Quiz: Is Your Rental Property Protected Under the New Tenancy Laws? (2026 Edition)

The Renters' Rights Act has rewritten the rules for private landlords. Section 21 has been abolished. Periodic tenancies are now the default. Property standards are under tighter scrutiny, and the Decent Homes Standard now applies to the private rented sector. If you are a landlord in 2026, the question is simple: is your rental actually protected? This landlord compliance 2026 quiz gives you the answer in under two minutes — eight straight yes or no questions, a clear score at the end, and a practical next step based on where you land.

The 8-Question Compliance Check

Answer each with a straight yes or no. If you are not sure, count that as a no.

1. Do you hold a valid, in-date Gas Safety Certificate (CP12) for the property?

2. Do you have a valid Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) rated D or above?

3. Has your Electrical Installation Condition Report (EICR) been carried out in the last five years?

4. Is there a functioning smoke alarm on every storey, and a carbon monoxide alarm in every room with a fuel-burning appliance?

5. If the property is an HMO or in a Selective Licensing area, do you hold the correct licence — and is it not expiring in the next 90 days?

6. Has your tenant's deposit been protected in a government-approved scheme, with the prescribed information served?

7. Are you on a compliant written tenancy that reflects the new periodic-only default, with no reliance on Section 21?

8. Have you served the latest How to Rent guide and EPC on the tenant at the start of the tenancy?

How to Score Your Landlord Compliance 2026 Quiz

Count your yes answers.

7–8 yes — You are protected. Your compliance posture is in good shape under the new regime. The only thing left to check is whether your paperwork will hold up if a tenant ever disputes a Section 8 ground. A quick audit every six months keeps this where it is.

4–6 yes — Partially exposed. You have the bones in place, but one or two gaps leave you open to a possession claim being blocked, or to a Rent Repayment Order if a tenant challenges. This is the most common result — and it is fixable, but not by itself.

0–3 yes — You need to act now. With Section 21 gone, every missing certificate or unserved document narrows the grounds you can rely on when you need the property back. A Renters' Rights Act checklist this short means you are not landlord protected 2026 — you are carrying real legal and financial risk on a month-by-month basis.

The Quiet Problem Behind Every Score

Even landlords who score 8 out of 8 today will be back in the exposed column within 18 months if they do not actively manage it. Gas certificates expire annually. EPCs change category. Licensing schemes renew. The new regime punishes lapse, not intent. The biggest reason landlords fail this quiz in 2026 is not laziness — it is that the rules now move faster than a part-time landlord realistically can.

That is where a company let changes the equation. When AVS Consultation takes a property on a guaranteed rent agreement, compliance becomes our responsibility. Gas safety, EPC, EICR, licensing, deposit protection, prescribed information — all of it. You receive a fixed monthly rent regardless of void periods, tenant issues, or new legislation that lands in the next Budget. Whatever the next revision of the landlord protected 2026 standard looks like, you will not be the one scrambling to meet it.

We work with landlords across Greater London, the East Midlands (Nottingham), Essex, and Kent — including Barking, Ilford, Romford, Croydon, Chelmsford, Basildon, Thurrock, Maidstone, Canterbury, and Medway.

Ready to find out what your property could earn — or what placement needs we can meet? Book a free 15-minute consultation at www.avsconsultation.com/book-online.