The first-time landlord checklist: everything to do before tenants move in

You’ve got the keys, the mortgage is in place, and you’ve had the estate agent round to value the rent. But between now and handing over a set of keys to a tenant, there’s a lot to sort: legal obligations, safety certificates, documentation, and a raft of changes that landed in May 2026 under the Renters’ Rights Act. Miss any of it and you’re exposed to serious fines, or worse, an inability to regain possession of your own property.

This is the practical, current checklist. Work through it in order, because the first two steps will save you more grief than everything else combined.

Step 1: Reference your tenant properly

This is not optional, and it’s not expensive. A full tenant reference, covering a credit check, income verification, employment check and previous landlord reference, can be done for £14 per applicant with PropertyGoose. Referencing a couple costs £28. The cost of a bad tenant runs the other way: months of missed rent, legal fees, and potential damage running to thousands.

Since the Tenant Fees Act 2019, you cannot charge tenants for referencing in England. It’s your cost to bear, so make it count. A basic internet credit check is not enough; you want employment verification and a previous landlord reference too. A fast turnaround (good services typically return results in 24 to 72 hours) means you won’t lose a strong applicant by moving slowly.

For letting agents managing multiple properties, volume pricing brings the per-check cost down substantially.

Step 2: Sort your tenancy agreement and the new paperwork

For any tenancy starting on or after 1 May 2026, you must give the tenant a written statement of key terms before the tenancy is entered into. This must cover the landlord’s name and address, the rent and when it’s due, the deposit amount, repair responsibilities and which bills the tenant pays. Failing to issue it carries a civil penalty of up to £7,000, and the statutory guidance sets a starting point of £4,000 (gov.uk, Civil penalties under the Renters’ Rights Act 2025).

A few other things to know about the new landscape:

• No more fixed terms. The Renters’ Rights Act 2025 (in force 1 May 2026) abolished fixed-term assured tenancies. All new tenancies are now periodic (rolling). Tenants can give two months’ notice to leave; landlords can only recover possession on specific statutory grounds.
• No rent in advance. You cannot require rent before the agreement is signed, and you cannot demand more than one month’s rent up front. (A tenant may still choose to pay early once the tenancy has started.)
• A new database and ombudsman are coming. The Private Rented Sector Database rolls out from late 2026, and mandatory membership of the new PRS Landlord Ombudsman is currently expected around 2028.

Step 3: Get the safety certificates done

These are legally mandatory and must be completed before a tenant moves in, not within a reasonable time afterwards.

Gas Safety Certificate (CP12) An annual inspection by a Gas Safe registered engineer is required, and you must give a copy to every new tenant before they occupy the property. Failing to do so is a criminal offence carrying unlimited fines.

Electrical Installation Condition Report (EICR) Required at least every five years. Provide a copy to new tenants before they move in, and complete any remedial work flagged C1 or C2 within 28 days (or sooner if the report says so).

Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) A valid EPC of at least band E must be in place before you market the property. The current maximum fine for letting a sub-standard property is £5,000 per property. In January 2026 the government confirmed a band C minimum from 1 October 2030, with maximum fines rising to £30,000 per property. If you’re well below C now, start planning improvements.

Smoke and carbon monoxide alarms Under the Smoke and Carbon Monoxide Alarm (Amendment) Regulations 2022, you must fit a smoke alarm on every storey used as living accommodation, and a carbon monoxide alarm in every room used as living accommodation that contains a fixed combustion appliance (for example a gas boiler, oil-fired appliance or solid fuel burner; gas cookers are excluded). Test them at the start of the tenancy. Fines for non-compliance reach £5,000.

Step 4: Protect the deposit correctly

Take a deposit (capped at five weeks’ rent where the annual rent is under £50,000), then protect it in a government-approved scheme, namely the Deposit Protection Service, myDeposits or the Tenancy Deposit Scheme, within 30 days of receiving the money. Not from the tenancy start date, not from move-in day. Thirty days from receipt. You must also give the tenant the prescribed information within that window.

Fail to do this and a tenant can apply to court for an award of between one and three times the deposit, at the court’s discretion, plus return of the deposit itself. On a £1,500 deposit that’s up to £4,500 in penalties on top of the deposit. There’s a further sting under the Renters’ Rights Act: from 1 May 2026 a court will not grant possession on most Section 8 grounds (the anti-social behaviour grounds are the exception) unless the deposit is protected and the prescribed information served before the notice. Late protection can cure it, but get it right from the start.

Step 5: Check your tenant’s right to rent

Before the tenancy starts, you must check every tenant aged 18 or over has the legal right to rent in the UK, via the Home Office online service or by examining original documents. Keep a copy. Penalties for failing to check reach up to £10,000 per occupier for a first breach.

Step 6: Sort insurance and tax

Your standard home insurance won’t cover a let property. Get a proper landlord’s buildings and contents policy before the tenant moves in; if you have a buy-to-let mortgage your lender will almost certainly require it.

On tax, rental income is subject to Income Tax. You must tell HMRC and complete a Self Assessment return for each year you receive it. From 6 April 2026, if your combined gross income from property and self-employment exceeds £50,000 (turnover, before expenses), you’ll fall under Making Tax Digital for Income Tax, which means quarterly digital submissions rather than a single annual return. The threshold drops to £30,000 from April 2027.

If you want protection against arrears, look into rent and legal cover. PropertyGoose offers this through Aviva-backed partners as part of the full tenancy toolkit.

Step 7: Do a proper inventory before move-in

A signed, photographed inventory at move-in is your main protection when it comes to deposit deductions later. Take timestamped photos of every room, fitting and wall. Note meter readings. Have the tenant sign it; digital signatures are fine. Without this, a deposit dispute is likely to be decided against you. For higher-value properties, a professional inventory clerk (typically £100 to £200) is usually worth it.

Pulling it all together

First-time landlords get caught by the same handful of mistakes: under-referencing a tenant they liked on instinct, missing the 30-day deposit window, or underestimating how much has changed under the Renters’ Rights Act. The compliance side isn’t complicated once you know it; it just has to be done in the right order.

PropertyGoose runs the whole process in one place: tenant referencing from £14, tenancy agreements, deposit registration guidance, and the full lifecycle tooling that letting agents use. You don’t need to be an agent to get the same tools.