Getting Started as a First-Time Landlord: What You Must Do First
Letting out a property for the first time brings legal duties that begin before a tenant moves in. This guide works through the steps in a sensible order: permission to let, licensing, safety certificates, energy standards, and setting up deposits and records. Most rules here apply in England; Scotland and Northern Ireland run some schemes separately.
What Counts as a Buy-to-Let, and Who Has to Comply
A buy-to-let property is one you own and rent to tenants rather than live in yourself. Once you rent a property out you are a landlord in law, whether you own one flat or several, and the core duties are the same. A buy-to-let mortgage is assessed differently from a residential one; our guide to how buy-to-let mortgages work explains deposits, rental cover and stress tests.
Settle two permissions first:
- Mortgage consent. If the property has a mortgage, you need your lender’s written permission to let it.
- Leasehold and insurance conditions. Leasehold properties and insurance policies can carry their own conditions on letting, so get written consent where needed.
Since the Renters’ Rights Act, private landlords in England must register themselves and each privately let property on the Register your rental property service. The rollout is regional and each region has a three-month registration period, the first covering the West Midlands from 15 December 2026. Registration is done through GOV.UK One Login, carries an annual fee per property, and produces a landlord number and a rental property number for use on adverts. Joint landlords must all register, including anyone not named on the tenancy agreement.
Licensing and the Safety Checks You Must Have in Place
Some properties need a licence from the local authority before they can be rented out. Houses in multiple occupation (HMOs), where tenants from several households share facilities, require a licence. Many councils also run additional or selective licensing schemes covering other rental properties in parts of their area, so check with your local authority whether one applies to your address. Renting out a property without a licence it needs can invalidate a possession notice if you later have to end the tenancy.
Beyond licensing, several safety duties apply, most on a renewal cycle:
- Gas. All gas appliances in a rented property must have an annual safety check by a Gas Safe registered engineer, and you must give your tenant a copy of the certificate.
- Electrical. Installations must be inspected and tested by a qualified person at least every five years. You must give tenants a copy of the report, known as an EICR, and provide it to the council on request.
- Alarms. A smoke alarm is needed on every storey of a property occupied by a single household, and a carbon monoxide alarm in any room with a fixed combustion appliance, though gas cookers alone do not count. The rules also cover how alarms are fitted and checked at the start of a tenancy.
- Furniture. In a furnished property, furniture and furnishings must meet fire safety standards.
You are also responsible for repairs under Section 11 of the Landlord and Tenant Act 1985, which covers the structure, exterior, plumbing, heating and sanitation. Councils can inspect rented homes using the Housing Health and Safety Rating System and serve notices requiring improvements within a fixed timescale; failing to comply is a criminal offence.
Handy tip
Keep every certificate with its issue date in one folder. Renewal cycles for gas, electrical and EPC documents rarely line up.
Energy Standards, Right to Rent and the Rules on Fees
Every rental property needs an energy performance certificate (EPC), which you must give the tenant at the start of the tenancy and whenever the tenancy changes or is renewed. EPCs are valid for 10 years. The Minimum Energy Efficiency Standard (MEES) Regulations set a floor: a domestic privately rented property must have a rating of E or above, and it is illegal to let one rated F or G unless a valid exemption is registered. Penalties for letting a non-compliant property can reach £5,000. Exemptions last five years, apart from the new landlord exemption, which lasts six months from the date you became a landlord.
Separately from the property’s paperwork, landlords in England must check that every adult occupier has the legal right to rent in the UK before the tenancy begins, verifying original documents in person or using the Home Office online service, and keeping a record of the check.
What you can charge tenants is limited by the Tenant Fees Act 2019. Permitted payments include rent, a refundable holding deposit, a fee to change the tenancy when the tenant asks and a fee for late payment of rent. A holding deposit cannot exceed one week’s rent, and the standard holding period is 15 calendar days unless you agree otherwise in writing. From 1 May 2026, you cannot ask for rent before the tenancy agreement is signed, and once it is signed you can ask for a maximum of one month’s rent in advance.
Protecting the Deposit and Issuing Prescribed Information
If you take a tenancy deposit, you must protect it with a government-approved scheme within 30 days of receiving it, and give the tenant the prescribed information within the same 30 days. The rules cover assured periodic tenancies, which replaced assured shorthold tenancies in England on 1 May 2026. Three schemes operate in England and Wales: the Deposit Protection Service, the Tenancy Deposit Scheme and mydeposits. Under custodial protection the scheme holds the money, which is generally free to use; under insured protection you or your agent keep it and pay a fee.
Failing to protect a deposit can mean a court order to return it in full and a penalty of up to three times its amount. A court will only grant a possession order if the deposit has been protected or returned. At the end of the tenancy, the deposit must be returned within 10 days of both parties agreeing the amount.
The cap depends on annual rent:
| Annual rent | Maximum deposit |
|---|---|
| Under £50,000 | Up to 5 weeks’ rent |
| £50,000 or more | Up to 6 weeks’ rent |
A deposit paid by a third party, such as a parent, must still be protected.
Alongside the deposit paperwork, give the tenant the tenancy agreement, the government’s How to Rent guide, a copy of the EPC and the current gas safety certificate when the tenancy starts. For tenancies created after 1 May 2026, you must also give written information on key terms, such as your name and address or your letting agent’s.
Tax and Record-Keeping From Day One
Rental income must be declared to HMRC, and where required you must use Making Tax Digital-compatible systems. Buying a property to let can also change the stamp duty you pay; our guide to stamp duty on a buy-to-let sets out how it is charged.
Keep records from the outset: every certificate and its renewal date, the tenancy agreement, referencing and right to rent evidence, deposit protection confirmation, correspondence with tenants and receipts for expenses. If a letting agent acts for you, confirm in writing which duties they handle and which remain yours; the legal responsibility stays with you.
One Small Step to Start With
Before spending anything, check your local authority’s licensing pages for the property’s address, then list each certificate it needs with its last and next due dates. That page becomes your compliance calendar and shows what to arrange before you advertise.
- Rental Yield Explained: Gross, Net and Why Both Matter: work out what a property might earn before you buy it.
- Mortgage Interest and Tax for Landlords: How the Relief Works: how the tax treatment of mortgage interest affects landlord returns.
What to know
- Private landlords in England must register themselves and each let property on the Register your rental property service and pay an annual fee per property.
- Gas appliances need an annual safety check by a Gas Safe registered engineer, and electrical installations must be inspected and tested at least every five years.
- A rental property needs an EPC rating of E or above; letting one rated F or G without a valid exemption is illegal and can attract a penalty of up to £5,000.
- Deposits must be protected in a government-approved scheme within 30 days, and failing to do so can mean a penalty of up to three times the deposit amount.
- In England you must check that every adult occupier has the right to rent before the tenancy begins.
Your questions
How much deposit can I ask a tenant for?
Up to five weeks’ rent where the annual rent is under £50,000, or six weeks where it is £50,000 or more. You must protect it in a government-approved scheme within 30 days of receiving it.
Does a single let property need a licence?
Licences are required for houses in multiple occupation, and many councils also run additional or selective licensing schemes covering other rental homes. Check your local authority’s pages for the property’s address.
Does the Register your rental property service apply outside England?
No. The service created under the Renters’ Rights Act applies to privately let properties in England. Scotland and Northern Ireland have separate arrangements for matters such as deposit protection.
What can I charge a tenant before the tenancy starts?
You can ask for a refundable holding deposit of up to one week’s rent to reserve the property while you run checks. From 1 May 2026 you cannot ask for rent before the tenancy agreement is signed, and after signing you can ask for a maximum of one month’s rent in advance.
This guide explains how UK borrowing works in general terms and isn’t financial advice. Rates, rules and lender criteria change, so check the details with the lender, GOV.UK or the Financial Conduct Authority before you decide. For advice on your own circumstances, speak to an FCA-authorised mortgage or financial adviser. If you borrow against your home, it may be repossessed if you do not keep up repayments.
