Letting a property in South London in 2026 means meeting a longer compliance list than five years ago. Some of the rules are national, some are council-by-council, and the enforcement budget has gone up in Bromley, Croydon and Lewisham in the last 18 months.

Below is the full checklist, with what each item costs, how often it is needed, and where the South London councils diverge from the standard rules.

1. Gas Safety Certificate (CP12)

Annual check by a Gas Safe registered engineer of every gas appliance and the pipework. Cost in 2026 across SE and BR postcodes is £80 to £120 for a typical property with a boiler and a hob.

Renew every 12 months
Copy to existing tenant within 28 days
Copy to new tenant before they move in
Keep records for at least 2 years

Penalty: unlimited fine, plus prosecution under the Gas Safety (Installation and Use) Regulations 1998 if a tenant is harmed.

2. Electrical Installation Condition Report (EICR)

Required since June 2020 for all rentals. A full inspection of fixed wiring by a qualified electrician.

Cost in South London 2026: £150 to £350 depending on size
Renew every 5 years, or at change of tenancy if sooner
Any C1, C2 or FI defects must be remedied within 28 days
Copy to tenant within 28 days, copy to council within 7 days if requested

Penalty: up to £30,000 per breach. Bromley Council has been actively fining since 2023.

3. Energy Performance Certificate (EPC)

Currently required at band E or above. The big change coming: new tenancies must hit band C from 2028, and all tenancies (including existing) by 2030. If you are letting a property at D or E now, plan the work this year, not in 2027 when every electrician and insulation contractor is booked solid.

Cost: £55 to £100
Lasts 10 years
Display the rating in the listing when advertising

Typical upgrades to get from D to C: loft insulation top-up (£300 to £600), LED lighting throughout (£150 to £400), modern A-rated boiler (£2,500 to £3,500), draught proofing and double glazing top-ups (£500 to £2,000).

4. Smoke and carbon monoxide alarms

Since October 2022, the rules expanded:

Smoke alarm on every floor with a habitable room
Carbon monoxide alarm in every room with a fixed combustion appliance (boiler, gas hob, gas fire, wood burner). Note: this includes gas hobs since 2022, which is the change that catches landlords out.
All alarms must be tested at the start of every new tenancy
Repairs and replacements within reasonable time of being notified

Cost to fit a new mains-wired interlinked system: £200 to £450. Battery alarms are still legal but interlinked is the safer pick and what most letting agents now require.

5. Right to Rent

You must check every adult occupier has the legal right to be in the UK before tenancy starts. Online checks via the gov.uk service for most, in-person document checks for some.

Keep a copy of the check for the duration of the tenancy plus 1 year
Re-check if they have time-limited leave

Penalty: civil fines up to £20,000 per illegal occupier, criminal prosecution for repeat offences.

6. Tenant Fees Act 2019

You can only charge:

Rent
A refundable tenancy deposit, capped at 5 weeks rent (or 6 weeks if rent over £50,000 a year)
A refundable holding deposit, capped at 1 week rent
Default fees for late rent or replacing keys, with strict limits

Anything else (admin fees, inventory fees, reference fees) is illegal. Penalty £5,000 first offence, up to £30,000 and a banning order for repeat.

7. Deposit protection

The deposit must be protected in one of the three government schemes within 30 days of receipt:

Deposit Protection Service (DPS)
MyDeposits
Tenancy Deposit Scheme (TDS)

You must give the tenant the prescribed information within those 30 days too. Failing this means you cannot serve a Section 21 notice, and the tenant can claim 1 to 3 times the deposit value.

8. Selective and HMO licensing

This is where South London councils diverge.

**Bromley.** No borough-wide selective licensing as of 2026. Mandatory HMO licensing applies for properties with 5+ unrelated occupiers forming 2+ households. Additional HMO licensing covers smaller HMOs in some wards. Always check the council's HMO map before letting a shared house.

**Croydon.** Selective licensing came into force across all 28 wards from October 2023, renewed for 5 years. Every privately rented property in the borough needs a licence, costing £950 to £1,100 for 5 years per property. Additional and mandatory HMO licensing on top for shared houses. Croydon enforcement has been the most active in South London.

**Lewisham.** Selective licensing in designated wards (currently includes Brockley, Catford, parts of Deptford). Additional HMO licensing borough-wide for properties with 3+ unrelated occupiers. Fees in the £700 to £1,000 range per 5-year licence.

**Lambeth and Southwark.** Both run additional HMO schemes and selective licensing in some wards. Always check current scheme boundaries on the council website before letting, the borders move.

Operating without a required licence is a criminal offence with fines up to £30,000 or unlimited if prosecuted, plus rent repayment orders of up to 12 months' rent paid back to the tenant.

9. Legionella risk assessment

Often forgotten. A short written assessment of the water system showing legionella risk has been considered, with any actions noted. You can do this yourself for a typical residential property and review it every 2 years or at material changes.

Cost: free if you do it yourself, £75 to £150 if outsourced.

10. How I'd Rent guide

Government booklet that must be given to every new tenant in England at the start of the tenancy. Free PDF on gov.uk. Failing to provide it blocks Section 21 notices.

What I would prioritise this year

If you only do three things in 2026:

1. Sort the EPC if your property is D or E. The 2028 deadline is closer than it looks and contractor availability will tighten.

2. Check your EICR is in date. If it is from 2020, it expires this year.

3. Update your CO alarms to cover gas hobs if you have not already, this is the most common compliance gap from the 2022 change.

How we help

We work with around 60 South London landlords on rolling compliance. Our Bromley electricians handle EICRs, consumer unit upgrades, and remedial work. Our Bromley plumbers handle gas safety checks, boiler servicing, and leaks. The full landlord package is on the property management page, and the underlying trades are on the electrical and plumbing services pages.

We can run a single property through all the certificates in two visits if everything passes, three if remedial work is needed. The paperwork is sent over by email the same day so you can forward it to the tenant or the council without chasing.

Compliance is unglamorous but it is the difference between a £100 annual cost and a £30,000 fine. Stay ahead of it.

Landlord Compliance Checklist 2026: South London Edition