Landlord Checklist for Renting a House in the UK

There are many landlord requirements in the UK, and it can be easy to forget something when you are fulfilling your duties as a landlord or accommodating new tenants. 

We have created a complete landlord checklist for renting a house. Stick to it if you want to be organised, take advantage of everything and avoid fines when letting your property to tenants.

Landlord Checklist for Renting a House

1. Safety Requirements

One of the most important things on your rental checklist is ensuring the property is safe for the new tenants. Hence, it is your obligation to check the condition of the gas appliances, electrical equipment (sockets, fuse boxes, light fittings), fire detection equipment, carbon monoxide detectors, furniture, and other soft furnishings.

Your regular responsibilities on the checklist for landlords are: 

• Hiring a Gas Safe-registered engineer to make a gas safety check annually.
• Doing an electrical inspection and getting Electrical Installation Condition Report (EICR) every five years.
• Doing a PAT test on electrical appliances once a year.

2. EPC Inspection

Every ten years, you should add getting an Energy Performance Certificate to your landlord inspection checklist. With this type of inspection, you will find out the property’s energy performance rating from A, meaning most energy efficient, to least efficient properties rated with G. According to the regulations, the rental property should be EPC Band E or above. 

You must provide the tenant with the EPC for free before the tenancy starts, as the certificate is also on the tenant checklist for renting a house.

3. Landlord Insurance

Most home insurance offers in the United Kingdom don’t cover renting properties. Although it is not mandatory, getting the best landlord building insurance is highly recommended and beneficial. You can additionally get contents insurance for the items you leave to the tenants, even if you only provide them with carpets, white goods or curtains.

You should also get rent guarantee insurance to ensure your income from renting if a tenant defaults. Ultimately, we recommend landlord home emergency assistance for unexpected costs when there are problems with the heating system, electricity, or plumbing.

4. Renting Permission

The landlord requirements in the UK imply renting permission. Properties with a standard residential mortgage can be temporarily rented in the UK with the lender’s consent. But, if you intend to rent the property permanently, you will have to change your loan to a buy-to-let mortgage. Note that you will have to pay a higher interest rate when switching.

In cases when the property you are trying to rent is a leasehold, you will need consent from the freeholder.

5. House Licensing

Your local council could help determine if you need a House in Multiple Occupation Licence in England and Wales. The criteria for a large HMO are:

• House rented to 5 or more people who are not part of the same household,
• Some tenants have a shared toilet, bathroom, or kitchen, and
• At least one occupant pays rent.

An HMO licence is valid for up to five years, and you must renew it before the expiration date. 

6. Tenant Referencing

Once you have ticked the boxes of the landlord checklist in the UK regarding the property,  you should start receiving tenant applications. You must confirm the applicant’s identity and pay attention to their immigration status, credit check, and employment status. If you have doubts, you can ask for a reference from a previous landlord.

Usually, you should look for tenants with a good credit history and whose rent will be one-third of their monthly income. This way, you can ensure they can afford to pay rent regularly. 

Also, the applicants you pick must have the right to rent. You can manually do the background check on the tenants according to the documents the applicants provide or investigate the right to rent via the Home Office online checking service. 

7. Tenancy Agreements

When you finish the tenant-seeking process, your next priority is drafting a tenancy agreement, and it should include the following information:

• How much are the rent payments
• Rent due date
• Your contact details
• Tenants details
• Address of the property
• Your responsibilities
• Tenants responsibilities
• Tenancy start and end date

It is recommended you include all tenants in the agreement, and each tenant should receive a copy of the contract.

8. How to Rent Guide

Every time you have new tenants, you must provide them with a copy of the government’s How to rent: The checklist for renting in England. You can give the tenants a hard copy or send it via email as a PDF document.

9. Tenancy Deposits

The British government has capped tenancy deposits. For instance, if the annual rent is below £50,000, you can ask the tenant for up to five weeks of rent. But if the annual rent you charge is above £50,000, you can get six weeks’ worth of rent as a deposit.

Furthermore, if the tenant wants to reserve the property, you can charge a refundable holding deposit which can’t exceed one week’s rent.

As a landlord, you must protect the deposit because you will have to refund it if the tenants return the property in good condition. Therefore, you will have to put the money in a government-approved scheme (Tenancy Deposit Scheme, MyDeposits, or Deposit Protection Service), which will hold or insure the deposits.

10. Fees

The Tenant Fees Act regulates the fees you can charge your tenants as a landlord. Legally permitted fees in the UK are:

• Rent,
• Late payment fee,
• Termination of tenancy fees,
• Tenancy deposit,
• Holding Deposit,
• Variation, assignment, or novation of tendency fees up to £50,
• Payments for bills like utilities, Council Tax, communication, television etc.

On the contrary, fees for viewing, tenancy set up, check out, and third-party fees are banned.

11. Conducting an Inventory

An important task on the rental property checklist is conducting an inventory to protect your investment. An inventory is a document stating the property’s condition when new tenants move in and before they move out. You can do the inventory yourself or hire an independent inventory clerk or a letting agent.

You can also make inspections from time to time and check if there is any damage to your property. 

12. Regular Property Visits

Doing announced property visits is essential and one of the fastest ways to find out if occupants have maintenance issues they haven’t reported. Ensure you have the tenant’s permission before you enter the property.

13. Dealing with Late Rent and Rent Arrears

Although it might seem like a straightforward process, collecting rent payments is a challenging feat. First, you should keep records of every rental payment, note the payment dates and late payments. Then, if a tenant falls into rent arrears, you should have all the evidence to continue issuing a legal notice.

14. Repair and Maintenance Obligations

You will have legal obligations to maintain the property and make repairs when needed. In addition, as a successful landlord, you must regularly inspect the inside and outside areas of the building and do routine servicing of installations like boilers and cookers. 

15. Taxation on Lettings Income

And last but equally important on your landlords checklist is paying taxes. The profit you will generate from renting your property is subject to taxation and should be reported in your Self-Assessment Tax Return. 

However, you can reduce your tax in the UK by deducting expenses for maintenance and running of the property, replacing domestic items, and getting a Buy-to-let mortgage tax relief.

Final Tips for A Successful Tenancy

Your job doesn’t end by ticking the last box in the checklist for renting a house. You will have to maintain a healthy and trustworthy relationship with the occupants by doing inventory, regular property checks, handling disputes between tenants promptly, doing the necessary repairs as soon as possible, and taking into account the tenant’s complaints.

Finally, you must keep detailed records of the rent payments for each unit you rent, as well as your expenses for maintaining the property.