Landlord compliance checker

What this checker covers

The Renters' Rights Act 2025 changed the paperwork owed to tenants in England, and it changed it differently depending on when the tenancy began and whether the terms were ever written down. That is the question this checker answers. It works out which of the two documentation duties applies to your tenancy - the official Information Sheet for tenancies that already existed before 1 May 2026, or the prescribed written statement of terms for everything else - tells you whether the deadline has passed, and sets out the penalty exposure if it has.

Alongside that, it summarises the standing rules that now apply to every assured tenancy: how rent increases must be proposed, why section 21 notices no longer work, the 28-day deadline for answering a pet request, the ban on accepting bids above the advertised rent, and the limit on rent taken in advance. It also flags the duties that are coming but are not live yet, so you do not act on an obligation that has not commenced. Full explanations of each sit in the guides.

How to use it

Answer the questions in order. Each answer decides what you are asked next, so a landlord with a tenancy that started last week sees a different path from one whose tenant moved in during 2019. Four things determine the outcome:

• Whether the property is in England. The tenancy reforms are England only. Wales and Scotland have their own separate regimes and different documents.
• When the tenancy started, relative to 1 May 2026. This is the single biggest branch: tenancies that predate commencement inherited a one-off catch-up duty, new ones did not.
• Whether the terms were written down, fully or partly. A wholly oral pre-commencement tenancy owed a written statement of terms rather than the Information Sheet.
• What you have already given the tenant. If you are not certain, answer "not sure" - the checker treats an unevidenced document as one that still needs serving, which is the safer assumption.

Tenants can use it the same way, from the other side. Answer as your landlord would and you will see what they should have given you and by when.

What the results mean

Results come back in three colours, and the distinction matters. A terracotta card is something outstanding: a duty that applies to you and that has not been satisfied, with the deadline and the maximum penalty attached. A green card confirms a duty you have already met - the useful action there is to keep the evidence, because in an enforcement dispute the question is usually not whether you served a document but whether you can show when. A plain card is background: a rule that applies to your tenancy on an ongoing basis rather than a one-off task.

The penalty figures shown are statutory maximums, not fixed fines. Local housing authorities set the actual amount, and most publish a penalty policy explaining how they weigh culpability, harm and whether the landlord has offended before. A first, promptly corrected slip and a deliberate pattern are treated very differently.

What it cannot tell you

This is a documentation and deadline checker, not a full compliance audit. It does not look at deposit protection, gas safety records, electrical inspection reports, energy performance certificates, the right to rent check, HMO or selective licensing, or the condition of the property. All of those remain live obligations and none of them were removed by the Act.

It also cannot judge anything that depends on facts it does not ask about. It will not tell you whether a possession ground is made out, whether a refusal of a pet request was reasonable, or whether a proposed rent is a market rent. For rent increase timing, use the rent increase checker, which tests the notice against the statutory dates. To produce the statement itself, use the written statement generator.

Finally, it reflects the law as it stood when the site was last verified. The Act commences in phases, and the private rented sector database and landlord ombudsman are still to come. Anything that turns on your own circumstances is worth checking with a solicitor, your local authority's private sector housing team, or an advice body such as Citizens Advice or Shelter.