Resources
Resources for clearer property operations
Compliance guides with their sources, free tools for checking a portfolio, and practical notes on repairs and property records for UK letting agents.
Most asked
- When does the PRS Database open in my region?
- What does the Renters' Rights Act change for letting agents?
- What smoke alarms does a rented property need?
- How long does an EICR last, and how long does it take?
- Is there a grace period for a gas safety certificate?
- Which certificates does a rental property need?
- What are the fines for getting it wrong?
- How should a repair move from report to done?
The Renters' Rights Act 2025: what letting agents need to know, and when
The Renters' Rights Act 2025 changed how private tenancies in England work from 1 May 2026, existing ones included, and more follows: the PRS Database from December 2026, a Landlord Ombudsman and, later, Awaab's Law and the Decent Homes Standard for private renting. What changed, what is next, the penalties, and the parts of an agency's own process that have to change.
- Compliance6 min read
The How to Rent guide: what replaced it, and what landlords in England must give tenants now
From October 2015 landlords of assured shorthold tenancies in England had to give tenants the government's How to Rent guide, and without it a section 21 notice could not be served. The guide was withdrawn on 1 May 2026; this page covers what replaced it, how the old rules worked, and the record worth keeping for both.
- Compliance7 min read
Awaab's Law: what landlords and letting agents need to know
Awaab's Law sets fixed timescales for social landlords to investigate and fix dangerous hazards such as damp and mould, and the Renters' Rights Act 2025 extends it to private renting on a date not yet set. What applies today, what private landlords and agents should expect, and the dated record that answers the questions it asks.
- Compliance7 min read
EPC rules for rented properties: the minimum rating, exemptions and the planned EPC C by 2030
A privately rented home in England or Wales needs an Energy Performance Certificate rated E or better before it is let, or a registered exemption. What the rule covers, the six exemptions, the penalties, how long an EPC lasts and when a new one is needed, and what the government's plan to require EPC C by 1 October 2030, which still needs legislation, means for a portfolio now.
- Compliance5 min read
Tenancy deposit protection deadlines: 30 days, the prescribed information and the penalties
A tenancy deposit in England or Wales must be protected in an approved scheme within 30 days of receiving it, and the tenant given the prescribed information in the same window. The three schemes, England's five-week cap, the ten-day return rule, and what a court can order when it goes wrong.
- Compliance8 min read
Landlord compliance checklist for England, by stage of the tenancy
The core duties a private landlord in England has, in the order they arise: before marketing the property, before the tenant moves in, during the tenancy and when it ends. One paragraph per duty, each with its deadline, its official source and a link to the detailed guide where there is one.
- Compliance9 min read
Smoke alarms in rented property: the smoke and carbon monoxide alarm rules for landlords
Most rented homes in England need a working smoke alarm on each storey with living accommodation, and a carbon monoxide alarm in any such room with a fixed combustion appliance, such as a boiler or wood burner (gas cookers do not count). Where each alarm goes, which tenancies are excluded, what changed in October 2022, what happens when a tenant reports a fault, how Scotland and Wales differ, and the record to keep when the law prescribes no certificate.
- Compliance7 min read
Landlord compliance fines and penalties in England: every number on one page
The maximum fine or penalty for every major landlord obligation in England (gas safety, EICR, alarms, EPC, deposits, Right to Rent, tenant fees, HMO licensing, Category 1 hazards and the Renters' Rights Act 2025), each with its legal source. It is one table and we keep it current.
- Compliance6 min read
The PRS Database: registration dates, the £65 fee and what landlords and agents must do
The government's Register your rental property service, the PRS Database, opens on 15 December 2026 in the West Midlands and reaches every region of England by 14 November 2027. The regional dates, the £65 fee, the gas, electrical and EPC information each property needs, and what a letting agent can and cannot do for a landlord.
- Property management5 min read
What property records should a letting agency keep?
The records behind a well-run tenancy, grouped by property, tenancy, repair job and person. What to keep, how long the law says to keep it (with sources), how to file it so it survives staff changes, and what to hand over when a landlord leaves.
- Letting operations7 min read
A simple maintenance workflow for busy letting teams
A repair workflow a busy letting team can keep up with: one way to report, triage by urgency, landlord approval limits, contractor evidence and agency review before a job is called complete. Plus the planned maintenance that heads off the predictable reports.
- Property management7 min read
Property compliance software for a portfolio: what to look for
Questions to ask before you move a portfolio's compliance into software. Find out how status is worked out, what happens on the day a date passes, who can see what, what changes as the portfolio grows, and how you would leave if you needed to.
- Letting operations4 min read
Tenancy renewals in England after 1 May 2026: what letting agents do instead
Fixed-term renewals ended in England on 1 May 2026, and every assured tenancy is now periodic under the Renters' Rights Act. The annual rhythm that replaces the renewal cycle covers rent reviews by section 13 notice, notice-driven move-outs, and the checks that haven't changed at all.
- Compliance4 min read
What certificates does a UK rental property need? The checklist for England
A practical checklist of the certificates and records a privately rented property in England needs, from gas safety and EICR to EPC, alarms and deposit protection. Includes how often each one needs renewing.
- Compliance6 min read
Gas Safety Certificate requirements and renewal dates: what to track
The gas safety record (CP12) is an annual requirement for rented properties with gas appliances. The dates to track, the early-renewal rule, the copies you need to be able to show, and what happens when a certificate expires or a tenant will not let the engineer in.
- Compliance6 min read
EICR requirements for landlords: how often, what the codes mean, and the 28-day rule
An EICR is required at least every five years for privately rented homes in England, or sooner if the report says so. What the observation codes mean, the 28-day remedial rule, who must receive copies, what to keep on record and the penalty for getting it wrong.
- Property management5 min read
How to organise property compliance documents without spreadsheets
A spreadsheet holds dates well, but keeping the documents, reminders and work beside them takes setup and upkeep. A practical way to organise certificates so every property has the right records and every expiry date has an owner, and the order to move the data in.
- Property management5 min read
A weekly compliance review for small letting agencies
A 30-minute Monday routine, and a longer monthly check, that keep a portfolio's certificates, tasks and jobs from slipping across many properties and landlords. What to look at, in what order, who owns what, and what to write down so the same problem never surprises you twice.
Free tools
Check your portfolio before you sign up for anything.
Keep every expiry date in view
Verixad keeps certificates, their expiry dates and the work around them in one place, so you can plan renewals well before they fall due.