The Landlord Compliance Calendar: Every Deadline from Now to April 2028

By RentVault Team · Published 2026-08-18 · Updated 2026-09-09 · 6 min read

2026, 2027, and 2028 contain more regulatory change for UK landlords than any comparable period since the Housing Act 1988.

2026, 2027, and 2028 contain more regulatory change for UK landlords than any comparable period since the Housing Act 1988. Keeping track of every relevant date across tax, compliance, and tenancy law is difficult even for experienced portfolio landlords.

This calendar brings every significant deadline and milestone into one place. Work through it, identify the dates that apply to your portfolio, and build them into your diary now.

Passed deadline — 31 July 2026

Section 21 transitional window closed. Court proceedings relying on a valid Section 21 notice served before 1 May 2026 had to be issued by 31 July 2026. That deadline has passed; an outstanding notice not taken to court by then is no longer enforceable.

7 August 2026

MTD Quarter 1 submission deadline. If your qualifying gross income from property and self-employment exceeded £50,000 on your 2024–25 tax return, your first quarterly update covering 6 April to 5 July 2026 was due by 7 August 2026. HMRC will not apply penalty points or any other quarterly late-submission penalties for 2026/27, but an overdue update must still be submitted before you submit your tax return.

15 December 2026

PRS Database registration opens and the West Midlands rollout begins. The government's new “Register your rental property” service opens on 15 December 2026. Landlords of assured or regulated tenancies must register themselves and each currently let property, paying an annual fee of £65 per property. The legal timetable is based on the property's location, not the landlord's home address. West Midlands landlords have until 14 March 2027 to register before councils can begin enforcement activity.

7 November 2026

MTD Quarter 2 submission deadline. Quarter 2 covers 6 July to 5 October 2026. Deadline for submission is 7 November 2026. Keep your digital records up to date and correct errors as soon as possible, normally through the next quarterly update.

31 January 2027

Self-assessment deadline for 2025–26. This is the last self-assessment return filed under the old system for most landlords — the 2025–26 tax year returns and payment of any tax owed. For MTD landlords, this return covers income and expenses for the year before MTD started.

7 February 2027

MTD Quarter 3 submission deadline. Quarter 3 covers 6 October to 5 January 2027. Deadline for submission is 7 February 2027. Quarter 3 remains covered by the 2026/27 exemption: HMRC will not apply penalty points or any other quarterly late-submission penalties, but an overdue update must still be submitted before you submit your tax return.

From April 2027

MTD threshold drops to £30,000. From 6 April 2027, Making Tax Digital for Income Tax becomes mandatory for landlords and self-employed individuals with qualifying gross income exceeding £30,000. If you are currently below £50,000 but above £30,000, April 2027 is your MTD start date. You should be preparing your digital records and choosing MTD-compatible software before this date.

7 May 2027

MTD Quarter 4 submission deadline. Quarter 4 for 2026–27 covers 6 January to 5 April 2027. Deadline for submission is 7 May 2027.

Track every compliance deadline in one place with RentVault →

15 January to 15 August 2027

PRS Database rollout continues across England. Each region receives a three-month registration window after its commencement date:

  • East of England — opens 15 January 2027; deadline 14 April 2027
  • East Midlands — opens 15 February 2027; deadline 14 May 2027
  • South East — opens 15 March 2027; deadline 14 June 2027
  • Yorkshire and Humber — opens 15 April 2027; deadline 14 July 2027
  • North West — opens 15 May 2027; deadline 14 August 2027
  • North East — opens 15 June 2027; deadline 14 September 2027
  • London — opens 15 July 2027; deadline 14 October 2027
  • South West — opens 15 August 2027; deadline 14 November 2027

Landlords may register properties in any region from 15 December 2026, but must meet the deadline for each property's region. If the landlord remains in breach of the database requirements, the court will generally be unable to make a possession order for that property; the statutory exceptions are possession Grounds 7A and 14.

31 January 2028

Annual tax return for 2026–27. After the fourth quarterly update, correct and resend it or adjust the relevant category total while updating your records if further errors are found, before finalising your Income Tax position. Submit your annual tax return through compatible software or an accountant by 31 January 2028.

From April 2028

MTD threshold drops to £20,000. From 6 April 2028, Making Tax Digital becomes mandatory for landlords and self-employed individuals with qualifying gross income exceeding £20,000. This is the largest expansion of the MTD population and will bring the majority of private landlords into the scheme.

From 2028 (specific date to be confirmed)

PRS Landlord Ombudsman operational. All private landlords in England will be required to be members of the mandatory PRS Landlord Ombudsman scheme. Membership is not optional — a landlord who is not a member cannot serve a valid Section 8 notice. The Ombudsman provides a dispute resolution service for tenants. The scheme is expected to become operational in 2028.

31 October 2030 (current EPC methodology)

Last date for EPC under current methodology. EPCs obtained after 31 September 2029 will be assessed under the new Home Energy Model (HEM) methodology. If you commission energy efficiency improvements and an EPC assessment before 31 September 2029, the rating is under the current methodology.

1 October 2030

EPC C requirement takes effect. From 1 October 2030, all rental properties in England must have an EPC rating of C or above — assessed under the new HEM methodology — or have a valid registered exemption. Properties rated D or below that do not have a registered exemption cannot lawfully be let after this date.

Annual obligations — no fixed date

In addition to the dates above, every rental property has a set of annual compliance obligations that recur regardless of the calendar year. You should have a renewal reminder in place for each of these for each property:

Gas Safety Certificate. Must be renewed annually. A current Gas Safety Certificate must be provided to the tenant at the start of the tenancy and within 28 days of each annual renewal. Failure to have a current certificate is a criminal offence and prevents service of a Section 8 notice.

EICR. Electrical Installation Condition Reports are required every five years. For HMOs, more frequent inspection may be required under HMO licence conditions.

EPC. EPCs are valid for ten years. Track the expiry date for each property.

Deposit protection. Deposits must be protected in a government-approved scheme within 30 days of receipt. Check that all deposits are currently protected and that prescribed information has been served.

Right to Rent checks. For tenants with time-limited right to rent in the UK, follow-up checks must be conducted before the original permission expires.

HMO licence. Mandatory and additional HMO licences are typically issued for five years. Track renewal dates and start the application process well in advance of expiry.

RentVault sends automatic reminders before MTD quarterly deadlines and tracks certificate expiry dates across your portfolio. Setting up your properties on RentVault now means the calendar above becomes a managed process rather than something you have to track manually.

Sources: Government “Register your rental property” rollout guidance · Renters' Rights Act 2025, PRS Database provisions · GOV.UK guide to the Renters' Rights Act · HMRC Making Tax Digital for Income Tax guidance.