This page covers private landlords in England. Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland have their own rules for most of these duties, and they are not covered here. All figures are as at 30 September 2026. Penalties are maximums: the enforcing body decides the actual amount.

The penalties at a glance

Duty	Law	Maximum penalty	Who enforces
Annual gas safety check and record	Gas Safety (Installation and Use) Regulations 1998, reg 36	Criminal offence. In the Crown Court, a fine with no upper limit, up to 2 years in prison, or both	Prosecution under the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974
Electrical inspection and report	Electrical Safety Standards in the Private Rented Sector (England) Regulations 2020, reg 3	£40,000 per penalty, and more than one for a continuing failure	Local housing authority
Smoke and carbon monoxide alarms	Smoke and Carbon Monoxide Alarm (England) Regulations 2015, reg 4	£5,000 penalty charge for not complying with a remedial notice	Local housing authority
EPC shown to tenants	Energy Performance of Buildings (England and Wales) Regulations 2012, reg 6	£200 for a dwelling	Local weights and measures authority (trading standards)
Minimum EPC band E	Energy Efficiency (Private Rented Property) (England and Wales) Regulations 2015, reg 23	£4,000 plus publication; £5,000 in total with related penalties	Local authority
HMO licence	Housing Act 2004, s72	A fine with no upper limit, or a civil penalty up to £40,000	Local housing authority
Deposit protection	Housing Act 2004, ss213 and 214	1 to 3 times the deposit, and most possession grounds blocked	County court, on the tenant's claim
Right to rent check	Immigration Act 2014, ss22 and 23	£20,000 civil penalty. Up to 5 years in prison for the criminal offence	Home Office

Gas safety

The landlord must keep every gas appliance, its pipework and its flue in a safe condition. The duty covers appliances the landlord provides, not ones the tenant is entitled to take away.

Have each appliance and flue checked within 12 months of installation, then at intervals of no more than 12 months.
A check done in the 2 months before the deadline is treated as done on the deadline, so the anniversary date does not move.
The check and any work must be done by a registered gas engineer (reg 36(4)).
Give a copy of the record to each existing tenant within 28 days of the check, and to a new tenant before they move in.
Keep each record until two further checks have been done. If an appliance is removed, keep its last record for 2 years.

The record must show the date, the address, the landlord's name and address, each appliance or flue checked and where it is, any safety defect, any remedial action, the engineer's name and signature, and their registration number.

A breach is an offence under section 33(1)(c) of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974. In England and Wales, a magistrates court can impose a fine with no upper limit, up to 12 months in prison, or both. The Crown Court can impose a fine with no upper limit, up to 2 years in prison, or both.

Electrical safety

A qualified person must inspect and test every electrical installation in the property:

before a new tenancy starts, and
at least every 5 years, or sooner if the last report says so.

After each inspection the landlord must:

give a copy of the report to each existing tenant within 28 days
give a copy to a new tenant before they move in, and to a prospective tenant within 28 days of a written request
give a copy to the council within 7 days of a written request
give a copy to the person doing the next inspection, and keep it until the next inspection is done or due, whichever is later

If the report asks for further investigation or remedial work, a qualified person must do it within 28 days of the inspection, or sooner if the report says so. The landlord then gets written confirmation and sends it, with the report, to each tenant and to the council within 28 days of the work.

A landlord who has taken all reasonable steps is not in breach. A tenant refusing access does not mean the landlord had to go to court to count as having taken reasonable steps.

The council can impose a penalty of up to £40,000. It was £30,000 until an amendment that took full effect on 1 May 2026.

Smoke and carbon monoxide alarms

A smoke alarm on every storey with a room used as living accommodation. A bathroom or toilet counts as living accommodation.
A carbon monoxide alarm in any room used as living accommodation that has a fixed combustion appliance, other than a gas cooker.
Check every alarm works on the day a new tenancy begins.
If a tenant reports a faulty alarm, check it and repair or replace it as soon as reasonably practicable.

These rules do not apply to an HMO or house that needs a licence under Part 2 or Part 3 of the Housing Act 2004.

If the council believes a landlord is in breach, it must serve a remedial notice giving 28 days to put it right. A landlord who does not comply can be charged up to £5,000.

Energy Performance Certificate

A valid EPC must be made available free to anyone who asks about or views the property, and given to the person who becomes the tenant. The penalty for a dwelling is £200.

A property rated below band E must not be let, unless an exemption in the regulations applies. For this rule an EPC counts only if it was registered in the last 10 years and no newer one exists. Penalties:

in breach for less than 3 months: up to £2,000, and the breach is published
in breach for 3 months or more: up to £4,000, and the breach is published
total penalties for one breach, including penalties for false information or ignoring a compliance notice: no more than £5,000

HMO licensing

An HMO needs a mandatory licence if five or more people from two or more households live there and it meets one of the tests in section 254 of the Housing Act 2004. Councils can also require licences for other rented property under Part 2 or Part 3 of the Act, so check with your council.

Letting an HMO that needs a licence without one is an offence with a fine that has no upper limit. The council can instead impose a civil penalty of up to £40,000, raised from £30,000 on 1 May 2026. For offences from 1 May 2026, a tribunal can also order the landlord to repay up to 2 years of rent.

Tenancy deposits

Protect the deposit in an authorised scheme within 30 days of receiving it.
Give the tenant the prescribed information within the same 30 days.
Take a deposit only in money.

If the landlord fails, the county court must order them to pay the tenant between 1 and 3 times the deposit. A landlord who has not protected the deposit, or returned it, also cannot use most possession grounds.

Right to rent

Before a new tenancy in England, check that every adult aged 18 or over who will live there has the right to rent. If a tenant's permission to stay is time-limited, do the check in the 28 days before the tenancy starts, and do follow-up checks.

The Home Office can impose a civil penalty of up to £20,000. Letting to someone you know, or have reasonable cause to believe, is disqualified is a criminal offence with up to 5 years in prison on indictment.

What changed on 1 May 2026

Much of the Renters' Rights Act 2025 came into force on 1 May 2026 for private assured tenancies in England. As at 30 September 2026:

Landlords cannot use section 21 of the Housing Act 1988 to seek possession.
Councils can fine up to £7,000 for tenancy breaches, such as claiming a tenancy is fixed-term or trying to end it with a notice to quit.
Councils can fine up to £40,000, as an alternative to prosecution, for offences such as reletting within the 12-month restricted period after using possession ground 1 or 1A.
The HMO licensing offence and rent repayment orders were widened, as described above.

Other parts of the Act, including the private rented sector database and the landlord redress scheme penalties, did not come into force on 1 May 2026.

Records to keep

Record	How often	Give to tenant	Keep
Gas safety record	Every 12 months	Within 28 days; new tenant before move-in	Until two further checks
Electrical report	Before tenancy, then at least every 5 years	Within 28 days; new tenant before move-in	Until the next inspection is done or due, whichever is later
Alarm check	First day of each new tenancy	Not required by the regulations	Not specified
EPC	Band E or above; valid for this purpose for 10 years	Free, before viewing or written details	On the national register
Deposit protection	Within 30 days of receipt	Prescribed information within 30 days	Not specified

This page is general information, not legal advice. Check the linked legislation before relying on it.

Sources

Checked against these on 2026-09-30.

Related Certificates

cp12 gas safety record eicr electrical installation condition report smoke heat alarm certificate carbon monoxide alarm certificate energy performance certificate

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Published 2026-07-27. Corrected and updated 2026-09-30. This article is for general guidance only and does not constitute legal or professional advice. Always refer to the relevant standards and consult qualified professionals for definitive requirements.

Landlord Fines in England: Safety Certificates and Other Duties