let yourself if you know your duties and keep good records. HouseFile helps with the records.
What happens if I miss a required document?
A gas safety breach is a criminal offence with an unlimited fine. An electrical one can bring a council penalty of up to £40,000. An unprotected deposit, or prescribed information you didn't give, lets the tenant claim one to three times the deposit and blocks a possession order on most grounds until it's put right.
How do I prove my tenant received the documents?
With a record made at the time, such as the log HouseFile keeps of when your tenant opens and acknowledges each document, which you can download as a PDF.
What is changing with the Renters' Rights Act?
Since 1 May 2026, Section 21 has gone, tenancies are periodic and new tenants get a written statement of terms. The gas, electrical, EPC and deposit rules still apply.
The full guide: what to do, in the order you need it
Some deadlines start from a particular moment, so the order matters.
1. Before you market the property
You need an EPC rated E or above, ordered before you advertise, with the rating shown in the advert. Before anyone moves in, you also need a CP12 if there's gas, and an EICR. Ask your council whether the property needs a licence. And get landlord insurance, since a standard home policy may not cover a let.
2. Finding and choosing a tenant
Show interested tenants the EPC by the time they view or you send written details. Do the Right to Rent check before the tenancy starts and keep copies until a year after it ends. Reference the tenant, then give them the written statement of terms. The deposit is capped at five weeks' rent where annual rent is under £50,000.
3. The deposit and move-in day
The deposit goes into an approved scheme within 30 days of you receiving it, which can be before move-in, with the prescribed information served in the same window. Hand over the certificates if you haven't already, and test the smoke and carbon monoxide alarms on the first day of the tenancy. Get a signed check-in inventory with dated photos, because any future deposit deduction rests on it.
4. For the rest of the tenancy
Each new gas safety record and EICR goes to the tenant within 28 days of the check. Give 24 hours' written notice before inspecting, and log repairs. Rent can go up once a year at most, through the Form 4A process with two months' notice. And keep everything for at least six years after the tenancy ends, which covers most claims a tenant could bring. HMRC's rule for tax records is five years after the 31 January filing deadline.
If you remember one thing
Every stage produces a document, and having it is only half the job. The other half is being able to show your tenant received it, and when.