Hi
I’ve got long term tenants who I do a check in on the house every 6 months . The new renters law that is coming in says you have to evidence everything . Does anyone have a checklist or similar they use when doing these checks ?
It does? News to me. Can you provide us with a link that verifies this?
I think @Clare39 probably means that eg to use s8 grounds such as 13 (tenant allows property to deteriorate) because this is discretionary and LL has to convince a judge, you likely need to provide evidence. Compared with s21.
According to Guildofletting com
“Under Section 8, a landlord seeking possession of an assured periodic tenancy means relying on one or more statutory grounds.The notice must specifiy the grounds, the facts relied upon, along with the correct period of notice. And because the Section 8 is evidence based, keeping accurate and up to date records – pre-tenancy and during the tenancy – is paramount. Without strong, detailed and clear evidence, it will be difficult for the court to ascertain whether or not to grant possession.”
@Clare39 nrla have a page on this for members.
The ‘independent landlord’ has a free checklist (
‘Free landlord mid-tenancy property inspection checklist’)
A good starting point is the previous inventory and any specific items in the tenancy agreement (eg keeping communal hallways clear). And (sorry if stupidly obvious) inspections are a chance to catch up with tenants and ask them any changes in their circumstances or issues in the property- they will know about the noisy neighbours, leaky tap or whatever, which you’ll probably not find yourself…
Sorry if all v obvious
Best
This is the one I used:
Property Inspection Checklist
Property…
General condition & cleanliness
Check TV/media/telephone installations
Evidence of pets or long term visitors
Any missing furniture
Holes in walls or blu-tack
Mould/condensation, moisture readings, meter readings
Damp patches on walls or ceiling
Smoke alarm/CO alarm working
Any fire risks
Any broken electrical sockets
Gas and elec supply not tampered with
Gas/boiler/heating working correctly
Property can be cooled in Summer
Taps working ok, no leaks under sink, bath, basin, around washing machine
Sinks and bath draining
No pest infestations
Extractor fans in bathroom and above cooker ok, not clogged
Any broken appliances, (esp glass hob) Also check plugs
Any stains on any fabrics
Any marks or scratches on furniture, floor, doors, walls, counter top
State of floor coverings, no trip hazards
Windows open freely, no broken window panes
Freezer not iced up
Locks not broken, no security issues
Lights all working - no unlit areas creating a hazard
Blinds working
Water tank lids sealed, shower head ok, no concerns re: legionella
Unauthorised decoration or alterations
Evidence of smoking
Evidence of illegal activity - cannabis farm, brothel…
Evidence of neighbour nuisance
Loft
Outside door, drains, windows, walls, gutters, roof, chimneys, fences
Stairwell, hallways
Front path, steps
Date of inspection…
Signed… (Landlord) Signed… (Tenant)
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the only time I’ve had to evidence checks is for insurers who require quarterly inspections. To do this, after the inspection I send an email to the T thanking them for letting me attend. The email details any issues outstanding e.g. gutters need cleaning, clothes drying on rads, etc. as well as that all alarms were checked and were working and boiler pressure was fine. These emails can then be produced as evidence that a) inspections were done and b) any issues were documented.
Particularly as these are long-term tenants I’m sure you know them and any issues well. Unless there’s an issue that is likely to lead to a major problem e.g. development of mold, then I’m not sure much else needs documenting. I long ago gave up on check lists because as all my Ts are long-term, nothing on the check list was ever an issue.
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Hi
Thank you that’s very helpful and I will design a checklist based on what you listed which was very thorough .
I had a free advice sheet from Allen and Harris and just put an incorrect phone number so they don’t pester me .
I just feel with these new laws it is important to over evidence to prevent problems in the future .
Thank you again .
David’s checklist is absolute gold - I’m definitely saving that for my own property inspections! Pairing a comprehensive list like that with tatemono’s tip about sending a follow-up summary email to the tenant is the ultimate CYA strategy. With all the new regulations coming into play, you really can never have too much of a paper trail, especially when it comes to keeping your insurers happy. Even if you completely trust your long-term tenants, having documented proof of working smoke alarms and zero dampness is just smart landlording.
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It will be even more important to inspect regularly and document/feedback the results after the RRA goes live. Council inspectors that find a category 1 hazard such as mold, trip hazards, fire risks, broken boilers etc can issue on the spot fines.
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But what happens if TT don’t report issues, which many TT don’t? We never ever had black mould in any of our properties. But this T didn’t report boiler slowly leaking, and during the visit we found black mould and the floor boards were soaked. I suspect it was going on for a couple of months. Is it a fine-on-the-spot example?
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A regular and thorough inspection regime is in part about protecting your property, but its also about protecting yourself.
A written process for the tenant to report faults, contractually agreed and a quarterly inspection regime with detailed write-ups reported back to the tenant for approval should cover you in case of any cat 1 hazards found in between. A Council Officer may still try it on, but once you reveal your super-power, they would be unlikely to take it further.
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@David122 but in these circumstances outlined by @Tim_Ira why would a council inspectors ever find a cat 1 hazard and wish to fine a LL?
Don’t they have to have some sort of actual evidence of fault to issue a fine? Just like they need to, to prosecute or fine at the moment? So wouldn’t they need evidence the tenant actually reported a concern to the LL or that the LL was negligent in some way (by failing to address the hazard).
And they aren’t ‘on the spot’ they are civil penalties
“The standard of proof
Local authorities are exercising a quasi-judicial function when imposing a civil penalty. Before doing so, they must be satisfied by credible, reliable and sufficient documentary or other evidence to the appropriate standard of proof that the person has breached the relevant statutory requirement or committed the relevant offence.”
See “Civil penalties under the Renters’ Rights Act 2025 and other housing legislation” 13 Nov 2025
But keeping great inspection records using your list is a great way to protect yourself and show that an issue is not longstanding- thanks a lot for sharing it
Best
I failed to mention earlier is that the immediate or “on the spot” fines only come in as part of the DHS/Awaabs law, which is some way off and not yet finalised for the PRS. My apologies for my earlier misleading post. However, in relation to your other points:
Tenants can and do initiate requests for a Council inspection if they have an issue with the landlord or sometimes vexatiously. However, more and more Councils are opting to license their whole private rented housing stock and this brings with it inspections not initiated by the tenant. In addition, the landlord database will flag any delays in renewing required certificates and could trigger another inspection.
There are several property faults at present, such as those that are structurally related, where the landlord has strict and immediate liability for repair and there is no requirement for the tenant to report them. This is through a combination of The Defective Premises Act 1972, Section 11 of the Landlord and Tenant Act 1985 and more recently the Building Safety Act 2022. Awaabs Law and the Decent Homes Standard (DHS) seeks to extend these such that category 1 HHSRS hazards would not require the tenant to report them for the landlord to be liable.
This quote from the Government’s Decent Homes Standard Policy Statement, which I accept uses the term immediate rather than on the spot
For serious failures, such as category 1 hazards, local authorities will also have a new power to issue immediate civil penalties of up to £7,000 if the landlord has failed to take reasonably practicable steps to address the issue.
If a Council Officer witnessed an HHSRS cat 1 hazard for which there is immediate liability, this would be evidence enough and the landlords only mitigation would be that they acted reasonably ala my last post.
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And acting reasonably means regular inspections and requirements in the tenancy agreement for the tenant to report issues to the LL speedily and emphasizing that requirement when the tenant moves in.
I use a welcome letter at the start of tenancies which includes the following reminder
“I know that most tenants report any repairs that are required as soon as they notice them. If you spot a repair that is needed then it is important you contact me as soon as possible to let me know. Please contact me on tel_or email if you need to let me know.”
Cat1 is the most serious and immediate risks to a person’s health and safety. These hazards are deemed to be so severe that local authorities have a legal duty to take action, such as enforcing improvements on a landlord. Tenants not reporting these themselves to the LL will be in clear breach of tenancy clauses to report issues, so if they are reporting to Council vexatious or otherwise, something else is already likely to be going on (like rent arrears) and as a LL you’d be on alert and making sure you were taking care of a place properly. Ditto if you are in a licensed area you will know and take care.
Council officers are not randomly inspecting all the PRS to find LLs who accidentally have a hazard in their properties that is recent and which they are therefore unaware of. If you inspect, and behave reasonably and responsibly you shouldn’t have a problem.
Best
Best
Yes, inspecting regularly and requiring the tenant to report problems is part of the mitigation, but it won’t get the landlord off the hook for everything. Tenants often have little experience of property maintenance and may fail to investigate or understand the cause of a hazard or its consequences. Even my best tenants were pretty clueless and once cost me a lot of money by failing to report a drip behind the sink. Courts would be very unlikely to allow landlords to rely on that contract clause if they see the tenants lack of expertise. The legal system’s basic assumption is that most faults can be picked up through quarterly inspections before they become serious and if a hazard is found and the landlord has let the inspection regime slip to 6 monthly or longer, the Council will rarely blame the tenant.
The forums have many stories of landlords that had a good relationship with their tenant but suddenly found themselves reported to the Council. Landlords who assume that everything is OK when they dont hear anything are going to get caught out and their only defence will be a professional inspection regime.
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