Property Compliance in London: A Practical Checklist for Landlords and Property Managers

Property compliance is not a single certificate or inspection. For landlords, managing agents and property owners in London, it means keeping track of several legal and safety responsibilities that can vary according to the type of property, the tenancy, the building layout and local authority requirements.

A structured compliance process helps reduce missed renewals, avoid unnecessary duplication and make it easier to demonstrate that appropriate checks have been completed. This guide summarises some of the main areas that property owners and managers should review.

1. Electrical safety and EICRs

Electrical safety is a core requirement for rented housing in England. Current government guidance states that electrical installations in rented properties must be inspected and tested by a qualified person at least every five years, with a report provided following the inspection. The report is commonly known as an Electrical Installation Condition Report (EICR).

Landlords should not treat the five-year interval as an automatic guarantee that no earlier action is required. The report may specify a shorter interval, and remedial work may be required where defects are identified.

2. Gas safety checks

Where a landlord supplies gas appliances or flues, gas safety duties normally include arranging an annual gas safety check by a Gas Safe registered engineer and providing the tenant with the required record.

Gas safety should be managed as a recurring compliance task rather than an isolated annual appointment. Property managers should keep accurate records of the last inspection, renewal date, engineer details and any remedial work completed.

3. Energy Performance Certificates

An Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) provides information about a property’s energy efficiency. In many circumstances an EPC is required when a property is marketed for sale or rent.

For domestic private rented property in England and Wales that falls within the Minimum Energy Efficiency Standards regulations, properties with an EPC rating of F or G generally cannot be let unless the landlord has taken the required steps or a valid exemption applies. Because energy-efficiency policy continues to develop, landlords should check the current rules before relying on older guidance or planned future standards.

4. Smoke and carbon monoxide alarms

For relevant rented homes in England, landlords must ensure that required smoke and carbon monoxide alarms are installed and working in accordance with the applicable regulations.

Government guidance requires at least one smoke alarm on each storey used as living accommodation and a carbon monoxide alarm in any room used as living accommodation that contains a fixed combustion appliance, excluding gas cookers. Landlords also have responsibilities relating to faulty alarms once they are reported.

5. Fire safety and HMO requirements

Fire safety obligations depend heavily on the building type and how it is occupied. Houses in multiple occupation (HMOs), converted buildings, blocks of flats and commercial premises can be subject to additional requirements.

Depending on the property, these may include fire detection systems, protected escape routes, fire doors, emergency lighting, fire risk assessment duties and local authority licensing conditions. A property should therefore be assessed according to its actual use rather than relying on a generic checklist.

6. Legionella risk management

Landlords have health and safety responsibilities in relation to Legionella risks in hot and cold water systems. HSE guidance explains that landlords should assess and control the risk, but for most ordinary domestic systems the assessment can be simple and proportionate.

Importantly, health and safety law does not require landlords to obtain a specific “Legionella certificate”, and routine water sampling is not normally required for standard domestic hot and cold water systems. The key requirement is to identify risk and apply appropriate controls.

7. Asbestos management

Asbestos responsibilities depend on the type of premises and who controls maintenance and repair. The formal duty to manage asbestos applies to non-domestic premises and to common parts of multi-occupancy domestic premises, such as common areas in blocks of flats.

Where the duty applies, the responsible person may need to identify whether asbestos-containing materials are present, assess their condition and risk, maintain an asbestos register and management plan, and provide relevant information to anyone who could disturb the material.

8. Local licensing and London borough requirements

Property compliance in London also has a local dimension. Some boroughs operate additional or selective licensing schemes for certain rented properties, and HMO licensing requirements can differ according to the property and occupancy.

Landlords and managing agents should therefore check both national requirements and the rules of the relevant London borough. A certificate that is valid nationally does not remove separate local licensing or housing-standard obligations.

A practical compliance workflow

A reliable property compliance system should bring inspections, certificates and renewal dates into one process. A practical workflow is to maintain a property-level compliance record containing:

property address and occupancy type;
required inspections and certificates;
inspection dates and renewal dates;
contractor and assessor details;
copies of reports and certificates;
identified remedial actions;
evidence that remedial work has been completed; and
local authority licensing requirements where applicable.

This approach is especially useful for landlords and managing agents with multiple properties, because the main operational risk is often not understanding a requirement but failing to track when action is due.

Property compliance should be property-specific

There is no single compliance package that is correct for every property. A single-family rental, an HMO, a block of flats, a shop with residential accommodation above it and a commercial property can all have different obligations.

The correct starting point is therefore to identify the property type, occupation, responsible person and applicable national and local requirements. From there, inspections and certificates can be scheduled in a logical order.

How Primelinks Compliance can help

Primelinks Compliance is developing a connected approach to property compliance for landlords, property managers and property professionals. The aim is to simplify the process of identifying required checks, arranging appropriate services and keeping compliance records organised.

If you manage property in London and need help understanding which inspections may apply, contact Primelinks Compliance for a property-specific review.

Official guidance:

This article is general information and does not constitute legal advice. Requirements can vary according to property type, tenure, location and circumstances.