Landlord Certificates: Which You Need and How Long Each Lasts

A landlord's paperwork is easier to keep on top of once you separate two things that usually get listed together: certificates, which have a date on them and run out, and duties, which have no certificate at all. This page covers the first group: which certificates a private landlord in England needs, how long each one lasts, and when the tenant must get a copy. The duties with nothing to renew are at the end. Correct as at 20 October 2026.

For every duty across a tenancy, including the ones with no certificate, see the landlord compliance checklist.

The certificates at a glance

Gas safety record: every 12 months

Where there is gas at the property, every gas appliance and flue must be checked for safety at intervals of no more than 12 months since it was last checked, and within the 12 months before a new tenancy starts (regulation 36(3)). The engineer gives you a record of the check, usually called a CP12.

You do not lose time by booking early. A gas safety check completed within the 2 months ending with the deadline date is treated as made on the deadline date, so the next check is due within 12 months of that date (regulation 36A(1)). A check made more than 2 months before the deadline date starts a new 12-month interval from the day it was made (regulation 36(3)(a)). The detail, including what happens if a date is missed, is in how long a gas safety certificate is valid.

A copy goes to each existing tenant within 28 days of the check, and to a new tenant before they move in (regulation 36(6)). No gas at the property means none of this applies.

EICR: at most every five years

The electrical installation must be inspected and tested by a qualified person before a tenancy starts, and then at intervals of no more than 5 years. If the most recent report requires the next inspection by an earlier date, that earlier date applies (regulation 3(1)–(2)).

So the date that matters is the one written on your report: the date by which the next inspection and test is required. Work from that date, not from five years after the last inspection.

The report goes to each existing tenant within 28 days of the inspection, to a new tenant before they move in, to a prospective tenant within 28 days of a written request, and to the council within 7 days of a written request (regulation 3(3)). There is more on remedial work and the report's codes in the EICR guide for landlords.

EPC: ten years from registration, checked when you let

An EPC is valid only if it was entered on the register no more than 10 years before the date it is made available, and no newer EPC for the property has been registered since (regulation 9(2)). That is a different rule from "valid for ten years". What counts is the date you show it to someone, not the date it was issued.

You must make a valid EPC available free of charge to anyone considering renting the property, and give one to the person who becomes the tenant (regulation 6). The property must be rated E or above unless an exemption applies (Energy Efficiency (Private Rented Property) Regulations 2015, regulations 22–23).

Because validity is checked when you market or let, an EPC that passes ten years while a tenancy continues does not need replacing straight away. What to do when your EPC runs past ten years mid-tenancy explains when the new one is needed.

Duties with no certificate and no expiry

Two duties often appear on certificate lists but have nothing to renew.

Smoke and carbon monoxide alarms. While the property is occupied under a tenancy, there must be a smoke alarm on every storey with a room used as living accommodation. There must also be a carbon monoxide alarm in any such room with a fixed combustion appliance other than a gas cooker, whatever the fuel. Each alarm must be checked to be in working order on the day a new tenancy begins (Smoke and Carbon Monoxide Alarm (England) Regulations 2015, regulation 4(1)). A licensed HMO is covered by its licence conditions instead. See smoke and carbon monoxide alarm requirements.

Legionella. You must assess the risk from legionella in the water system and keep it under control. For most homes that is a simple check you can do yourself. The duty comes from section 3(2) of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974, read with regulation 2(b) of SI 2015/1583 and regulations 3, 6 and 7 of the Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations 2002. Writing the assessment down is a legal requirement only for employers with five or more employees (regulation 6(4)), but a dated note is your evidence that it was done. The Health and Safety Executive explains what landlords need to do in legionella and landlords' responsibilities.

Licences: set by your council, up to five years

A licence is mandatory where five or more people from two or more households share the property, and your council may also require an additional or selective licence. A licence lasts for the period the council sets, and that period must not end more than 5 years after the licence was granted (Housing Act 2004, section 68(3)–(4); section 91 for a selective licence). A licence cannot be transferred, so a new owner needs their own (section 68(6)).

Keeping the dates

Three of these certificates carry a date that matters, and each runs on its own cycle: 12 months for gas, the date on the report for the EICR, ten years for the EPC. You can add each certificate's date to the free tracker and get an email a month and a week before each one runs out.

If the property is empty right now, the certificates still need to be in date on the first day of the next tenancy. What applies before a tenant moves in separates those from the duties that only start with a tenancy.

Frequently Asked Questions

Which certificates must a new tenant get before moving in?

The latest gas safety record (if there is gas at the property), a copy of the electrical installation condition report, and a valid EPC, given free of charge. The gas record and the EICR must reach the tenant before they occupy the property.

Do smoke and carbon monoxide alarms need a certificate?

No. There is no alarm certificate and nothing that expires. The duty is to have the alarms fitted while the property is occupied under a tenancy, and to check that each one works on the day a new tenancy begins.

Do I need a new EPC when mine passes ten years during a tenancy?

No. An EPC must be valid when you make it available to a prospective tenant, so the ten years matter when you next advertise or let the property, not while the current tenancy continues.

Correct as at 20 October 2026. This explains what the law requires of private landlords in England; it is not legal advice about your situation.