Are you up to date when it comes to managing your property? Take Mullucks’ two-minute landlord quiz
Even a well-maintained rental property can have a few compliance areas worth checking. The problem may be an expired certificate, an undocumented repair, a licensing change or a tenancy process that no longer follows current legislation. Since the Renters’ Rights Act 2025 came into force, landlords managing their own property in England have needed more than good intentions. They need a reliable system that records what was completed, when it happened, and what evidence was given to the tenant.
Related: Simplifying Disputes and Resolutions: A Landlord’s Guide to Complaint Handling
Your property may look compliant while your records say otherwise
Landlord compliance relies on more than having the right documents; it also depends on when checks, notices and certificates were completed and how clearly they were recorded. Gaps in this evidence may go unnoticed during a tenancy but can become significant if a tenant complains, a council requests information or possession proceedings begin.
Completing the task is only half the requirement
Many landlord duties are time-sensitive. A correct action completed after the deadline may still constitute a breach, while a document stored in your files does not prove the tenant received it.
Here are three key questions to consider:
- What action was required?
- When was it completed?
- Where is the evidence?
If any answer depends on memory, an old email search or a contractor finding a missing record, the system may be less secure than it appears.
The Renters’ Rights Act has changed everyday property management
The first major phase of the Renters’ Rights Act took effect on 1 May 2026. Section 21 has been abolished for private rented sector tenancies, and assured tenancies operate as periodic tenancies. Landlords seeking possession must now use an appropriate Section 8 ground and follow the correct process.
The reforms also limit rent increases to once a year through the revised Section 13 procedure, normally with at least two months’ notice. Rental bidding is prohibited, rent in advance is restricted, and landlords cannot disadvantage applicants because they receive benefits or have children. Requests to keep a pet must also be considered within the required timeframe and cannot be refused without a valid reason.
The government’s next phase includes the regional rollout of the Private Rented Sector Database from late 2026. Mandatory membership of the new Landlord Ombudsman is currently expected in 2028.
Related: New Restrictions on Upfront Rent: Practical Landlord Options
Yesterday’s tenancy wording may not support today’s process
Older tenancy agreements should not be treated as a complete guide to current law. Fixed-term provisions, rent review clauses and Section 21 references may no longer reflect the correct procedure. For relevant tenancies created before 1 May 2026, landlords generally had to provide the government’s Renters’ Rights Act Information Sheet by 31 May 2026. Verbal agreements also required a written summary of the principal terms, while new tenancies require prescribed written information. Providing missed paperwork late may help correct the position but may not erase the original breach, so professional legal advice should be sought where the consequences are unclear.
Compliance begins when you decide to advertise
The legal process starts before a tenant receives the keys. Marketing, applicant selection, affordability and right to rent checks, and rent in advance must follow current rules. Right to rent checks should use the correct procedure, while selection criteria should be objective, consistent and recorded to reduce discrimination risks. Before occupation, landlords must also consider gas and electrical safety, the EPC, smoke and carbon monoxide alarms, deposit arrangements and any required licence, retaining evidence that relevant documents were provided.
Local licensing cannot be checked once and forgotten
Licensing requirements depend on the property, its occupants and the local authority, so requirements may differ between Bishop’s Stortford, Harlow and Saffron Walden. A property occupied by at least three people from more than one household may be an HMO, while mandatory licensing generally applies where five or more people from multiple households share facilities. Councils can also introduce additional or selective licensing schemes. Landlords should check the official HMO guidance and local council requirements regularly, as schemes can change during a tenancy.
A certificate folder is not a compliance calendar
Different obligations follow different timescales. Gas safety checks are normally annual, while electrical installations generally require inspection at least every five years, with remedial work usually completed within 28 days or sooner if specified. Tenancy deposits must generally be protected and prescribed information provided within 30 days of receipt. Time-limited right to rent permission may require follow-up checks, while repairs and tenant requests should also be monitored against relevant response times.
A useful calendar should therefore record:
- Expiry and renewal dates
- Booking and inspection dates
- Remedial work and completion deadlines
- Dates documents were issued
- Tenant requests and responses
- Licensing renewal dates
- Rent increase and possession records
Treating each obligation as a separate workflow makes it easier to identify an overdue action before it becomes an enforcement issue.
What does Mullucks’ two-minute landlord quiz reveal?
Mullucks’ two-minute landlord quiz uses ten focused questions to examine the parts of managing your own property most likely to create exposure. It is designed to test whether your process can be demonstrated, rather than whether you remember completing a task.
For example, knowing that a deposit was protected is helpful. Being able to retrieve the protection certificate, prescribed information and proof of service immediately is stronger. The same principle applies to safety records, licensing, applicant checks, rent changes, repairs and tenancy notices.
The result is not a legal ruling. It is a practical indication of where closer investigation or professional support may be needed.
“I’m not sure” is a valuable result
An uncertain answer identifies a task. If you cannot confirm a document, date or procedure within a few minutes, locate the evidence and establish whether any corrective action is required.
Some gaps may be resolved through improved record-keeping or a newly scheduled inspection. Others may affect possession rights, expose the landlord to a financial penalty or require advice from a qualified legal professional.
Finding the weakness while the tenancy is quiet gives you more options than discovering it during a dispute.
What could landlord non-compliance cost?
The financial consequences can be substantial. Under the government’s civil penalty guidance, certain breaches can attract penalties up to £7,000. More serious offences can lead to prosecution or a financial penalty of up to £40,000.
Right to rent penalties can reach £10,000 per occupier for a first breach and £20,000 per occupier for a repeat breach. Failing to protect a tenancy deposit correctly can result in a court awarding the tenant between one and three times the deposit.
There may also be indirect costs: delayed possession, lost rent, legal fees, emergency remedial work, compensation claims and damage to the landlord–tenant relationship. The final cost of a missing record can be much greater than the administration originally required.
Self-management only works when every process works
Managing your own rental can reduce visible monthly costs, but the calculation changes when the time required for compliance, maintenance, tenant communication, inspections and record-keeping is included.
Mullucks’ Fully Managed service brings these responsibilities into an organised property management process. The team can support tenant vetting, compliance monitoring, maintenance coordination, rent collection and day-to-day communication.
Professional management does not transfer a landlord’s underlying legal responsibilities. It does, however, reduce dependence on memory and provides a more consistent structure for managing deadlines and evidence.
Give every uncertainty a clear next step
A quiet tenancy is not necessarily a risk-free tenancy. Certificates continue to expire, local rules can change and unanswered requests can develop into complaints.
Take Mullucks’ two-minute landlord quiz to identify where your current system may need attention. If the result shows that self-management involves more uncertainty, administration or exposure than you want to retain, contact your local Mullucks team to discuss Fully Managed support and create a more dependable framework for your rental property.
