UK private rentals
Landlord certificates UK landlords typically keep
A landlord certificate is the dated evidence that a rented home is safe to live in — electrics, gas, energy performance, alarms, and the extras that apply to HMOs. Councils, agents, lenders and buyers ask for the pack. ProofLet does not replace the engineer, and it does not give legal advice. It keeps the record, the dates, and a pack you can send when someone asks.
ProofLet is a landlord certificate tracker for private landlords in the UK: photograph EICR, Gas Safety (CP12) and EPC paperwork on the phone, read the dates on device, and see red / amber / green when you open the app. Free covers one property. Pro adds reminders and a proof pack. It sits beside whatever already runs the let. It is not legal advice, and a green status in the app is not a guarantee you are compliant.
Typical frequencies at a glance
Switch types off, or add your own, so the dashboard matches the house rather than a generic template.
| Certificate | Typical cycle | Who it is for |
|---|---|---|
| EICR | 5 years | Almost every private rental in England |
| Gas Safety (CP12) | 12 months | Any let with gas appliances |
| EPC | 10 years | To let; minimum rating currently E in England and Wales |
| Legionella | Review ~2 years | Recorded water-system assessment, not a statutory “certificate” |
| Smoke & CO | 12 months | Working alarms at the start of every tenancy |
| Fire Risk | Review yearly / on change | HMOs and buildings with common parts |
| HMO Licence | Typically 5 years | Licensable HMOs only |
| PAT | 12 months when used | HMOs, insurance, furnished lets — not every rental |
- EICR Every 5 years
- Gas Safety Every 12 months
- EPC Every 10 years
- Legionella Every 2 years
- Smoke & CO Every 12 months
- Fire Risk Every 12 months
- HMO Licence Typically 5 years
- PAT Every 12 months
EICR Every 5 years
Electrical Installation Condition Report. Required for all private rentals in England since 2021.
An EICR is the electrical condition report for the fixed wiring. Private landlords in England have been expected to have a valid one for rented homes since 2021, typically every five years or at the inspector’s shorter interval. ProofLet stores the inspection date, the expiry, the evidence photo, and whether you served it to the tenant — so you are not hunting through email when a licensing officer asks.
Gas Safety Every 12 months
Gas Safety Record (CP12). Must be issued by a Gas Safe registered engineer and given to tenants.
The Gas Safety Record is often called a CP12. It has to be issued by a Gas Safe registered engineer, usually every 12 months, and a copy given to the tenant. ProofLet treats that “served” date as part of the certificate, not a note you might forget, and can remind you before the next visit is due.
EPC Every 10 years
Energy Performance Certificate. Minimum rating E to let; rules are tightening.
An Energy Performance Certificate lasts up to ten years. To let in England and Wales the rating generally has to meet the minimum (currently E, with tighter rules on the way). ProofLet is not an EPC generator — it keeps the rating document you already have, with the expiry in the same place as the rest of the pack.
Legionella Every 2 years
Legionella Risk Assessment. A recorded assessment is expected under HSE guidance.
There is no separate “legionella certificate” in the same way as gas or electrics. HSE expects a recorded risk assessment for water systems in rented homes, reviewed when something changes or on a sensible cycle. Two years on the ProofLet checklist is a prompt, not a statute — use it so the assessment does not vanish into a drawer.
Smoke & CO Every 12 months
Smoke and Carbon Monoxide Alarm Check. Alarms must be working at the start of every tenancy.
Working smoke alarms on every storey and carbon monoxide alarms where solid fuel or gas appliances require them are a start-of-tenancy check in England. ProofLet tracks the annual check so it sits next to EICR and gas, not only in your head at move-in.
Fire Risk Every 12 months
Fire Risk Assessment. Expected for HMOs; review when the building or occupancy changes.
A fire risk assessment is expected for HMOs and for buildings where the common parts need one. Review it when occupancy or the building changes, not only on a calendar. ProofLet includes it on the HMO-oriented checklist so it is not the item that only appears after a visit.
HMO Licence Typically 5 years
HMO Licence. Licensable HMOs need a valid licence from the local authority.
Licensable HMOs need a licence from the local authority, typically lasting five years. ProofLet stores the licence as a dated record beside the safety certificates, so renewal is on the same dashboard as the EICR — not a separate reminder in a council email.
PAT Every 12 months
Portable Appliance Test. Common for HMOs and insurance; not a universal private-rental duty.
Portable appliance testing is common for HMOs, insurance and furnished lets. It is not a universal duty for every private rental. Keep it on the checklist when it applies; hide it when it does not. ProofLet will not pretend PAT is mandatory if you switch it off.
Who this tracker is for
Private landlords who do the certificates themselves, or who get them from an electrician and a gas engineer and then need somewhere to keep them. That includes accidental landlords with one flat, small portfolios run from a laptop on the kitchen table, and people who have just been asked for “the pack” by an agent, a council licensing team, a solicitor, or a buyer.
If you already collect rent, log repairs, message tenants or do the accounts in another app, keep it. ProofLet sits beside that stack as a companion: the dated evidence that the house was safe, in a form you can hand over.
England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland
The built-in checklist is written against the duties most commonly applied to private rentals in England — EICR since 2021, annual gas safety where there is gas, EPC to let, smoke and carbon monoxide at the start of a tenancy. Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland use the same kinds of documents, but the legal hook, the interval, and sometimes the name are different. You set the dates. ProofLet will not pretend a five-year EICR is the rule in every nation.
If a type does not apply to that house, hide it. If your insurer or local scheme wants something extra — a portable appliance test, a licence, a fire risk assessment — leave it on, or add a custom type. The dashboard should match the property, not a generic UK template.
What ProofLet is for — and what it is not
Photograph the certificate on the phone. Pro can read the dates on device; nothing is sent away to process the scan. Free keeps one property, the checklist, and one evidence photo per certificate on the device. Pro adds reminders at 90, 60, 30, 14, 7 and 0 days, cloud backup, a unique inbox if a contractor emails you a PDF, and a proof pack you can share.
A proof pack is a PDF for one property: issuer, reference, issue and expiry, the photos, and whether it was served to the tenant. Landlords use it when an agent asks before marketing, when a licensing officer visits, when a solicitor requests the file on sale, or when a tenant wants copies. Free shows a preview. Pro lets you export and share.
It does not collect rent, manage repairs, file tax, or give legal advice. The checklist and the typical frequencies on this page are prompts, not a legal opinion, and they do not guarantee you are compliant. It turns the certificates you already have into evidence you can find in seconds. For billing see pricing. For how we handle data, see the privacy policy.
Get the app from the homepage — on the App Store and Google Play. Pro with cloud backup also opens at portal.prooflet.co.uk.
