Landlord Checklist for Renting a Home in Central London
Kevin Gold created on 21st July 2025
Navigating the complexities of renting out a property in Central London can feel daunting. From legal labyrinth to ensuring tenant safety, it’s easy to miss a crucial step. That’s why we’ve created this comprehensive landlord checklist.
While the high demand for central London rental properties in areas such as Marylebone and Soho should ensure there is a good selection of interested prospective tenants, there is still a lot or preparation work required before you can hand over the keys.
While the high demand for central London rental properties in areas such as Marylebone and Soho should ensure there is a good selection of interested prospective tenants, there is still a lot or preparation work required before you can hand over the keys.
To ensure you don’t miss anything, we have pulled together a landlord checklist for renting a property.
What Should A Landlord Checklist Consist Of?
From our experience of helping landlords through this process, we think the ideal renting-out-a-house checklist should include these 23 things to do:
1. Make Sure You Have Permission To Rent Out The Property
If you have a standard residential mortgage on the property, you will need consent from your lender. If you are renting out your property temporarily, your mortgage company may give you consent to let. However, if you have no intention of returning to your home in the foreseeable future, you will need to switch to a buy-to-let mortgage. You will need to meet the lender’s eligibility criteria for buying to let and expect higher interest rates.
If your property is a leasehold, you will also need permission from the freeholder to let the property.
It is rented to 5 or more people from more than one household.
Some or all of the tenants share bathroom or kitchen facilities.
Many councils operate additional HMO licensing, so even if your property is rented to fewer people, you may still need a license.
Selective licensing was introduced in 2006 to crack down on rogue landlords and tackle unacceptable behaviour by tenants. In areas where selective licensing applies, all landlords must have a license to rent out a property. Contact your local council to see whether your property is in a selective licensing area.
3. Arrange An EPC Inspection
Next on your list should be arranging an energy performance certificate (EPC) inspection. EPCs measure how energy efficient the property is and are essential to marketing your property for rent.
Your property is rated between A (most efficient) to G (least efficient). All rental properties must have an EPC rating of at least E, and there are plans in place to raise the minimum rating further. Landlords need to get a new EPC certificate every ten years.
You will need to arrange for a Gas Safe-registered engineer to conduct a gas safety check on your property each year. You must take action to rectify any defects that are spotted. The Gas Safety Certificate will detail the results of the checks.
You are also required to provide tenants with a record of the gas safety check, either within 28 days of the check or for new tenants, when they move into the property.
It is also the landlord’s responsibility to ensure gas appliances and pipework are kept in safe condition and to arrange services as required.
Electrical safety regulations mean you will need to have an electrical inspection of your property every five years. You’ll receive an Electrical Installation Condition Report (EICR). Any remedial work detailed in the report must be completed within 28 days with written confirmation obtained from your electrician.
While not a legal requirement, it’s best practice to have any electrical appliances you provide PAT tested every year. A qualified electrician should carry out both the electrical inspection and PAT tests. This will help you to meet the electrical safety standards in your property with greater certainty.
6. Follow Smoke & Carbon Monoxide Alarm Rules
It is a legal requirement for landlords to provide fire detection equipment. There should be at least one smoke alarm on every storey of the property.
You must also install a carbon monoxide alarm in any room containing a fuel-burning appliance, such as oil or gas boilers and gas or wood fires. Carbon monoxide detectors are required in any room with an appliance which burns fuel and that is used partly or wholly as living accommodation.
Regular testing of the alarms is also required and should be completed on the first day of a tenancy, with written confirmation provided to the tenant.
The landlord should also provide instructions to the tenant regarding hot to test the smoke and carbon monoxide alarms, so that tenants can complete their own checks once they have moved into the property. Under BS 5839, it is recommended that alarm systems are checked professionally at least every six months.
HMO properties have additional fire safety requirements set out by the local authority under the licensing terms. This includes safety measures such as installing emergency lighting and fire doors.
7. Check Fire Safety & Furniture
Under the Furniture and Furnishings Regulations Act (1988), you must ensure that any upholstered furniture you provide is fire-resistant. Landlords can be fined and sent to prison if they don’t follow fire safety regulations.
These regulations cover furniture such as beds, sofa beds, mattresses, pillows and scatter cushions. The furniture should display a permanent label that shows that it is fire resistant and compliant with BS7177.
8. Legionella Risk Assessment
Under the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974, landlords have a responsibility to protect their tenant’s health and safety by controlling the risk of hazards such as legionella. This involves assessing hot and cold water systems to ensure the temperatures are adequate to prevent Legionella bacteria from developing.
Landlords can conduct the risk assessment themselves, by testing that water temperature for stored hot water is at least 60°C and the temperature running from taps is at least 50°C. Empty properties can be a high risk for Legionella, when water is not being regularly flushed. If you have a vacant property, you should visit the property to regularly flush toilets and run water for at least 2 minutes to prevent stagnant water.
Legionella risk assessments should be conducted before a new tenancy starts and at intervals of every two years or sooner for peace of mind that the water system is safe.
9. Assess Asbestos Risks (if necessary)
Older properties, generally those built prior to the year 2000 may have used materials containing asbestos, which can be a major health risk for occupants. Artex wall coatings, roof shingles and vinyl floor tiles may contain asbestos and if asbestos if found to be present, landlords must take actions to remove or manage the risk. For example, the material can be encapsulated to avoid contamination.
In HMOs, common areas shared by tenants may require a formal asbestos management plan to meet licensing requirements.
10. Check Your Landlord Insurance
A standard home insurance policy won’t cover you if you rent your property. Your mortgage provider will require you to have landlord buildings insurance. You should also take out contents insurance to cover any items you supply. Even if you are letting unfurnished, you would still need a small amount of cover for curtains, carpets and white goods.
You might also want to consider rent guarantee insurance to cover your rental income should your tenants fail to pay the rent. In addition, landlord home emergency cover provides assistance if your property’s heating system, plumbing or electrics fail.
11. Decide How Much Rent To Charge
It’s important to strike the right balance between making a reasonable profit from your investment property and setting a fair price that doesn’t put off potential renters.
Take a look online at the rental prices of similar properties in your area for a guide. You can also use an online rental calculator that will work out how much rent you should charge based on the property size, location and demand in the local market.
12. Prepare Your Property To Let
To attract higher quality tenants and reduce void periods make your property look as appealing as possible by decorating in neutral shades, replacing worn carpets and tackling DIY jobs such as mouldy sealant or dripping taps. Also, consider having the property cleaned professionally. If you are letting your property furnished, ensure all furnishings are in good condition and replaced or fixed if necessary.
As well as ensuring all minor repairs are conducted, it’s important to check for any other signs of deterioration that could cause issues later on. Check for any structural issues or signs of dampness and deal with any potential problems.
13. Market Your Property Well
It can be wise to use a trusted local letting agent to find tenants for you. They will know the local market and help ensure your property is let quickly for the best possible rent.
If you decide to go it alone, ensure you have professional photos taken of your property and that your advert is well-written.
14. Carry Out Right To Rent Checks
You must check that your tenants aged 18 or over can legally rent in England. If there is a time limit on their permission to stay, you must also conduct follow-up checks. If you use a letting agent, they will carry out these checks for you.
You need to feel confident that your tenants will pay the rent on time, treat your property with respect and be good neighbours. Landlords and letting agents do this by tenant referencing.
Ask for proof of income and look for tenants with a monthly income of at least three times the rent. Carry out a credit check through an organisation like Experian to ensure that your prospective tenant isn’t in debt and doesn’t have a poor credit history. If your tenant fails your reference checks, you could ask them to provide a guarantor.
Obtain references from previous landlords or, if your applicant hasn’t rented a home before, from their employer. Make sure you contact the referee to check that the information provided is correct.
Draw up a proper tenancy agreement that you and your tenants sign. There are templates available online, or if you hire a letting agency, they will do this for you.
17. Protect Your Tenant’s Deposit
You don’t have to take a security deposit at the beginning of the tenancy, but it is advisable. A security deposit will cover you if your tenants cause damage to your property. You must put your tenant’s deposit in a government-approved tenancy deposit protection (TDP) scheme. You can choose from one of the following tenant deposit protection schemes, and you must inform your tenants which scheme you are using.
The Deposit Protection Service
MyDeposits
The Tenancy Deposit Scheme
Security deposits are capped at five weeks’ rent where the annual rent is less than £50,000 and six weeks’ rent where the annual rent is £50,000 or more.
18. Conduct An Inventory
You should conduct a detailed inventory of what is in your property and the condition it is in. Then, ask your tenants to sign it to show that they agree. You can give them a few days to review it and request amendments.
If damage occurs during the tenancy, an inventory allows you to justify any deductions from the security deposit.
19. Be Prepared To Fulfil Your Repair And Maintenance Obligations
It’s important to keep on top of repair and maintenance within the property to keep your tenants happy and fulfil your legal obligations as a landlord. Regular inspections can be invaluable in creating positive communication with your tenants and allow you to address any issues immediately. It’s also essential to carry out routine servicing of installations within the property, for example the boiler and cooker.
Unexpected repairs and maintenance can be costly, so it is a good idea to budget for these costs. As a guide, many landlords budget an annual spend for maintenance as around 1% of the property’s value.
20. Give Tenants The ‘How To Rent Guide’
The government’s How to Rent Guide is for tenants and landlords in the private rented sector to help them understand their rights and responsibilities. Landlords must supply a copy of the guide to their tenants. If you fail to do so, you could find it difficult to take legal action against your tenant for failure to pay rent or breaking their tenancy agreement in other ways.
21. Register for Data Protection Compliance
Landlords who will be storing and processing tenant data (as opposed to outsourcing data-related activities to an agent) will need to register with the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) to comply with data protection regulations.
To do this, a payment of £52 must be made to the ICO for the registration fee. A privacy notice must also be provided to the tenants that explains how their data is collected, stored and used and the rationale for processing the data. The notice should be given to the tenant before the start of the tenancy.
There are several other data protection requirements to comply with:
Tenant data must only be kept for as long as it is legally required and after the required period, the data must be securely destroyed.
Any data breaches affecting tenant’s data must be reported to the ICO within 72 hours of identifying the issue. Failure to do so can lead to a significant fine.
The tenants’ GDPR rights must be observed, such as if they request access to their data or if they request a correction to data they believe to be inaccurate.
This will take a new turn with the introduction of the PRS database for landlords, who will have to provide their own data to the council for compliance purposes.
22. Keep Track Of Payments & Chase Overdue Rent
Ensure you keep a record of the rent payments and the date they were paid. This will back you up if you need to take legal action against a tenant. You must follow the correct procedure and issue the proper legal notice if your tenant does fall into rent arrears.
If you are managing multiple properties, it can become difficult to keep track of due rent days and missed payments. There are some really useful property management apps that can help to track payments and even manage tenant communications. These include The Landlord app, and DIY Landlord.
23. Learn About Paying Tax On Rental Income
You’ll need to pay income tax on the profit you make from your rental property and complete a self-assessment by 31st January each year.
The profit that is taxable is your rental income, less allowable expenses. Allowable expenses include utility and council tax bills, insurance, letting agent fees, service charges, accountant fees, maintenance (but not improvement) costs and the costs associated with finding new tenants.
Landlords may also be able to claim relief on capital allowances, for certain types of equipment purchases.
The interest payments on your mortgage are no longer an allowable expense.
From April 2026, landlords with a qualifying income exceeding £50,000 per annum (combined income of rental income and self-employment income) will be required to register for the Making Tax Digital (MTD) scheme and must submit tax returns using the approved software. The threshold for qualifying income is set to reduce over the next tax years, meaning more landlords will be required to use MTD for income tax.
If you are a non-resident landlord, you must comply with the NRLS (non resident landlord scheme) rules. These rules require tax to be paid to HMRC at the source, either from a letting agent or tenant, before the rent money is transferred abroad.
And Finally
At Kubie Gold, we understand the intricacies of property management in Central London. Our expert estate agent services cover areas including Marylebone, Regents Park, Camden, Fitzrovia, Mayfair, Primrose Hill, Baker Street, Maida Vale and St. John’s Wood. If you’re thinking of becoming a landlord, or need assistance with any aspect of property letting, contact us today to find out how we can help you achieve a seamless and profitable rental experience.
Share
Kevin Gold
Kubie Gold Associates are an independent local firm of estate agents specialising in the Rental, Sale and Property Management of Residential Property in the North-West and Central London market
