New Landlord Checklist: Steps Before Your First Let
Letting a home for the first time involves more than finding a tenant. This checklist puts the steps in the order they usually happen, so nothing is missed before the keys change hands.
For the full list of certificates and forms, see our landlord documents checklist.
General information about private renting in England, checked against the official sources listed below. It is not legal advice. If you have court papers, a bailiff date or a health risk at home, contact Shelter, Citizens Advice or a housing solicitor now.
1. Before you advertise
- Get consent to let from your mortgage lender (or switch to a buy-to-let mortgage) and, for a leasehold flat, check the lease and freeholder rules.
- Take out landlord insurance; ordinary home insurance usually stops covering a let property.
- Check with your council whether you need an HMO, additional or selective licence.
- Book the gas safety check, the electrical inspection (EICR) and an EPC rated E or above.
- Fit smoke alarms on every floor and carbon monoxide alarms where there is a fixed combustion appliance.
2. Advertising and choosing a tenant
- Advertise a fixed rent. Since 1 May 2026 you cannot invite or accept offers above it.
- Do not refuse people because they have children or receive benefits.
- Take no more than one week’s rent as a holding deposit.
- Check every adult’s right to rent and keep a copy.
3. Before and on move-in day
- Give written tenancy terms and the Renters’ Rights Act information required by GOV.UK.
- Give the gas safety record, EICR and EPC.
- Take a deposit of no more than 5 weeks’ rent, protect it within 30 days and send the prescribed information.
- Take no more than one month’s rent in advance once the tenancy is agreed.
- Do a dated inventory with photos, test the alarms and record meter readings.
Typical costs to budget for
| Item | How often |
|---|---|
| Gas safety check | Every year |
| Electrical inspection (EICR) | At least every 5 years |
| Energy Performance Certificate | Every 10 years |
| Landlord database registration | £65 a year per property (from the database launch) |
| Council licence, where needed | Usually for 5 years; fee set by the council |
| Landlord insurance | Every year |
First-time landlord mistakes
- Using an old tenancy template with a fixed term or a Section 21 clause.
- Taking more than one month’s rent in advance.
- Protecting the deposit but forgetting the prescribed information.
- Letting before checking whether the council requires a licence.
4. After the tenancy starts
Diary the annual gas check, the five-yearly EICR, any licence renewal and your tax return. Register on the private rented sector database when your region opens (from 15 December 2026). Keep every repair report and your reply; good records are your best protection if anything goes wrong.
Free template: Landlord move-in checklist
Fill in the parts in [square brackets], then copy, download as a Word file or print. Each one shows a filled-in example first. These are general templates for England, not legal advice.
Landlord move-in checklist
Tick these off before and on the first day of a new tenancy, and keep a dated copy.
NEW TENANCY CHECKLIST Property: [Property address] Tenant: [Tenant] Start date: [Start] ☑ Right to Rent checks completed and recorded ☑ Written information given to the tenant ☑ Gas safety certificate given ☑ Electrical safety report given ☑ EPC given ☑ Smoke and CO alarms tested on day one ☑ Deposit protected within 30 days ☑ Prescribed information given within 30 days ☑ Inventory and photos signed ☑ Meter readings recorded ☐ Licence checked with the council
Before you send it
- Keep proof of when each document was given.
- Check whether your council runs a licensing scheme.
- Use the current versions of all documents.
Checked against: GOV.UK: Assured periodic tenancies, a guide for landlords
Sources
These are the official and specialist pages this guide is checked against. Rules and forms change, so check the live page before you act.
Questions people ask
Do I need to tell my mortgage lender I am letting?
Yes. Letting without consent can breach your mortgage terms. Check your mortgage and insurance documents before advertising, and obtain any required consent in writing. Keep that confirmation in the property file rather than assuming a letting agent has arranged it.
Can I use an old assured shorthold agreement?
No. Since 1 May 2026 new private tenancies in England are assured periodic tenancies, so use up-to-date written terms. Review the agreement against the current tenancy route before issuing it. An existing tenant’s historic agreement is a different situation; do not assume every older signed document must be discarded or re-signed.
Do I need a licence?
Check the property address, number of occupiers, households and facilities with the local council. Local additional or selective schemes can cover properties outside the national mandatory HMO scheme, and exemptions also need checking.
Tools and guides that go with this
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