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Landlord liabilities

Using an agent doesn’t move the liability. Self-managing doesn’t either.

Whether you use a letting agent or manage the properties yourself, most legal responsibilities stay with you as the landlord. Here is what private landlords and SPVs in England are responsible for, where self-managing landlords most often fall short, and how iPO Hub helps.

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Three questions worth asking yourself

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  1. Do you know where every tenant’s ID and reference documents are stored, and when they will be deleted?

  2. Could you show a tribunal exactly how and when you served your last rent increase?

  3. If a council asked tomorrow, could you produce your gas, electrical and EPC records for every property in minutes?

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Tenant personal data (UK GDPR)

What the law expects

  • As a landlord you decide why and how tenants’ personal data is used, which makes you responsible for it under UK GDPR.
  • Collect only what you need, keep it secure, and keep it no longer than necessary.
  • Tenants can ask for a copy of the data you hold about them, and you must respond within a month.
  • Most landlords who hold tenants’ personal data need to pay the ICO data protection fee; the ICO has a short self-assessment.

Where landlords often fall short

Passport scans, payslips and references sitting in email, phones and shared folders, with no plan for when they are deleted.

How iPO Hub helps: Tenant data & GDPR →

Right to Rent checks

What the law expects

  • Before a tenancy starts, check that every adult who will live in the property has the right to rent in England.
  • Keep a record of each check for the length of the tenancy and for one year after it ends.
  • Some tenants need follow-up checks when their permission to stay is time-limited.

Where landlords often fall short

Copies kept indefinitely (or lost), and no reminder when a follow-up check is due.

How iPO Hub helps: Tenant data & GDPR →

Rent increases (Section 13 and the Renters’ Rights Act)

What the law expects

  • Under the Renters’ Rights Act, rent for assured periodic tenancies can only be increased through the Section 13 process.
  • Increases are limited to once a year, with at least two months’ notice on the prescribed form.
  • Tenants can challenge an increase at the First-tier Tribunal.

Where landlords often fall short

Increases agreed informally by message, with no record of the notice served or the evidence behind the new rent.

How iPO Hub helps: Rent reviews & Renters’ Rights →

Repairs, damp and mould (Awaab’s Law)

What the law expects

  • Landlords must keep the structure, exterior and installations (heating, water, gas and electrics) in repair.
  • Awaab’s Law sets strict deadlines to investigate and fix hazards such as damp and mould. It applies to social housing now and is being extended to private renting under the Renters’ Rights Act.

Where landlords often fall short

Repair reports scattered across texts and calls, with no record of when a hazard was reported or acted on.

How iPO Hub helps: Repairs & Awaab’s Law →

Property licensing

What the law expects

  • Large HMOs (five or more people forming two or more households) need a mandatory licence.
  • Councils can also run additional HMO licensing and selective licensing schemes covering particular areas.
  • Letting without a required licence can lead to penalties and rent repayment orders.

Where landlords often fall short

Not knowing a council scheme covers the street, or a licence lapsing unnoticed.

How iPO Hub helps: Safety certificates & licensing →

Gas, electrical and energy certificates

What the law expects

  • Gas safety check every 12 months by a Gas Safe registered engineer, with a copy given to tenants.
  • Electrical installation inspection (EICR) at least every five years, with a copy given to tenants.
  • A valid EPC rated E or above to let a property; a C minimum has been proposed for the future.
  • Working smoke alarms on every storey and carbon monoxide alarms where required.

Where landlords often fall short

Renewal dates kept in someone’s head or a spreadsheet, and certificates not given to tenants.

How iPO Hub helps: Safety certificates & licensing →

Tenancy deposits

What the law expects

  • Protect the deposit in a government-approved scheme within 30 days of receiving it.
  • Give the tenant the prescribed information about the protection within the same period.

Where landlords often fall short

Deposit protected late or prescribed information never served, which can limit possession and lead to penalties.

How iPO Hub helps: Safety certificates & licensing →

Keeping a record you can rely on

What the law expects

  • If a council, the ICO or a tribunal asks, you need to show what you did and when: notices served, certificates given, repairs handled, data deleted.

Where landlords often fall short

Evidence spread across inboxes and folders, rebuilt from memory when it is finally needed.

How iPO Hub helps: Audit trail & security →

This guide is general information for private landlords in England, not legal advice. Rules differ in Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, and some changes under the Renters’ Rights Act are being introduced in stages. Check GOV.UK, the ICO and your council, or take professional advice, for your circumstances.