Compliance
The landlord's compliance year 2026-27: every date that matters, updated November 2026
· Updated · 14 min read · Every duty below checked against GOV.UK, MHCLG's Housing Hub, gov.scot, HSE or legislation.gov.uk, and dated. The tenancy duties here are for England. MTD dates apply UK-wide.
Why many landlord calendars are wrong
Two regimes landed on the private rented sector within a month of each other, and the guidance has not caught up. Search for a landlord compliance calendar today and you will be told to serve a guide that was withdrawn in May, to prepare for an EPC standard that is not law, and, in England, to meet hazard-response deadlines that do not apply to private landlords.
We first published this in July. Since then several dates have passed and the landlord database has been given real ones. This version, updated on 8 November 2026, marks what has passed and adds what is now dated.
None of that is malice. It is lag. Duties changed, pages went stale, and the articles quoting those pages went stale with them. But a calendar that is confidently wrong is worse than no calendar, because you will act on it.
So here is the year, with three separate questions asked of every item: is it actually in force, is it a date or a trigger, and what does it cost you to get wrong.
Three things you have probably read that are not true
“Serve the latest How to Rent guide”
The How to Rent guide was withdrawn on 1 May 2026. GOV.UK's page carries a withdrawal banner saying so. The duty only ever existed because serving the guide was one of the prescribed requirements for a valid Section 21 notice. Section 21 was abolished, so the requirement it propped up went with it. For a new tenancy, it was replaced by a written statement of terms before it begins. For existing tenancies, it depends. Tenancies with a written agreement: the Government's Information Sheet, by 31 May 2026. Entirely verbal tenancies: written information about the key terms instead, also by 31 May 2026. If you had a valid section 8 or section 21 notice served before 1 May 2026: one month from when the notice stopped being valid or the court case finished. The penalty is up to £7,000, with a statutory guidance starting point of £4,000. If you missed your deadline, serve it now. The Information Sheet must be the exact GOV.UK PDF, on paper or attached to an email. A link to it is not valid service.
“You need EPC C by 2028”
EPC C is not law. It is a policy intention. The Government must still take new powers by Act of Parliament and then lay a statutory instrument, which it aims to have in force in 2027. The compliance date is 1 October 2030, for all tenancies in scope, unless an exemption applies. The 2028 date for new tenancies appeared in the consultation and was explicitly dropped in the Government response: “There will not be an earlier compliance date for new tenancies.” The standard you must actually meet today is unchanged: EPC E.
“Awaab's Law gives you 24 hours to investigate”
Not if you are a private landlord in England. Awaab's Law applies to social landlords in England and is being phased in there. The Renters' Rights Act lets the Government extend it to private landlords, but that is not in force. A consultation that includes timescales opened on 9 October 2026 and closes on 18 December 2026. Any article telling an English private landlord they already have hour-by-hour deadlines is describing the social housing regime, or proposals still out for consultation. Scotland is different: since 6 October 2026, private landlords there must investigate reports of damp or mould within 10 working days and, if the investigation finds work is needed, start it within 5 working days of the investigation finishing. In England, fix hazards quickly because they are hazards, not because of a clock that does not yet exist.
The dates you can actually diarise
Fixed, known in advance, and therefore the easy half of compliance. Tax and tenancy law interleave here, which is precisely why keeping them in separate systems goes wrong. Dates that have passed stay in the table, marked, because some of them still have consequences.
MTD rows apply only if you are in MTD: for 2026-27 that means qualifying income over £50,000 in 2024-25, or you signed up voluntarily.
| Date | What | Regime |
|---|---|---|
| 31 May 2026 (passed) | Information Sheet to existing tenants with a written agreement, or written key terms for entirely verbal tenancies. Missed it? You are exposed to a penalty of up to £7,000. Serve it now | RRA |
| 31 July 2026 (passed) | Last day to start court proceedings on a pre-1 May section 21 notice (or its own expiry, if earlier) or section 8 notice (or 12 months after service, if earlier) | RRA |
| 31 July 2026 (passed) | Payment on account (2025-26) | Tax |
| 7 August 2026 (passed) | First MTD quarterly update | MTD |
| 1 October 2026 (passed) | New Right to Rent code of practice in force (digital checks stay optional) | Immigration |
| 7 November 2026 (passed) | Second MTD quarterly update. Missed it? Send it now: HMRC will not apply penalty points for late 2026-27 updates | MTD |
| 15 December 2026 | Landlord database opens (West Midlands first, one region a month after) | RRA |
| 31 January 2027 | 2025-26 Self Assessment return, balancing payment, first 2026-27 payment on account. Over £30,000 qualifying income in 2025-26? MTD starts for you on 6 April 2027, unless you are exempt | Tax |
| 7 February 2027 | Third MTD quarterly update | MTD |
| 14 March 2027 | First registration deadline (West Midlands) | RRA |
| 6 April 2027 | MTD starts for landlords and sole traders with qualifying income over £30,000 in 2025-26, unless exempt | MTD |
| 7 May 2027 | Fourth MTD quarterly update | MTD |
| 31 July 2027 | Payment on account (2026-27) | Tax |
| 7 August 2027 | If you were in MTD for 2026-27: first quarterly update that can earn a penalty point (Q1 2027-28). No 2026-27 update, including 7 May 2027, carries points. If you are required to join in April 2027: Budget 2026 said no late submission points on your 2027-28 quarterly updates. Neither waiver covers the tax return or late payment | MTD |
| 14 November 2027 | Last registration deadline (South West) | RRA |
| 31 January 2028 | Tax return for 2026-27, and the balancing payment | Tax |
The one that has gone. You can no longer apply for a possession order using a section 8 or section 21 notice given before 1 May 2026. For a section 21 notice, the last day to start court proceedings was whichever came first: the end of the notice, or 31 July 2026. If you asked the court to issue a claim on or before 31 July 2026, the case continues until the proceedings conclude. And if you had a valid notice, your Information Sheet deadline is one month from when the notice stopped being valid or the court case finished. Unless your case is still in court, that deadline has passed. Serve it now.
Your recurring safety duties, and their real frequencies
These are not new and they did not change, which is exactly why they get forgotten in a year when everything else did.
| Duty | Frequency | Worth knowing |
|---|---|---|
| Gas safety (CP12) | Every 12 months | You can check up to 2 months early and keep the original anniversary date, which stops the date creeping forward each year. |
| EICR | Every 5 years | Remedial work within 28 days, or sooner if the report says so, then written confirmation to tenant and council. Penalties up to £40,000, raised from £30,000 on 1 November 2025. |
| EPC | Valid 10 years | Minimum standard is EPC E. Not C. Not yet. |
| Smoke and CO alarms | Checked on day one of a tenancy | CO alarm in every room with a fixed combustion appliance, but gas cookers are excluded. After day one, tenants are advised to test; you repair. |
| Right to Rent | Before the tenancy, then follow-up if time-limited | A new code of practice has been in force since 1 October 2026. Digital checks stay optional, but if you do one, the provider must be a registered RtR digital verification service provider. |
| Legionella | Assess the risk | There is no certificate. HSE says most landlords can assess it themselves and that testing is not usually required. |
The part that actually fines you
Here is the thing nobody puts in a compliance calendar, because it cannot go in one. Many duties that carry a penalty are not on a date at all. They are triggered by something happening, and the clock starts the moment it does, whether or not you noticed.
They run in 28-day and 30-day increments. A tenant emails asking about a cat; you now have 28 days. An electrician finds a fault; you now have 28 days. You take a deposit on a Friday; you have 30 days, and the penalty for missing it is one to three times the deposit, payable to the tenant.
This is the real argument for tracking compliance in something other than a diary. A diary can hold 7 February. It cannot notice that a tenant asked about a pet three weeks ago and that the clock is nearly out.
Where the pet deadline actually comes from. Section 16A(1)(c) of the Housing Act 1988, inserted by the Renters' Rights Act: the landlord must give or refuse consent in writing, on or before the 28th day after the request. The 28 days can extend in three ways only: you reasonably ask for more information about the pet on or before day 28 (you then have until the seventh day after the tenant supplies it), a superior landlord's consent is needed, or you and the tenant agree a later date. And note what the section does not say: several landlord guides claim that missing the 28 days means consent is automatically granted. There is no deemed consent in the Act. Instead, the tenant can take the case to court, and to the Landlord Ombudsman once it exists.
What it costs to get wrong
The Renters' Rights Act splits penalties in two. A breach draws a civil penalty of up to £7,000, and the council cannot prosecute you for it. Commit a different breach within 5 years of a penalty, though, and it becomes an offence, with prosecution or a civil penalty of up to £40,000. An offence draws up to £40,000, or prosecution, but not both for the same act.
| Failure | Cost |
|---|---|
| No written statement of terms | £4,000 starting point |
| Discriminating against benefits or children | £6,000 starting point |
| No asking rent in the advert | £3,000 starting point |
| Purporting to grant a fixed term | £4,000 starting point |
| Unlawful eviction or harassment | £35,000 starting point, or prosecution |
| Using a false possession ground | £30,000 starting point |
| Deposit not protected | 1x to 3x the deposit, paid to the tenant |
| Rent repayment order | Up to 2 years' rent |
| EICR failures | Up to £40,000 |
| Alarm failures | Up to £5,000 for ignoring a remedial notice |
Two notes on precision. Those are starting points in the statutory guidance, not fixed fines: councils adjust for severity and history. And on rent repayment orders, the tribunal must award the maximum if you have been convicted of, or given a civil penalty for, that offence, or have a previous conviction, penalty or order for the same offence, unless circumstances are exceptional. On gas safety we have deliberately not quoted a figure: the £20,000 you will see repeated comes from an old HSE leaflet, and magistrates' fines for these offences are now unlimited. We could not verify a current number, so we are not going to invent one.
What is coming, and what is only pretending to
Opens 15 December 2026 in the West Midlands, then one region a month: East of England, East Midlands, South East, Yorkshire and Humber, North West, North East, London, and finally the South West on 15 August 2027. You have three months from your region’s start date, so deadlines run from 14 March 2027 to 14 November 2027. The Government says the fee will be £65 a year per property. The regulations were still in draft when we checked.
Expected 2028, and conditional on the service being judged ready.
England: not in force for private landlords. A consultation that includes timescales opened on 9 October 2026 and closes on 18 December 2026. Scotland: in force for private landlords since 6 October 2026, covering damp and mould.
Confirmed on 28 January 2026: all rented homes must meet the new standard by 2035. Not law yet, but now a fixed date.
Needs primary powers and an SI. Compliance date 1 October 2030, with a £10,000 cost cap per property.
Was October 2026, slipped to the second half of 2027.
Common questions
Do I still have to serve the How to Rent guide?
No. The How to Rent guide was withdrawn on 1 May 2026 and GOV.UK’s page carries a withdrawal banner. It existed because serving it was one of the prescribed requirements for a valid section 21 notice, and section 21 was abolished, so the duty went with it. For a new tenancy, it was replaced by a written statement of terms before the tenancy begins. For existing tenancies, the deadline depends on the tenancy. Existing tenancies with a written agreement: the Government’s Renters’ Rights Act Information Sheet 2026, by 31 May 2026. Entirely verbal tenancies: written information about the key terms instead, also by 31 May 2026. If you had a valid section 8 or section 21 notice served before 1 May 2026: one month from when the notice stopped being valid or the court case finished. The penalty is up to £7,000, with a statutory guidance starting point of £4,000. If you missed your deadline, serve it now.
Is EPC C a legal requirement for landlords?
Not yet. It is a stated policy intention, not law. The Government must first take new powers by Act of Parliament and then lay a statutory instrument, which it aims to bring into force in 2027. The compliance date is 1 October 2030 for all tenancies in scope, unless an exemption applies. The earlier "new tenancies from 2028" date appeared in the consultation and was explicitly dropped in the Government response. The minimum standard you must meet today is still EPC E.
Is Awaab’s Law in force for private landlords?
In England, no. Awaab’s Law applies to social landlords in England and is being phased in there. The Renters’ Rights Act lets the Government extend it to private landlords, but that is not in force. A consultation that includes timescales opened on 9 October 2026 and closes on 18 December 2026. Scotland is different: since 6 October 2026, private landlords there must investigate reports of damp or mould within 10 working days and, if the investigation finds work is needed, start it within 5 working days of the investigation finishing.
What are the MTD quarterly deadlines for 2026-27?
If you are in MTD for 2026-27 (qualifying income over £50,000 in 2024-25, or you signed up voluntarily): 7 August 2026, 7 November 2026, 7 February 2027 and 7 May 2027, with the tax return due 31 January 2028. Each update is cumulative, covering the year so far, not just the quarter. Electing calendar update periods shifts the data periods but not the deadlines.
When do I have to register on the PRS Database?
It depends on your region. On 9 September 2026 the Government announced that the ‘Register your rental property’ service opens on 15 December 2026, starting in the West Midlands. Its published schedule then adds one region a month, ending with the South West on 15 August 2027. You have three months from your region’s start date, so deadlines run from 14 March 2027 (West Midlands) to 14 November 2027 (South West). The Government says the fee will be £65 a year per property. When we checked, the regulations were still in draft before Parliament, so check GOV.UK before you rely on the date.
Do landlords need a legionella certificate?
No. There is a duty to assess the risk of legionella, but the certificate is a myth. The Health and Safety Executive states that most landlords can assess the risk themselves without training or accreditation, that health and safety law does not require a landlord to obtain or produce a legionella test certificate, and that testing or sampling is not usually required in domestic lets.
Sources
Every duty above was checked against a primary source, and the date it was last updated was checked too. That second step is the one that catches things.
- GOV.UK: How to Rent (withdrawn) (withdrawn 1 May 2026)
- GOV.UK: Guide to the Renters’ Rights Act (what commenced on 1 May 2026)
- GOV.UK: Renters’ Rights Act implementation roadmap (what has not commenced; last updated 13 November 2025)
- GOV.UK: giving notice of possession before 1 May 2026 (the 31 July 2026 cliff)
- GOV.UK: energy performance of privately rented homes, Government response (EPC C, and the dropped 2028 date)
- GOV.UK: civil penalties under the Renters’ Rights Act (the £7,000 / £40,000 split and the starting points)
- GOV.UK: the Renters’ Rights Act Information Sheet 2026 (the £7,000 duty, due 31 May 2026)
- GOV.UK: tenancy agreements, written information for your tenant (verbal tenancies)
- GOV.UK: stronger protections and greater confidence for renters (database dates, 9 September 2026)
- Renting is changing: get ready to register (regional order and £65 fee)
- legislation.gov.uk: draft Private Rented Sector Database Regulations 2026 (the regional dates; still in draft)
- GOV.UK: extending Awaab’s Law to private rented tenancies and to licences (consultation including timescales, 9 October to 18 December 2026)
- legislation.gov.uk: Scottish Statutory Instrument 2026/173 (Scotland, in force 6 October 2026)
- GOV.UK: reformed Decent Homes Standard, Government response (the 2035 date, confirmed 28 January 2026)
- legislation.gov.uk: Housing Act 1988 s16A (the 28-day pet response window)
- legislation.gov.uk: Electrical Safety Standards Regs 2020, reg 11 (the EICR penalty, raised to £40,000)
- HSE: legionella and landlords’ responsibilities (why there is no certificate)
- GOV.UK: send quarterly updates (MTD) (the four deadlines)
- GOV.UK: penalties for Making Tax Digital for Income Tax (when quarterly-update penalty points start for the April 2026 group; last updated before Budget 2026)
- GOV.UK: Budget 2026, overview of tax legislation and rates (paragraphs 2.36 and 2.37: no late submission points on 2027-28 updates for April 2027 joiners, and the groups exempt until further notice)
Related
Written by Ben Morton, founder of LetSort. I build both halves of this: our HMRC Making Tax Digital integration and our Renters' Rights Act compliance engine. Every duty in this article was checked against GOV.UK, MHCLG's Housing Hub, gov.scot, HSE or the legislation itself, and so was the date the source was last updated, which is how three of the items above turned out to be wrong in other guides we checked. LetSort is operated by ToggleKit Ltd.