The rulebook for letting a property got noticeably longer in 2026. Between safety certificates, deposit rules and the changes brought in by the Renters’ Rights Act, there’s more to stay on top of than ever. Here’s the full picture, set out plainly, so you can check what applies to you.
The certificates you can’t legally let without
Three documents sit at the heart of any compliant tenancy. Miss one and you’re not just exposed to fines, you may also struggle to recover possession down the line.
Gas first. If the property has any gas appliances, you need a Gas Safety Record from a Gas Safe registered engineer, renewed every twelve months. A copy goes to your tenant before they move in.
Electrics next. An Electrical Installation Condition Report (EICR) must be carried out by a qualified electrician and renewed every five years, with any faults put right. Your tenant gets a copy of that too.
Then there’s the Energy Performance Certificate. A property must reach at least an E rating before you can let it, and the certificate has to be shared with prospective tenants. If yours is sitting at F or G, it’s worth reading our guide on upgrading your EPC rating before the rules tighten further. On top of that, you’ll need a working smoke alarm on every storey and a carbon monoxide alarm in any room with a fixed combustion appliance, all tested at the start of the tenancy.
Deposits, checks and the paperwork that protects you
Take a deposit and the clock starts ticking. It must be protected in a government-approved scheme within 30 days, and you have to give the tenant the prescribed information that comes with it. Get this wrong and serving a valid possession notice becomes very difficult.
Before anyone moves in, you’re also expected to carry out Right to Rent immigration checks and hand over the current version of the government’s How to Rent guide. The Renters’ Rights Act has added to this list. Landlords now have to provide tenants with a written statement of the tenancy’s terms and a copy of the official Renters’ Rights Act information sheet, which you can download from GOV.UK. It’s dull admin, but it’s the kind of detail that decides cases.
What the Renters’ Rights Act now expects
The biggest shift is the end of the no-fault eviction. Section 21 was abolished on 1 May 2026, and every assured shorthold tenancy automatically became a periodic tenancy on that date. There are no more fixed terms in the old sense, and fixed-end Section 21 notices are gone for good.
To regain possession now, you have to use the Section 8 process and rely on specific grounds, such as rent arrears or wanting to sell or move in. We’ve broken down exactly what this means day to day in our piece on what the end of Section 21 changes for Rochdale landlords. The Act also brings in wider duties: landlords are expected to deal with serious hazards like damp and mould within set timescales, rental bidding wars are banned, and you have to consider tenant requests to keep a pet reasonably rather than refusing out of hand. Membership of an approved redress scheme and registration on the private rented sector database form part of the same package.
Keeping the property fit to live in
Beyond the certificates, you carry an ongoing duty to keep the place in good repair. Under the Landlord and Tenant Act 1985, that covers the structure, heating, hot water, gas, electrics and sanitary fittings. The property also has to be fit for human habitation throughout the tenancy, not just on day one. The NRLA has plenty of practical guidance if you want to go deeper on any single duty.
Older housing stock across the borough makes this point worth dwelling on. Plenty of rentals in Rochdale, Heywood and Middleton are pre-war terraces, and those properties are more prone to damp, draughty windows and tired wiring. Staying ahead of small repairs tends to be far cheaper than letting them turn into disputes or hazard claims. It’s also worth checking with the council, as some areas operate selective licensing schemes that bring extra conditions.
Keeping all of this straight, on every property, every year, is where a lot of landlords quietly lose evenings. If you’d rather hand the compliance and day-to-day management to someone who does it for a living, our landlord services page is a sensible place to start, or get in contact with the team at Oak Property Associates.