Landlord guides
Plain-English deep dives on the rules that actually change how you run a UK rental portfolio. Updated as the law changes — no jargon, no fluff, no email gate.
- Cornerstone· 12 min read
Renters' Rights Act 2025 — full landlord guide
The most significant PRS reform since 1988. No-fault evictions abolished, periodic tenancies, expanded possession grounds, Decent Homes Standard, ombudsman, database — everything in one place.
Read the guide → - Comparison· 8 min read
Best property management software UK
RentFig, Landlord Vision, Alphaletz, Lendlord and spreadsheets compared on prices checked this month — ranked by the job you need doing, with the cases where each rival beats us stated plainly.
Read the guide → - Cornerstone· 9 min read
GDPR for landlords — the complete guide
Data protection lands on landlords as four concrete jobs: pay the ICO fee, give tenants a privacy notice, don't keep data forever, and answer a request within a month. Plus CCTV, and where landlords actually come unstuck.
Read the guide → - Data protection· 7 min read
Do landlords need to register with the ICO?
Almost always yes — £52 a year, or £47 by direct debit. When a fully managing agent exempts you, the one ordinary thing that cancels that exemption, and the £4,350 maximum penalty for not paying.
Read the guide → - Data protection· 7 min read
Privacy notice for tenants
What UK GDPR Article 13 requires it to contain, why it belongs at application rather than move-in day — and why naming 'consent' as your lawful basis creates a promise you can't keep.
Read the guide → - Data protection· 7 min read
How long to keep tenant data
GDPR sets no fixed period, but tax and Right to Rent rules do. A retention schedule covering rent records, tenancy files, document copies — and the failed applicants everyone over-retains.
Read the guide → - Data protection· 7 min read
A tenant has asked for their data
One month to respond, free of charge, and a text message counts as a request. What you can redact, and why your messages about the tenant are in scope as well as the tenancy file.
Read the guide → - Compliance· 6 min read
Gas safety certificates (CP12)
The annual check, the 28-day rule for giving the record to tenants, two-year record keeping — and the MOT-style rule that lets you renew up to two months early without losing your anniversary date.
Read the guide → - Compliance· 7 min read
EICR: codes, deadlines and penalties
What C1, C2, C3 and FI actually mean (a C3 is not a failure), all six deadlines attached to an EICR including the 7-day council rule, and penalties up to £40,000 per offence.
Read the guide → - Compliance· 7 min read
EPC rules — E now, C from 2030
EPC C is not law yet. The live minimum is still E. What the 2030 standard is, when the statutory instrument is expected, the £10,000 cost cap, and why rushing to a C today may not help.
Read the guide → - Compliance· 5 min read
Smoke and carbon monoxide alarm rules
One smoke alarm per storey, CO alarms in any room with a fixed combustion appliance — and why gas cookers are explicitly excluded, which catches people out both ways.
Read the guide → - Compliance· 6 min read
Deposit protection rules
One 30-day clock covering two duties, what the prescribed information must contain, and why the 1–3× penalty matters more now Section 21 no longer exists to be blocked.
Read the guide → - In force· 7 min read
Section 21 abolished — what landlords do now
Not a forthcoming change: Section 21 ended on 1 May 2026 and the transitional route for earlier notices closed on 31 July. Form 6A is withdrawn, and Grounds 1 and 1A carry 12-month restrictions Section 21 never did.
Read the guide → - Reference· 9 min read
Section 8 grounds for possession — the full table
Every ground with its notice period and whether it's mandatory or discretionary. Ground 8 arrears is now 3 months and 4 weeks' notice; Grounds 1 and 1A need 4 months and can't be used in year one.
Read the guide → - In force· 7 min read
Rent increases and section 13 notices
About once a year (52 weeks, sometimes 53), to market rate, on Form 4A with two months' notice. Rent review clauses usually no longer work on their own — and the tribunal can no longer set a rent higher than the one you proposed.
Read the guide → - In force· 6 min read
Pets in rental properties — can a landlord refuse?
Tenants can request a pet in writing and you must reply within 28 days with a fair reason. What counts as reasonable, what doesn't, and why there's no pet deposit or mandatory pet insurance.
Read the guide → - Tenant find· 9 min read
How to reference a tenant in the UK
Credit checks, Right to Rent, affordability and previous-landlord references explained — what each check shows, what it can legally cost, and how to run one. Plus a free tool to start.
Read the guide → - Price comparison· 6 min read
Cheapest tenant referencing in the UK (2026)
A price comparison of the ways UK landlords reference tenants — DIY, credit checks, pay-per-check, free portals and agent services — by cost, what's checked, and whether you need a subscription.
Read the guide → - Tenant find· 4 min read
Tenant referencing options for UK landlords
DIY, standalone credit checks, pay-per-check services, free landlord portals and agent-arranged subscriptions — what each option involves and who it suits.
Read the guide → - Student lets· 5 min read
Referencing student tenants and guarantors (2026)
When a student tenancy needs a guarantor, what to check on them, running a £9 guarantor credit check, and what a guarantor form and agreement should cover.
Read the guide → - Possession· 8 min read
How to evict a tenant in England (2026)
Section 8 on Form 3A, notice periods by ground, serving, the £415 court claim, bailiffs (£152) and how long it takes — after Section 21.
Read the guide → - Renters' Rights Act· 7 min read
Tenancy agreements in England after the Renters' Rights Act
Every new let is now an assured periodic tenancy. What the agreement must include, what you can't put in it, and why old AST templates and Word files are out of date.
Read the guide → - New rules· 6 min read
Written statement of terms
What landlords must give tenants before a new tenancy since 1 May 2026, the Information Sheet for existing tenants, and fines up to £7,000.
Read the guide → - Expected 2028· 5 min read
PRS Landlord Ombudsman
Who must join, why it's expected in 2028 (not yet), fees, what it can order, and penalties for not joining.
Read the guide → - Consultation open· 6 min read
Awaab's Law for private landlords
Not law for private landlords yet — the proposed repair timescales, the consultation to 18 December 2026 and likely start dates.
Read the guide → - Applies from 2035· 6 min read
Decent Homes Standard for private landlords
The five reformed criteria applying to all rented homes by 2035, what's changed from 2006, and the £7,000 fine already in force.
Read the guide → - New rules· 9 min read
PRS Database: register your rental property
Registration opens 15 December 2026, region by region. Every region's deadline, the £65 per property fee, what you need to register, and fines of up to £7,000.
Read the guide → - New rules· 6 min read
Right to Rent changes from 1 October 2026
The new code of practice: digital checks must use a provider on the OfDIA register, expired British/Irish passports up to 6 months, record destruction — and fines still up to £20,000 per occupier.
Read the guide → - Legal duty· 8 min read
Right to Rent checks — the landlord's guide
A legal duty in England, not a referencing option. Who must be checked, the three valid check methods, follow-up checks, and civil penalties of up to £10,000 per occupier for a first breach.
Read the guide → - Tenant find· 10 min read
Tenant background checks — what you can legally check
There is no single UK product called a background check. The five separate checks it breaks into, what each one proves, where screening crosses the line — and a straight answer on whether you can DBS check a tenant.
Read the guide → - Tenant find· 7 min read
What does a tenant credit check show?
CCJs, defaults, insolvency, identity and address history — and the things it cannot show, including criminal records, current income and, crucially, rent arrears with a previous landlord.
Read the guide → - Tenant find· 8 min read
Tenant failed referencing? Your options
The six reasons applicants fail and what to do about each — plus why the old workarounds are gone: rent in advance is capped at one month and deposits at five or six weeks.
Read the guide → - Fraud· 7 min read
How to spot fake payslips
Forged payslips are the most common form of UK rental application fraud. Seven red flags, how to verify income independently, and why this is the one failure you shouldn't work around.
Read the guide → - Discrimination· 8 min read
Referencing tenants on benefits
Two county court rulings held blanket 'No DSS' policies to be unlawful indirect discrimination. What they actually decided, and how to assess benefit income fairly and defensibly.
Read the guide → - Tenant find· 7 min read
Referencing self-employed tenants
No payslips and no employer to ring. SA302s paired with Tax Year Overviews, accountant references, bank statements — and why you assess net profit, never turnover.
Read the guide → - Company lets· 7 min read
Company let referencing
Checking a business tenant: Companies House, filed accounts, insolvency history and director guarantees — plus why a company let isn't an assured tenancy and what that changes.
Read the guide → - Tenant find· 5 min read
How long does tenant referencing take?
A credit check can be back the same day; a full reference usually takes up to 7 working days — and almost all the difference is waiting on the applicant, their employer and previous landlord. What causes delays and how to avoid them.
Read the guide → - Live since April 2026· 9 min read
MTD ITSA for landlords — the 2026 guide
Making Tax Digital for Income Tax has applied since 6 April 2026 for landlords with gross rent over £50,000. Quarterly returns, qualifying income, key deadlines and how to prepare.
Read the guide → - Live since April 2026· 6 min read
MTD quarterly deadlines 2026/27 — full calendar
Every MTD deadline for 2026/27, standard vs calendar periods explained, why each update is cumulative from 6 April rather than a standalone quarter, and why no penalty points apply this year.
Read the guide → - Tax· 7 min read
Landlord allowable expenses — what you can claim
The full list of deductible expenses, the repair-vs-capital-improvement line that catches people out, replacement of domestic items relief and the £1,000 property allowance.
Read the guide → - Tax· 10 min read
Section 24 explained — UK landlord mortgage interest guide
The single biggest tax issue facing UK landlords. How the 20% mortgage-interest tax credit really works, worked examples for both tax bands, and the realistic mitigation options.
Read the guide → - Compliance· 6 min read
What is an HMO?
The meaning of a house in multiple occupation: the 3-person, 2-household test, worked examples, exemptions like lodgers, and when an HMO needs a licence.
Read the guide → - Compliance· 11 min read
HMO licensing crash course
What counts as an HMO, the difference between mandatory, additional and selective licensing, Section 254 vs 257, minimum bedroom sizes, penalties up to £40,000. Everything UK landlords need.
Read the guide → - Beginner· 13 min read
First-time landlord checklist — UK 2026
Step-by-step guide for new UK landlords. Before you buy, mortgage and purchase, set-up, tenant find, tenancy start, ongoing operations, tax and reporting. Builds on all our other guides.
Read the guide → - AI· 8 min read
How landlords can use AI
Practical, jargon-free AI use cases for UK HMO and buy-to-let landlords: compliance briefings, tenant referencing, maintenance-photo triage, document Q&A, a WhatsApp assistant for the landlord and semantic tenancy search.
Read the guide → - Landlord basics· 8 min read
Self-managing landlord guide — doing it yourself
What self-managing a UK rental property actually involves versus using a letting agent: the real cost, the legal duties you take on, how much time it takes, and the tools that make it manageable.
Read the guide →
Plus free interactive tools
HMO licence checker, rental yield calculator, stamp duty calculator and BTL mortgage calculator (with ICR stress test).
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