Landlord guides

Plain-English explanations of every wave of landlord regulation — what changed, the deadlines, the penalties, and exactly what to do.

• The Renters’ Rights Act: what landlords must do now (2026 guide)

  The Renters’ Rights Act went live on 1 May 2026 and rewrote English tenancy law: Section 21 abolished, every tenancy periodic, new statutory paperwork with £7,000 fines. Here is exactly what self-managing landlords need to do.

  Updated 2026-08-16 · 9 min read

• The PRS database: every English landlord must register (2026–28)

  The Private Rented Sector database created by the Renters’ Rights Act starts its regional rollout in late 2026 and becomes mandatory everywhere through 2027–28. Unregistered landlords face penalties up to £40,000 and lose possession rights. Here is how registration works.

  Updated 2026-08-16 · 7 min read

• Making Tax Digital for landlords: who files quarterly and from when

  MTD for Income Tax replaces the annual Self Assessment with quarterly digital submissions. Landlords with £50k+ income joined in April 2026, £30k+ follow in 2027 and £20k+ in 2028. Here are the dates, the software rules, and how to get ready.

  Updated 2026-08-16 · 7 min read

• EPC C by 2030: the landlord deadline that pays to start early

  Government confirmed in January 2026 that rented homes in England must reach EPC band C by 1 October 2030, with a £10,000 per-property cost cap and an exemptions register. Around 2.5 million rentals need work. Here is how to plan it without panic.

  Updated 2026-08-16 · 8 min read

• HMO and landlord licensing in England: the three schemes explained

  Mandatory HMO licensing is national law; additional and selective licensing are council-by-council. Get the wrong one and you face unlimited fines and rent repayment orders. Here is how the three schemes fit together and how to check your property.

  Updated 2026-08-16 · 8 min read

• Tenancy deposit protection: the 30-day rules that cost landlords 3× the deposit

  Protect the deposit in an approved scheme within 30 days, serve the prescribed information in the same window, or face a penalty of one to three times the deposit and a blocked possession claim. The full rules for England, post-Renters’ Rights Act.

  Updated 2026-08-17 · 7 min read

• Raising rent after the Renters’ Rights Act: the Section 13 process step by step

  Rent review clauses are void and Section 13 is now the only way to raise rent in England: once a year, two months’ notice, on the official form, challengeable at tribunal. Get the notice wrong and the old rent stands. The step-by-step process.

  Updated 2026-08-17 · 6 min read

• Right to rent checks: the 20-minute process that avoids a £20,000 penalty

  Every adult living in your rental must have their right to rent checked before the tenancy starts — original documents, online share codes, follow-up checks, and the evidence you must keep. The process, step by step, for self-managing landlords in England.

  Updated 2026-08-17 · 7 min read

• The landlord gas safety certificate (CP12): renewal rules, deadlines and the MOT trick

  Every rental with gas needs an annual check by a Gas Safe registered engineer, recorded on a CP12, with copies to tenants on strict deadlines. The renewal rules, the 10-to-12-month "MOT" flexibility, tenant-access problems, and what it all costs.

  Updated 2026-08-17 · 6 min read

LetClerk is an administration and information service, not legal advice.