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Moving in audit Beta*

Get every certificate, date and name down on one sheet before you unpack
Fill this in on the day you move in — or better, while you are still looking round. Every box has the official register next to it, so you can look up who really did the gas check, the electrics and the energy certificate, and put their name and number down yourself rather than taking anyone's word for it. Then print it and keep it. It works out when each certificate runs out, so when your landlord has gone quiet you can be the one who gets in first: my electrical safety certificate runs out next month, are you getting that booked? That is usually all it takes, and it keeps the place safe to live in.
You and the property

Fill this in while you are still looking round if you can. Everything below has a public register behind it, so most of it you can check yourself without asking anyone.

Your landlord

The address for notices has to be one in England or Wales — if all you have is a PO box or the agent’s office, say so, because until they give you a real one your rent is not legally “due”. Land Registry tells you who actually owns it for £3.

The agent, if there is one

Type the agency name and press Companies House — it opens the register with that name already searched, so you can take the company number and the registered office straight off it. Worth having: that is the address a claim gets sent to, and it is often not the shop you walk into. Ask whether repairs go to their own address or through a portal, and get a number that is answered out of hours \u2014 a burst pipe at eleven at night is not an email.

Gas safety — renewed every 12 months

The certificate has the engineer's name and a licence number on it. Check that number on the Gas Safe Register — it tells you whether they were registered, and for what. If there is no gas at the property, leave this blank.

Electrical installation report (EICR) — renewed every 5 years

Check the electrician is registered with a competent person scheme: NICEIC / ELECSA · NAPIT. The report must say satisfactory; if it says unsatisfactory, the work has to be done within 28 days. What the report should cover.

Energy performance certificate (EPC) — lasts 10 years

Find the certificate by postcode (England & Wales) · Scotland. It is public, it is free, and it names the assessor and their accreditation number — you can fill this block in before you have even been given anything.

Your deposit

It must be in one of these three, and you must be given the paperwork, within 30 days of them taking it. Each scheme lets you check your own deposit: DPS · TDS · mydeposits. How the rules work.

Licensing

A house shared by 5 or more people from 2 or more households needs a licence everywhere in England and Wales, and many councils licence ordinary lets too. Check by postcode · Your council · Wales: Rent Smart · Scotland: landlord register · London rogue landlord checker.

If there is an agent: redress scheme and client money protection

Every letting agent must belong to a redress scheme — ask for the membership number and check it: The Property Ombudsman · Property Redress Scheme · Property Redress. If they hold your money they also need client money protection — the six approved schemes.

Nothing here is saved. Print it, or it is gone when you close the tab.
Questions renters ask: What is the best way to make sure I get my deposit back when I move out? · The landlord is taking money off my deposit, but there was never a check-in inventory. Can they do that? · What counts as fair wear and tear on a rented home? · What should I do about gas and electricity meters when I move in? · What safety certificates should my landlord give me before I move in? · all questions
Savvy Renter — savvyrenter.co.uk · free tools for renters · Everything on this page happens in your browser. Nothing you type is stored, uploaded or sent anywhere — print the sheet, or it is gone when you close the tab.
* Beta. This sheet has been tested, but there may still be bugs, and the rules differ in Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. It is a record you keep, not legal advice. Always check the certificate itself — this page only does the arithmetic on the dates you give it.