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Tenancy Start Checklist for Landlords (England)

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Most of the legal duties on a new letting fall in the weeks before and after move-in. This checklist puts them in order so nothing is missed on the day. It follows GOV.UK for England.

All new tenancies in England are assured periodic tenancies, which run on a rolling basis. Wales and Scotland have different rules, so check the Welsh and Scottish government sites for a property there. Treat every item as a prompt and check the current rules on GOV.UK.

When to use it

You have found a tenant and are about to agree the letting.
You are letting a property for the first time.
You want a standard list for every new tenant across several properties.
You are handing a new let to a letting agent and want to check what they have done.

How to use it

Print one copy per new tenancy.
Work through the first three sections before the tenant moves in.
Write the date next to each item you complete.
Use the last section on move-in day, then file the sheet with the signed agreement.

Print this page or save it as a PDF from your browser's print menu.

Before you agree the letting

Check the right to rent of every tenant aged 18 or over before the tenancy starts, even if they are not named on the agreement.
If a tenant has only limited permission to stay in the UK, do the check within the 28 days before the tenancy starts.
Keep any holding deposit to one week's rent at most.
Do not ask for, encourage or accept rent before you and the tenant have signed the tenancy agreement.
Give the tenant written information about the key terms of the tenancy before it is agreed.

Safety paperwork

Provide an Energy Performance Certificate for the property.
Give the new tenant a copy of the gas safety check record before they move in.
Give the new tenant a copy of the latest electrical report (EICR) before they move in.
Fit a smoke alarm on every storey and test them.
Fit a carbon monoxide alarm in any room with a solid fuel appliance, such as a wood burning stove.
Check that furniture and furnishings you supply are fire safe.
If the property is a purpose-built block of flats or a house converted into flats, follow the fire safety rules that apply.

Deposit and charges

Keep the deposit within the cap: five weeks' rent if annual rent is under £50,000, six weeks' if it is £50,000 or more.
Protect the deposit in an approved scheme within 30 days of receiving it.
Give the tenant the deposit information within the same 30 days.
Charge only what the Tenant Fees Act allows. Other fees to tenants are banned.

Registration and licences

Check whether the property needs a licence from the council, for example as a house in multiple occupation.
Check on GOV.UK whether you need to register on a private rented sector register for your area.
If the property is in Scotland, register as a landlord before you rent it out.

Move-in day

Walk round with the tenant and agree a written inventory or condition record.
Record the meter readings and have the tenant sign them.
Hand over every key and note how many.
Give the tenant your contact details and an emergency contact for repairs.
Show the tenant where the stopcock, fuse board and gas shut-off are.
Write down the date you gave each document to the tenant.

Questions

Which tenancy type applies to a new letting in England?

GOV.UK says all new tenancies are assured periodic tenancies. They run on a rolling basis, such as monthly, and cannot have an end date.

When must I check a tenant's right to rent?

Before the tenancy starts, for every adult aged 18 or over, even if they are not named on the agreement. If the tenant has only limited permission to stay in the UK, do the check within the 28 days before the tenancy starts.

What safety documents must the tenant get at the start?

The tenant must get a copy of the gas safety check record before moving in, and a new tenant must get the electrical report before they move in. GOV.UK also expects an Energy Performance Certificate and working smoke and carbon monoxide alarms.

Sources

General information, not tax or legal advice. Rules differ between England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland.