If you are a landlord with a rental property in Purley or the wider CR8 area, 2025 and 2026 are not years to leave compliance on the back burner. The legislative landscape for private landlords in England has shifted more dramatically in the past twelve months than at any point in the last three decades. The Renters' Rights Act received Royal Assent in October 2025 and its first phase comes into force on 1 May 2026, introducing the most fundamental changes to private renting in over 30 years. Haboodle On top of that, enforcement powers for local councils have been strengthened, financial penalties have increased, and energy efficiency standards are on a confirmed upward trajectory toward 2030.
This guide cuts through the complexity. Whether you self-manage your Purley property or work with a letting agent, this is a practical, property-by-property checklist of everything you need to have in place right now and in the months ahead. We have also included the key deadlines and penalty figures so you know exactly what is at stake.
1. Gas Safety Certificate: Annual, Non-Negotiable
The Gas Safety Certificate formally the CP12 is the most time-critical document in your compliance file. Every rental property with gas appliances needs an annual gas safety check by a Gas Safe registered engineer. Haboodle The certificate must be renewed every twelve months without exception, and a copy must be provided to your tenant before they move in or within 28 days of the annual check being completed.
This is the compliance document that most landlords are already across, but the one that catches people out when they lose track of renewal dates especially if a property has had a long-term tenant and the annual rhythm has quietly slipped. A failure to comply carries a fine of £6,000 per breach. Haboodle If you manage more than one property in Purley, track each certificate expiry date in a single document or use your letting agent's management system to set renewal reminders at least six weeks before the due date.
2. Electrical Installation Condition Report (EICR): Every Five Years
Landlords must ensure the electrical installation in their rental property is inspected and tested by a qualified person at least every five years, keep the report, give it to tenants, and arrange any required remedial work within the required timeframe. For landlords in South London, 2026 is a particularly important year for EICRs. With the regulations having been fully implemented for existing tenancies since April 2021, many landlords will find their initial EICRs are approaching the end of their five-year validity period in 2025 and 2026. Haboodle If your existing EICR was obtained around the time of the first wave of regulation, it may already be due for renewal or approaching expiry.
The process requires a qualified and competent electrician or inspector. A copy of the EICR must be provided to each existing tenant within 28 days of the inspection, to a new tenant before they occupy the property, and to any prospective tenant within 28 days if they request it in writing. If the report is unsatisfactory, the landlord must undertake remedial work or further investigation. Haboodle Specifically, if C1 or C2 codes are found in the report, the property fails until remedial work is completed, and landlords must arrange repairs within 28 days. Haboodle The financial stakes here are serious: in 2025 the maximum financial penalty for breaches was increased from £30,000 to £40,000, and that higher cap is now part of the enforcement framework going into 2026.
3. Energy Performance Certificate (EPC): The Rating That Is About to Matter More
Every rental property must have a valid EPC and the minimum standard is in the process of being raised. As of 2025, the key rule for most private rented homes in England and Wales is that you must not let or continue to let a property on a domestic tenancy if the EPC rating is below band E, unless a valid exemption is registered. This is the current legal floor.
However, landlords need to be planning ahead. The government confirmed in January 2026 that the minimum EPC rating for private rented properties in England and Wales will rise to band C, with a £10,000 cost cap per property and expenditure from 1 October 2025 already counts toward that cap. The deadline for the band C requirement is 2030, but that is closer than it sounds when you factor in contractor availability, planning considerations for listed or conservation area properties, and the time needed to obtain quotes and commission work. An estimated 2.5 to 2.9 million properties need upgrading, so contractor demand will increase as 2030 approaches.
For Purley landlords, this is particularly relevant. The borough of Croydon contains a significant stock of inter-war semi-detached and detached houses, many of which currently sit at D or E on the EPC scale. Cavity wall insulation, loft insulation, and upgrading to a modern condensing boiler are typically the most cost-effective ways to move from D to C. If your property sits at E or below, the time to commission an improvement survey is now not 2029.
4. Tenancy Deposit Protection: Within 30 Days, Every Time
If you take a deposit from tenants, it must be placed in a government-approved tenancy deposit scheme within 30 days of receipt. Haboodle The three approved schemes in England are the Deposit Protection Service (DPS), the Tenancy Deposit Scheme (TDS), and MyDeposits. You must also serve the prescribed deposit protection information including the scheme's leaflet and the deposit certificate on your tenant within the same 30-day window.
Failing to do this correctly has two consequences. First, a landlord who fails to protect a deposit correctly faces compensation of one to three times the deposit amount Haboodle payable to the tenant. Second, and critically, a deposit protection failure has historically prevented a landlord from serving a valid Section 21 notice. With Section 21 being abolished on 1 May 2026, this historical consequence will change but the financial penalty for non-compliance remains, and it is a straightforward obligation to meet. There is simply no acceptable reason to leave a deposit unprotected.
5. Right to Rent Checks: Before the Tenancy Starts
Right to Rent checks must be completed and records retained for all adult occupants. Haboodle Before any new tenancy begins, you are legally required to verify that every adult who will be living at the property has the legal right to rent in England. This means checking original identity documents such as a passport or biometric residence permit and retaining copies. Failure to comply carries a civil penalty of up to £20,000 per tenant Haboodle, and in serious cases can result in criminal prosecution.
For landlords using a letting agent for tenant-find services, it is worth confirming explicitly in writing that Right to Rent checks are being carried out by the agent and that the records will be passed to you. Even where an agent conducts the check, ultimate legal responsibility rests with the landlord.
6. Smoke Alarms and Carbon Monoxide Alarms: A Practical Requirement
A working smoke alarm is required on every floor used as living accommodation, and a carbon monoxide alarm in every room where a fixed combustion appliance is present, excluding gas cookers. All alarms must be tested on the first day of a new tenancy. Haboodle This is a minimum legal standard, not a best-practice recommendation. If alarms are battery-operated, the batteries should be replaced between tenancies. Many landlords now opt for hard-wired or long-life sealed battery alarms to reduce the maintenance burden and provide a clear documentary trail.
7. The Renters' Rights Act 2025: What Every Purley Landlord Must Do Before 1 May 2026
This is the headline change that every landlord in England needs to have fully understood before the end of April 2026. From 1 May 2026, Section 21 no-fault evictions are abolished. Landlords will no longer be able to use Section 21 notices to evict their tenants. Wheree Every existing Assured Shorthold Tenancy will automatically convert to a new Assured Periodic Tenancy on that date a rolling, open-ended contract under which tenants can stay for as long as they wish unless a landlord can prove a statutory ground under Section 8.
There are three immediate practical actions for Purley landlords before this date arrives.
First, if you have any intention of regaining possession of a property in the near term for example, to sell it or for a family member to move in the last day to serve a valid Section 21 notice is 30 April 2026. After that, Section 21 is gone permanently.
Second, landlords with existing tenancies will need to provide tenants with a copy of the government-published Information Sheet on or before 31 May 2026, informing tenants about the changes made by the Act. Wheree This document will be published on GOV.UK watch for it in late March 2026.
Third, familiarise yourself with the new Section 8 grounds for possession. All possession claims must now cite a valid ground, including tenant rent arrears, anti-social behaviour, the landlord's intention to sell the property, or the landlord or a close family member wishing to move in. KFH Rent can also only be increased once per year going forward, using the Section 13 process with a minimum of two months' notice contractual rent review clauses will be unenforceable from May 2026. KFH
8. The PRS Database and Landlord Ombudsman: Prepare Now for Late 2026
Two further requirements are incoming later in 2026 that Purley landlords should be planning for now, even though they are not yet live. The government will commence rollout of the Private Rented Sector Database from late 2026. Signing up will be mandatory for all PRS landlords, with an annual fee to be confirmed closer to launch. Tracxn Critically, non-registration is expected to restrict access to key possession grounds Crunchbase meaning a landlord who fails to register may find themselves unable to pursue an eviction even where they have a valid legal reason to do so.
A new PRS Landlord Ombudsman will handle disputes between tenants and landlords without the need for court proceedings, with civil penalties of up to £7,000 for initial breaches and up to £40,000 for continuing or repeated breaches. AllAgents The Ombudsman is expected to become mandatory for all landlords by 2028. As both will be compulsory, landlords should ensure that information and documentation regarding their properties is securely, centrally stored and kept updated Property Industry Eye because you will need all of it to hand when registration opens.
Staying Compliant in Purley: The Practical Summary
The sheer volume of compliance obligations facing landlords in 2025 and 2026 is significant, and the consequences of getting it wrong financially and legally are more serious than at any previous point. The checklist below captures the key items every Purley landlord should be able to tick off today:
A valid Gas Safety Certificate renewed within the past 12 months. A valid EICR dated within the past 5 years with any remedial work completed. A current EPC at band E or above, with a plan in place to reach band C by 2030. Tenant deposit protected within 30 days and prescribed information served. Right to Rent checks completed and copies retained for all adult occupants. The current version of the How to Rent guide provided to tenants. Working smoke alarms on every floor and carbon monoxide alarms where required. A written tenancy agreement signed by all parties. The government Information Sheet issued to existing tenants by 31 May 2026. PRS Database registration prepared ahead of the late 2026 rollout.
Managing all of this alongside day-to-day property management is genuinely demanding particularly if you own more than one property. As specialist estate agents in Purley offering full lettings management, Haboodle tracks renewal dates, serves compliance documents, liaises with contractors, and keeps your file audit-ready at all times. If you would like to talk through how we can take compliance off your plate entirely, get in touch with the team today.
Letting a property in Purley or the wider area? Haboodle offers full lettings management, tenant-find services, and compliance support for landlords across CR8. Contact us for a no-obligation conversation.
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