If you rent out a property in Nottingham, there are a handful of certificates and safety records you really don't want to lose track of. One of the problems I see is landlords assuming that because something was in place when the tenant moved in, everything must still be compliant now. That's not always the case.
Some documents expire annually, some last several years and others need updating depending on what's happened at the property.
So here's a simple checklist of the main certificates and safety records landlords in England should be keeping on top of in 2026.
1. Gas Safety Certificate
If there's gas at the property, this is one of the obvious ones. Gas appliances and flues provided by the landlord need an annual safety check carried out by a Gas Safe registered engineer.
The tenant must also receive a copy of the gas safety record.
How often? Every 12 months.
Don't just check that you have a certificate saved somewhere. Check the property address, appliances inspected, date of inspection and when the next check is due.
2. Electrical Installation Condition Report (EICR)
The fixed electrical installation at a rented property needs to be inspected and tested by a qualified person at least every five years, or sooner if the report specifies an earlier date.
You'll normally know this document as the EICR. If the report identifies a C1, C2 or Further Investigation (FI), don't treat the report as another certificate to file away. Those findings require action.
A C3 is different. It means improvement is recommended rather than automatically required.
How often? At least every five years, or sooner if specified on the report.
3. Energy Performance Certificate (EPC)
Most privately rented properties need a valid Energy Performance Certificate. An EPC normally lasts 10 years.
As of September 2026, most properties covered by the Minimum Energy Efficiency Standards need to achieve at least an E rating to be legally let, unless a valid exemption applies.
There are tighter energy-efficiency requirements coming, so I'd also be looking at the actual rating rather than simply checking whether the certificate has expired. If you've got properties sitting at D or E, this is something I'd already have on the radar rather than waiting until the rules tighten.
4. Smoke and carbon monoxide alarms
These aren't technically certificates in the same way as an EPC or Gas Safety Record, but they absolutely belong on a landlord compliance checklist.
You need the required smoke and carbon monoxide alarms installed and working. For most rented homes, that includes smoke alarms on each storey used as living accommodation and carbon monoxide alarms where required by the regulations.
The alarms also need to be checked at the start of a new tenancy.
5. HMO and property licensing
This isn't a certificate, but for Nottingham landlords it's too important to leave off the list.
Depending on the property and exactly where it is, you may need an HMO, selective or additional property licence. Licensing requirements can vary by local authority and area, so don't assume that because another property in your portfolio doesn't need a licence, this one won't either and definitely don't assume an old licence lasts forever.
Check the property against the current licensing scheme and keep the expiry date diarised.
A simple landlord compliance checklist
For every property in your portfolio, I'd want to be able to see at a glance:
Gas Safety: Current and next renewal date recorded
EICR: Current and any remedial work completed
EPC: Current, rating checked and expiry recorded
Smoke/CO alarms: Correctly installed and checked
Property licence: Checked and current where required
There are other documents and legal requirements involved in letting a property, including deposit protection, Right to Rent and tenancy documentation, but if we're specifically talking about the main property certificates and safety records, these are the ones I'd start with.
The bigger issue for portfolio landlords
The certificates themselves aren't particularly difficult.
Keeping track of them across multiple properties is where landlords get caught out.
One Gas Safety Certificate expires in November. An EICR at another property is due next March. An EPC somewhere else is approaching expiry. Then you've got licences and remedial works sitting alongside them.
With one property, you might keep all of that in your head. With 10 properties, I wouldn't even try.
Every property should have a clear compliance record showing what's required, whether it's current and when it next needs attention. That's exactly how we approach compliance at Amhurst Lettings.
We manage single lets, HMOs and residential property portfolios across Nottinghamshire, keeping track of the compliance requirements alongside the day-to-day management of the property because finding out a certificate expired three months ago isn't a compliance system. It's finding a problem after it's already happened.
