What records should a landlord keep for a rental property?

The points below are taken from official guidance and are examples of duties, not a full checklist for any one property. Each links to the source at the foot of the page.

England

• Gas: gas equipment must be installed and maintained safely by a Gas Safe registered engineer, with an annual safety check. HSE says landlords must keep the gas safety check record for at least two years and give existing tenants a copy within 28 days of the check, and new tenants a copy before they move in.
• Electrical: the Electrical Safety Standards regulations require the electrical installation to be checked at least every five years by a properly qualified person, with proof given to tenants.
• Alarms: GOV.UK says a smoke alarm must be provided on each storey and a carbon monoxide alarm in any room with a solid fuel burning appliance.
• Other: GOV.UK’s landlord responsibilities page also covers an Energy Performance Certificate, protecting a tenancy deposit in an approved scheme and Right to Rent checks.

Scotland

• Registration: mygov.scot says landlords must register and renew the registration every three years.
• Repairing standard: all private landlords must meet the repairing standard. It includes safe installation and maintenance of gas supply and equipment by a Gas Safe registered engineer, with an annual check, and an electrical safety inspection by a registered electrician at least every five years.
• Deposits: mygov.scot points landlords to the rules for taking and protecting a tenancy deposit.
• Agents: the mygov.scot guidance says these duties remain the landlord’s responsibility even when a letting agent manages the property.

Wales

• Registration and licensing: Rent Smart Wales says the landlord entitled to possession must register, and that landlords who let or manage their own property need a licence. A landlord who appoints an agent to do the letting and management does not need a licence themselves.
• Electrical: landlords must ensure there is a valid electrical condition report for the dwelling. It is valid for a maximum of five years, and a copy must be given to the contract-holder within 14 days of the occupation date and within 14 days of each new inspection.
• Gas: the Welsh Government guidance refers landlords to the Gas Safety (Installation and Use) Regulations 1998.
• Fitness for human habitation: the Welsh Government guidance says landlords must ensure a home is in repair and fit for human habitation under Part 4 of the Renting Homes (Wales) Act 2016. It also covers smoke and carbon monoxide alarms.

Northern Ireland

• Registration: nidirect says all landlords who let properties under a private tenancy in Northern Ireland must register.
• Gas: landlords must arrange an annual safety check of gas boilers by a Gas Safe registered engineer, keep a record and give it to the tenant within 28 days of each check.
• Electrical: the property must be inspected and tested by a qualified person at intervals of at least five years.
• Alarms and deposits: landlords are responsible for the installation and maintenance of smoke, heat and carbon monoxide alarms, for protecting the tenant’s deposit in a tenancy deposit scheme, and for giving the tenant a Tenancy Information Notice within 28 days of the tenancy starting.

Beyond the legal items, these are the records that make a rental property easier to run. None of the fields below is a legal requirement in itself, though several support something that is.

Keeping the two apart helps you decide what to prioritise.

• May be legally required. Safety certificates and reports, copies given to tenants within the timeframes in your nation’s rules, registration details, deposit protection information and the tenancy paperwork specified for your tenancy type. The details and deadlines differ between nations, as above.
• Good practice. A dated repair history, inspection notes and photos, contractor details, and a record of what you provided to the tenant and when. These are not duties in themselves but they are what you reach for when something is queried.

Retention periods are not generalised here. The only retention period this guide states is the one HSE gives for gas safety check records (at least two years). For other documents, take the period from the official source for that duty, and for tax or accounting records from HMRC or your accountant.

• For each certificate or report, record the date of the check, who did it, the next due date, and where the document is.
• Record when you gave a copy to the tenant, because several duties are tied to a deadline for doing so.
• Attach the evidence to the work: invoice, certificate and photos together.
• Keep the previous certificate as well as the current one, so there is no gap in the history.
• Plan recurring items with due dates rather than relying on memory, as described in how to create a property maintenance schedule.

If you also keep records for your own home, see home maintenance record: what to keep and how. For an HMO, there are blank logs to print in the free HMO record pack.