How the score works
The score mirrors the compliance score in Abide.Rent. Every item that applies to the property is worth the same. An item in date scores full points. One that is due or expiring within 30 days scores half: it is fine today but needs action. One that is missing or expired scores nothing. Items that do not apply are left out, so a property with no gas is not penalised for having no gas record.
The bands are 90 or more good, 60 to 89 needs attention, and under 60 at risk. A score is a summary, not a defence: one missing gas record is a criminal offence whatever the rest looks like.
| Item | What is required |
|---|---|
| Gas Safety record | A Gas Safe registered engineer checks every gas appliance and flue at least every 12 months. |
| Electrical safety report (EICR) | A qualified electrician inspects the installation at least every 5 years, or sooner if the report says so. |
| Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) | A valid EPC (10 years) rated E or above, given to the tenant before the tenancy. |
| Deposit protected | The deposit is protected in a government-backed scheme within 30 days of receiving it. |
| Prescribed information given | The tenant gets the deposit scheme’s prescribed information within 30 days of the deposit being received. |
| Right to Rent checks | Every adult occupier’s right to rent is checked before the tenancy starts, with follow-up checks for time-limited permission. |
| Written statement of terms / How to Rent guide | Tenancies from 1 May 2026: a written statement of terms before the tenancy starts. Earlier tenancies: the How to Rent guide that applied when the tenancy began. |
| Smoke and carbon monoxide alarms | A smoke alarm on every storey used as living accommodation, a carbon monoxide alarm in any room with a fixed combustion appliance (not gas cookers), tested on the first day of each tenancy. |
| PRS Database registration | Once the property’s regional window opens, the landlord and the property must be registered before the regional deadline. |
| Property licence | A mandatory HMO, additional or selective licence where the council requires one. |
A worked example
A two-bedroom flat with a gas boiler, let on a tenancy that started in June 2026. The region’s PRS Database window has not opened, and the council does not require a licence, so those two items are left out. That leaves 8 items. The gas record expires in three weeks, so it scores half. The EICR expired last month, so it scores nothing. Everything else is in order.
That is 6.5 points out of 8, a score of 81 — needs attention. Booking the electrician and the gas engineer today takes it back to 100. The expired EICR is the urgent one: until there is a satisfactory report, the property is out of compliance.
Common mistakes
- Having the certificate but not giving the copy. Gas and electrical records must reach the tenant — within 28 days of the check for existing tenants. Keep proof they did. The certificate expiry calculator gives the dates.
- Protecting the deposit but not serving the prescribed information. Both have the same 30-day deadline.
- Forgetting the follow-up Right to Rent check. Tenants with time-limited permission need a repeat check before it runs out.
- No record of the day-one alarm test. The alarms must work on the first day of each tenancy. Write down who tested them and when.
- Assuming no licence is needed. Selective and additional licensing schemes are set council by council and change. Check the property’s address.
- Relying on the agent. Most duties stay with the landlord in law whatever the agreement says. See the responsibility checker.
What changed under the Renters’ Rights Act 2025
From 1 May 2026, tenancies are assured periodic and Section 21 has ended. For tenancies that start on or after that date, the landlord must give a written statement of terms before the tenancy begins. The PRS Database adds a new item from Tue 15 December 2026, region by region: once a property’s window opens, it must be registered by the regional deadline, and registration gates most possession grounds. Check yours with the PRS Database deadline checker.
The evidence to keep for each item
Having done the check is half of it. The other half is being able to show it, months or years later, to a tenant, a council officer or a tribunal.
- Gas and electrical: the record or report, the engineer’s registration, and when and how the tenant got a copy.
- EPC: the certificate reference and the date the tenant was given it.
- Deposit: the scheme certificate and a copy of the prescribed information with proof of service.
- Right to Rent: copies of the documents or the online check result, the date, and any follow-up date.
- Tenancy documents: the written statement of terms or How to Rent guide, with the date and method it was given.
- Alarms: the day-one test, who did it and when.
- PRS Database and licence: the registration numbers, the licence and its conditions.
What Abide.Rent does automatically
Abide.Rent keeps this score for every property you manage and recalculates it every day from the records themselves: certificate dates, deposit and prescribed-information dates, Right to Rent follow-ups and PRS registration numbers. When an item is 30 days from due, it tells whoever does the task. The evidence for each item sits on the property record, ready if anyone asks.