What Documents Should Be in Every Landlord's Property File?

A well-organised property file is one of the most practical things a landlord can have. It protects you in disputes, speeds up compliance checks, and means you can put your hands on any document within minutes rather than hours. Here is what every landlord's property file should contain.

Section 1: The Property

- Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) — must be at least Band E; Band C required from 2030. Keep the full report, not just the rating.

- Gas Safety Certificate (CP12) — renewed annually. Keep every year's certificate, not just the current one. Historic certificates can be useful evidence if a tenant later claims a gas appliance was faulty.

- Electrical Installation Condition Report (EICR) — renewed at least every five years. Keep the full report including any remedial work carried out.

- Smoke and CO alarm test record — a written note of the date you tested all alarms at the start of the tenancy, which alarms were tested, and the result.

- Legionella risk assessment — a written assessment of the risk of Legionella bacteria in the water system. For most standard residential properties this is a simple document, but it must exist.

- Planning and building regulations documents — if you have carried out any works requiring planning permission or building regulations approval, keep the completion certificate.

Section 2: The Tenancy

- Tenancy agreement — signed by all parties. Keep the original (or a scanned copy if signed electronically).

- How to Rent guide — the version served at the start of the tenancy. Keep a copy so you can prove which version you served.

- Deposit Prescribed Information — the document you served on the tenant within 30 days of receiving the deposit.

- Deposit scheme certificate — confirmation from the scheme that the deposit is protected, including the scheme reference number.

- Check-in inventory — signed by the tenant. Include photographs with dates.

- Right to Rent check records — copies of the documents you checked (passport, visa, share code result) and the date you checked them.

- Referencing records — credit check, employment verification, and previous landlord reference.

Section 3: Ongoing Management

- Rent payment records — a running record of every payment received, the date, and the amount. If you use a letting agent, their statements serve this purpose.

- Repair and maintenance log — every repair request received (date and description), every contractor instructed (name, date, cost), and every job completed (date and outcome). This is your defence if a tenant later claims a repair was ignored.

- Inspection reports — a written record of every routine inspection, including the date, who attended, the condition of the property, and any issues noted.

- Correspondence — keep copies of all significant written communications with the tenant: rent increase notices, repair requests, complaints, and any formal notices served.

Section 4: Notices and Legal Documents

- Section 13 notices — any rent increase notices served, with proof of service.

- Section 8 notices — if you have ever served a possession notice, keep the original and proof of service.

- Any court documents — if possession proceedings have been issued, keep all court paperwork.

Why This Matters

The most common reason landlords lose deposit disputes, possession claims, and Ombudsman complaints is not that they did something wrong — it is that they cannot prove they did something right. A complete property file is your evidence base. It takes discipline to maintain, but it is far less painful than trying to reconstruct records after a dispute has started.

Practical Tips

- Keep a separate folder (physical or digital) for each property

- Scan paper documents and back them up to cloud storage

- Set calendar reminders for renewal dates: gas certificate (annual), EICR (5-yearly), EPC (10-yearly)

- After every inspection, add the report to the file the same day — do not leave it to accumulate

Use the Landlord Document Checklist in your Starter Kit to audit your current files and identify any gaps.