Landlord guides
Plain-English guides for UK landlords on the Renters' Rights Act, certificates, licensing, repairs and what each check costs.
Updated
Certificates and accounting
Landlord certificates: what UK landlords need, how often, and where to keep them
Gas safety (CP12), EICR, EPC, deposit protection, smoke and CO alarms: every landlord certificate explained, with renewal intervals, England/Wales/Scotland/NI differences and a free checklist.
DIY landlord accounting: a plain guide for UK landlords who do their own books
What to record, which expenses are allowable, how mortgage interest works, and when Making Tax Digital applies. Free rental income and expenses spreadsheet. Gaffy is not accounting software.
Landlord Compliance Checklist UK 2026 (Free Printable PDF)
A plain checklist of what landlords in England must have in place: gas, EICR, EPC, deposit, alarms, right to rent. Free printable PDF download.
Gas Safety Certificate for Landlords: Rules, Cost and Renewal
Landlord gas safety certificate (CP12) explained: annual check, the 2-month early window, records, tenant copies and what to do if a tenant blocks access.
EICR for Landlords: When You Need One, How Often and What C1, C2, C3 and FI Mean
EICR for landlords in England: when you need one, the 5-year rule, C1, C2, C3 and FI codes, 28-day fixes, tenant copies and penalties.
EPC Rules for Landlords in England and Wales: Minimum Rating, Expiry and Penalties
EPC rules for landlords in England and Wales: you need a valid EPC (10 years), a minimum rating of E, a £3,500 cost cap, exemptions and penalties.
Deposit Protection for Landlords: The 30-Day Rule and Prescribed Information
Deposit protection for landlords in England and Wales: protect within 30 days, give prescribed information, choose a scheme and avoid the penalty.
Renters' Rights Act
The Renters' Rights Act information sheet: what landlords needed to do, and what to do now
The Renters' Rights Act Information Sheet had to reach most tenants by 31 May 2026, or landlords risk a fine of up to £7,000. Who needed it, how to give it, and what to do now.
Renters' Rights Act rent increases: how section 13 works for landlords in 2026
Under the Renters' Rights Act, rent can rise once a year, never in the first year, using form 4A with at least 2 months' notice. How section 13 works and what happens if a tenant challenges it.
Renters' Rights Act pets: what landlords must do when a tenant asks for a pet
Under the Renters' Rights Act, tenants can ask in writing to keep a pet and landlords have 28 days to reply. You can't refuse without a fair reason. What counts as fair, and how pet damage works.
Renters' Rights Act notice period: how much notice landlords and tenants must give
Section 21 ended on 1 May 2026. Landlord notice periods now depend on the section 8 ground, from 2 weeks to 4 months. Tenants give 2 months. The full table from GOV.UK guidance.
Section 21 abolished: what it means for landlords in England
Section 21 was abolished in England on 1 May 2026. What happened to existing section 21 notices, the 31 July 2026 court deadline, and the section 8 grounds and notice periods landlords use now.
The private rented sector database: what landlords need to know
The government's private rented sector database rolls out from late 2026. Sign-up will be mandatory for landlords in England, with an annual fee to be confirmed. What we know and how to prepare.
The landlord ombudsman: what private landlords in England need to know
The Renters' Rights Act creates a mandatory ombudsman for private landlords in England. Membership is expected to be required in 2028, with fees confirmed closer to launch. What it means and how to prepare.
Decent Homes Standard private rented sector rules: what's coming for landlords
The Renters' Rights Act brings a Decent Homes Standard to private renting for the first time. The government consulted in 2025 and proposed it comes into force in 2035 or 2037. What it means and how to prepare.
Compliance and costs
HMO licence: what it means and when you need one
You need an HMO licence for a large HMO (5 or more people, 2 or more households, shared facilities), and your council may require one for smaller HMOs too. Requirements, conditions, fees and fines.
Landlord insurance UK: the basics for self-managing landlords
Landlord insurance isn't a legal requirement in the UK, but most buy-to-let mortgages require buildings cover, and standard home insurance may not cover a let. What policies cover and what to check before you buy.
Right to rent check for landlords: how to do it properly
Before a tenancy starts in England, landlords must check every adult tenant's right to rent, by original documents, a Digital Verification Service or a share code. How to do it, what to keep, and the £20,000 fine.
Deposit protection schemes: which one to use and how they work
Landlords in England and Wales must protect deposits in one of 3 government-approved schemes within 30 days. How custodial and insured schemes differ, the deposit cap, disputes and the penalty of up to 3 times the deposit.
Landlord gas safety certificate cost: what you'll pay in 2026
A landlord gas safety certificate (CP12) typically costs £60 to £90, averaging around £80, with extra appliances often £10 to £15 each. What affects the price and how to avoid paying twice.
EICR certificate cost: what landlords pay for an electrical safety report
An EICR typically costs £100 to £250, from around £100 for a flat to £250+ for a house, with HMOs and London higher. Remedial work is extra and must be done within 28 days. Prices and rules for landlords.
EPC cost for landlords: what the certificate costs, and what the minimum rating costs you
An EPC typically costs £65 to £120 and lasts 10 years. Rented homes in England and Wales need band E or above, with a £3,500 cost cap on improvements. Prices, rules, exemptions and fines.
Landlord inventory template UK: free checklist and how to run a check-in
A free landlord inventory template for UK lets, room by room, plus how to run a check-in and check-out that stands up in a deposit dispute. What to record, how to photograph it, and when to sign.
Damp and mould landlord responsibilities: what private landlords must do
Private landlords in England must keep homes free of serious hazards and fit to live in, and government guidance says act promptly on damp and mould without waiting for medical evidence. The 5 legal standards explained.
Landlord repairs law: what you must fix and how quickly
Private landlords in England must repair the structure, sanitary fittings and heating and hot water, and keep homes fit to live in. What the law covers, "reasonable time", what tenants can do, and what's changing.
Landlord responsibilities UK: a checklist for private landlords in England
Every private landlord's legal responsibilities in England in one checklist: safety certificates, deposits, right to rent, repairs, licensing and the Renters' Rights Act changes, with links to the official rules.
Legionella risk assessment landlord duties: what the law requires
Landlords have a legal duty to assess legionella risk, but HSE says it needn't be in-depth and most landlords can do it themselves. What to check, how often to review, and what to record.
HMO licence fees: what an HMO licence costs and why it varies
HMO licence fees are set by each council, so there's no national price. How fees are structured, what affects the cost, how long a licence lasts and how to budget for renewal.
Section 24 landlords guide: how mortgage interest tax relief works
Section 24 for landlords in plain English: how mortgage interest tax relief works now, the 20% tax credit, the three-way "lower of" test, carry-forward, and who isn't affected. Worked examples from HMRC.
Inherited property
Inherited property hub
Inheriting rental property in the UK, from one buy-to-let to a whole portfolio: probate, tax, tenants and the 19 guides.
Inherited rental property: what to do first in the UK
Inherited rental property in the UK? The order to do things in: probate, Inheritance Tax, the tenants, safety certificates, the deposit, tax on the rent, and whether to keep or sell. Sourced from GOV.UK and HMRC.
Inherited house with tenants: what happens to the tenancy
Inherited a house with tenants in it? The tenancy carries on. What you must tell the tenants, how rent and the deposit work, sitting tenants on old regulated tenancies, and how to sell or move in under the 2026 rules.
Inheritance tax on rental property in the UK: how buy-to-lets are taxed
Inheritance Tax on rental property in the UK: how a buy-to-let is valued, why the £175,000 residence band rarely helps, mortgages and debts, paying by instalments, and the 6-month deadline. Worked examples from HMRC figures.
Capital gains tax on inherited property in the UK: how it works
Capital Gains Tax on inherited property in the UK: your base cost is the probate value, not the original price. 18% and 24% rates, the £3,000 allowance, estate sales vs your own sales, the 60-day deadline, with worked examples.
Rental income during probate: who gets it and how it's taxed
Rental income during probate belongs to the estate. Who collects it, the 20% estate rate, the £500 rule, informal arrangements vs SA900, the R185 form, and whether you can let a house before probate.
Can an executor rent out a property? Executor duties for rental property
Can an executor rent out a property, before or after probate? What an executor managing a rental property must do: rent, repairs, gas and EICR, the deposit, tax, insurance, beneficiaries and personal liability.
Buy-to-let mortgage on inherited property: what happens to the loan
A buy-to-let mortgage on an inherited property doesn't vanish on death. Who pays during probate, how the debt counts for Inheritance Tax, taking on or refinancing the loan, tax on mortgage interest, and what lenders can do.
Inherited property: sell or rent? How to decide in the UK
Should you sell or rent an inherited property? Compare Capital Gains Tax, Income Tax on rent, section 24, landlord duties under the Renters' Rights Act and timing rules. Worked UK examples and a decision table.
Inherited house with sibling UK: how shared ownership works
Inherited a house with a sibling in the UK? How joint ownership works (joint tenants vs tenants in common), the four-owner limit, splitting rent and tax, buyouts, letting it together, and what happens if you disagree.
Landlord obligations when you inherit a property
The landlord obligations you take on when you inherit a let property in England: gas safety, EICR, EPC band E, smoke and CO alarms, deposit, right to rent, licensing, repairs, and the 2026 Renters' Rights rules. With deadlines and fines.
Tenancy deposit when the landlord dies: what happens to it
When a landlord dies, the tenancy deposit is still the tenant's money and still has to be protected. How to find the scheme, transfer it to the estate or new owner, fix an unprotected deposit, and return it at the end.
Landlord dies: what happens to tenants and the tenancy
When a landlord dies, the tenancy continues. Tenants' rights in the UK, who to pay rent to, repairs and safety checks, serving notices on a dead landlord, and what the person who inherits can and can't do under the 2026 rules.
Inherited property council tax: who pays and when
Council Tax on an inherited property: no bill on an empty home until probate, a 6-month exemption after probate while it's still in the deceased's name, 12 months' grace from second home and empty home premiums, and who pays once it's let.
HMO licence when the licence holder dies: what happens to an inherited HMO
An HMO licence can't be transferred and ends when the licence holder dies. How the automatic 3-month temporary exemption works, the extra 3 months executors can ask for, applying for a new licence, and running an inherited HMO safely.
How to report inherited property on tax return forms in the UK
How to report inherited property on a UK tax return: rental income on the property pages, R185 estate income, a sale in the Capital Gains Tax pages and the 60-day return, registration by 5 October, and Making Tax Digital thresholds.
Putting inherited property into a limited company: what it costs
Thinking of putting an inherited rental property into a limited company? The Capital Gains Tax market value rule, Stamp Duty on transfers to a connected company, incorporation relief conditions, mortgage interest in companies, and the timing advantage just after inheriting.
Probate valuation of property: how it works and why it matters
Probate valuation of property explained: market value on the date of death, estate agent or chartered surveyor, joint ownership discounts, tenanted properties, excepted estates, records for 20 years, and why the figure becomes your Capital Gains Tax base cost.
Renters' Rights Act for new landlords: the 2026 rules in plain English
The Renters' Rights Act for new landlords, including people who've inherited a let: periodic tenancies, no section 21, 4-month notice grounds, once-a-year rent increases, no bidding wars, pets, the database from late 2026 and the ombudsman.
Accidental landlord UK: the complete checklist for 2026
Became an accidental landlord in the UK by inheriting, moving or not selling? A 25-point checklist: mortgage consent, insurance, gas, EICR, EPC, deposit, right to rent, the Renters' Rights Act, tax registration, Capital Gains Tax and Making Tax Digital.