Certificate records · updated 19 October 2026

Landlord certificate expiry planner: dates worth recording

Record the date shown on the source document, the property it covers, any shorter interval stated by the competent person and the next action. A calendar reminder is useful only when it matches the document and the rules applying to that property.

Gas safety: usually an annual cycle

For relevant gas appliances and flues, GOV.UK states that a registered engineer must carry out a safety check every year. Keep the certificate, check date, property and appliances together. Schedule the next action from the actual certificate and the permitted renewal rules rather than typing ‘one year’ without checking.

Electrical inspection: read the report

For covered private tenancies in England, government guidance describes electrical checks at least every five years. The report may require the next inspection sooner and may identify remedial work with separate deadlines. Record the report date, stated next-inspection date and completion evidence for any work.

EPC: confirm validity and relevance

An EPC commonly remains valid for ten years, but validity alone does not answer every letting or energy-efficiency question. Confirm that it belongs to the exact property, check the register or source certificate, and review the current minimum-standard and exemption rules that apply before marketing or letting.

Smoke and carbon-monoxide alarms

For England, the regulations require the prescribed alarms and a working-order check on the day a new tenancy begins. They also require repair or replacement as soon as reasonably practicable after a reported fault is confirmed. Treat installation, tenancy-start checks and fault follow-up as dated events rather than one certificate expiry.

Licences and property-specific evidence

HMO or selective licences, fire-risk work, specialist systems and insurer requirements may introduce other dates. Record the issuing authority or competent person, reference, conditions and official renewal date instead of assuming a national interval.

Use reminders as prompts, not proof

A reminder should take you back to the source record. When work is renewed, attach or file the replacement evidence, verify its dates and keep the older record only for the appropriate retention period.