Worried About Your Landlord? UK Tenant Rights and Compliance Checks (2026)

If something feels off — they won't fix damp, the deposit isn't in a scheme, the EPC says F or G — you have more rights than you think. Here is the checklist, in order of urgency.

1. Is your deposit protected?

By law, your landlord must protect your deposit in one of three government-backed schemes within 30 days of you paying it: Deposit Protection Service (DPS), MyDeposits, or Tenancy Deposit Scheme (TDS). Each scheme has a free online checker.

If your deposit is NOT protected, you can claim 1-3x the deposit value back through the County Court. Your landlord also cannot serve a Section 21 eviction until the deposit is protected.

How to check: visit the three scheme websites and enter your details. Or use our 6-check landlord verification guide.

2. Does the EPC exist and is it valid?

Every rented property must have a valid Energy Performance Certificate (EPC). Since 2020 the minimum legal rating is E. Letting a property rated F or G is a civil offence with fines up to £5,000.

How to check: search the property address on the MHCLG EPC Register (find-energy-certificate.service.gov.uk). It is free. If the EPC is rated F or G, you can report your landlord to the local authority Trading Standards.

3. Annual gas safety certificate

If the property has gas appliances, your landlord must give you a Gas Safety Certificate (CP12) before move-in and renew it every 12 months. Failing to provide one is a criminal offence carrying up to 6 months in prison.

How to check: ask your landlord directly. They must give you a copy. If they refuse, the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) takes complaints.

4. Electrical Installation Condition Report (EICR)

From 2020, all private rentals must have an EICR carried out every 5 years. You should receive a copy within 28 days of the inspection or before move-in. Failure can mean council fines up to £30,000.

How to check: ask for the most recent EICR. The certificate has the inspection date and the inspector's electrical-competence body details.

5. HMO licence (if 3+ unrelated tenants)

If three or more unrelated tenants share, the property is a House in Multiple Occupation (HMO). Most local authorities require these to be licensed. Some councils operate additional or selective licensing schemes that cover smaller HMOs or even single-let properties.

How to check: search your council's public HMO register, or use our landlord verification guide.

6. Fitness for Human Habitation Act 2018

Your landlord must ensure the property is fit for habitation throughout the tenancy. The 29 categories of hazard under the HHSRS include damp and mould, excess cold, fire risk, falls, asbestos, lead, infestation and structural collapse. If your landlord refuses to fix a Category 1 hazard, you can sue for an order plus damages without needing to escalate to your local authority.

Lawyers operate this on no-win, no-fee. You don't need a solicitor at the start; the council's environmental health team can also serve improvement notices.

7. Section 21 retaliatory evictions

If you complain in writing, the landlord cannot serve Section 21 within 6 months. The Renters' Rights Act 2025 also abolishes Section 21 entirely once enacted in late 2026; from then all evictions must use Section 8 with a defined ground. If you receive a Section 21 after complaining, it is likely invalid.

8. Where to escalate

• Council Environmental Health — for damp, disrepair, HHSRS Category 1 hazards. Free, statutory powers.
• Local Trading Standards — for EPC F/G letting, deposit protection breaches, prohibited fees under the Tenant Fees Act 2019.
• HSE — for missing or invalid Gas Safety Certificate.
• The Property Ombudsman / Property Redress Scheme — if a letting agent is involved and you can't resolve a complaint.
• Shelter, Citizens Advice, Generation Rent — free advice, signposting.
• County Court — for Rent Repayment Orders, deposit protection penalties, Fitness for Human Habitation claims.

Doing all this in one go

The £4.99 Renter Address Report runs the EPC, deposit, HMO and selective licensing checks in one go, plus damp risk derived from the EPC, fair rent vs local median, and full monthly bills. Useful before you sign a tenancy or as evidence if you're already in dispute.