Property Maintenance for Landlords in London

Reliable property maintenance for landlords, under one call

Being a landlord in London means your name is on the legal responsibility for the property, even when your time is stretched thin. UpKeep gives individual owners and portfolio landlords - and the managing agents who look after properties on their behalf - a single maintenance partner for every repair, certificate and turnaround. Instead of holding a list of plumbers, electricians and gas engineers and hoping someone answers, you make one call and we coordinate the rest, with reactive maintenance for the unexpected and planned maintenance for the work you can schedule.

The promise is simple: fewer headaches, faster turnarounds and audit-ready records. Every job is documented with before-and-after photos and clear invoicing, so when a tenant raises an issue or a council asks questions, your evidence is already in order. For urgent problems we offer fast call-outs across the UK and a 1-3 hour emergency response across London through our emergency property repairs team.

Your repair and safety duties as a landlord

As a landlord you carry the core repairing obligation for the property, and you cannot pass these duties to the tenant. In plain terms, you are responsible for the structure and exterior of the building, the sanitary fittings such as basins, sinks, baths and toilets, the supply of heating and hot water, and the gas and electrical systems. Keeping on top of these is not just good practice - it is the baseline for renting legally and avoiding disrepair claims.

The safety certificates you must keep current

Alongside day-to-day repairs, landlords must hold and renew specific safety records:

• An annual gas safety record for every gas appliance and flue, carried out by a Gas Safe registered engineer.
• An Electrical Installation Condition Report (EICR), required at least every five years.
• A valid Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) for the property.
• Working smoke alarms and carbon monoxide alarms, with regular checks.
• Fire safety measures appropriate to the property and any licensing conditions.

UpKeep's accredited engineers carry out these checks and any remedial work, and hand you the documentation for your records. For the official detail, see the gov.uk guidance on electrical safety standards and the Gas Safe Register.

What is changing for landlords in 2026

The private rented sector is going through its biggest shake-up in a generation, and staying ahead of it protects you from penalties and disrepair claims. The guidance below reflects the position in England - confirm the specifics with your local borough and a professional before acting.

Renters' Rights Act 2025. The Act received Royal Assent on 27 October 2025 and is rolling out in phases from 1 May 2026. It abolishes Section 21 no-fault evictions and converts assured shorthold tenancies to assured periodic tenancies. From 1 May 2026, landlords are expected to give tenants a written statement of terms that sets out their repairing and safety obligations - so the condition of the property and your maintenance records matter more than ever.

Awaab's Law. In force for social housing from 27 October 2025, Awaab's Law is being extended to the private rented sector. It requires landlords to investigate and fix serious damp and mould within fixed timescales and to make emergency hazards safe quickly, keeping clear records of every step. The days of dismissing mould as "tenant lifestyle" without investigating the root cause are ending - prompt, documented action is the safe response.

Decent Homes Standard. The government's policy statement of 28 January 2026 confirmed the Decent Homes Standard will extend to the private rented sector from 2035. Treat it as the direction of travel: proactive, planned maintenance is what keeps a property comfortably ahead of a rising bar.

Two enforcement realities sit behind all of this. Councils assess properties under the Housing Health and Safety Rating System (HHSRS), which covers 29 hazard areas; where they find a serious hazard they can issue an improvement notice, carry out the work and bill you, or prohibit use of the property. And across most London boroughs, HMO and increasingly selective licensing schemes carry property-condition conditions - renting without a required licence is a criminal offence. Licensing raises the upkeep bar, so check your borough's current scheme via our London locations hub. For the official basics, see gov.uk on landlord responsibilities and making repairs.

Last reviewed: June 2026

This page is general guidance, not legal advice. Reforms described as phased or being extended are not yet fully in force - always confirm the current position with your borough and a qualified professional.

Managing repairs yourself vs an outsourced maintenance partner

Self-managing repairs can work for a single, simple let, but it rarely scales. You end up chasing different trades, with no reliable out-of-hours cover, paperwork spread across emails and texts, slow voids that cost rent, and compliance deadlines you have to track yourself. An outsourced partner flips that: one call covers every trade, response is fast and documented, turnarounds are coordinated by a single team, and your certificates and records are handled and stored for you. The comparison section above lays the two approaches side by side.

When landlords call UpKeep

Landlords typically reach for one number at predictable moments: a mid-tenancy emergency such as a boiler, leak or electrical fault; a gas or electrical certificate falling due for renewal; a void turnaround between tenancies; a tenant report of damp, mould or disrepair that needs investigating; the point of scaling a portfolio and needing one dependable contractor; or an HHSRS inspection or council notice to resolve. Whichever it is, the route in is the same - call us, and we own the job from first report to documented sign-off. Browse our projects to see the standard of work, or read our estate agent and block management pages if you maintain on others' behalf.