Salford Landlord Licensing: Gas Safety, EICR, and EPC Certificate Requirements

Salford licence applications require current electrical and energy-efficiency evidence, plus a Gas Safety Certificate where the property has gas appliances. A missing required document can leave the application incomplete; the Part A fee (£365 to over £1,000 depending on the scheme) is non-refundable once processing has started.

Gas Safety Certificate (CP12)

Every property with gas appliances needs a current Gas Safety Certificate issued by a Gas Safe registered engineer. The certificate must show no Category 1 or unserviced defects at the time you upload it to Salford's licensing portal.

Validity: one year. You need to renew it annually throughout the licence term — this isn't just an application requirement but a mandatory licence condition. The council can request a copy at any point, and an expired certificate is a licence condition breach.

What the council checks: the certificate must name the specific property, cover every gas appliance in the building, and carry the engineer's Gas Safe registration number. If you have a communal boiler serving multiple flats, the certificate covers the installation rather than individual units.

For properties with no gas supply at all (all-electric heating and cooking), you don't need a Gas Safety Certificate, but you'll still need to declare on the portal that the property has no gas appliances.

Electrical Installation Condition Report (EICR)

Under the Electrical Safety Standards in the Private Rented Sector (England) Regulations 2020, every privately rented property in England needs a satisfactory EICR. Salford's licensing portal requires you to upload one with your application.

Validity: five years from the inspection date. The report must be rated "Satisfactory" overall. If the electrician flags C1 (danger present) or C2 (potentially dangerous) issues, those must be remediated and the report re-issued as satisfactory before you can use it for the application.

Who can issue it: a qualified person — typically an electrician registered with NICEIC, NAPIT, or another competent person scheme. The report needs to cover the fixed wiring installation, not just portable appliances.

FI (further investigation) codes on the EICR are a common sticking point. An FI doesn't automatically make the report unsatisfactory, but the council may query it. Get any FI items investigated and resolved before submitting, so your application doesn't stall in the validation queue.

Energy Performance Certificate (EPC)

Your property needs a valid EPC with a rating of E or higher. This is enforced under the Minimum Energy Efficiency Standards (MEES) regulations, which apply to all private rented properties in England.

Validity: ten years from the date of assessment. If your EPC expired or the property's rating dropped below E after energy-related alterations, you need a fresh assessment before applying.

Below an E rating? You either need to improve the property's energy efficiency or register a valid exemption on the national PRS Exemptions Register. The council won't process a licence application for a property that sits below the MEES threshold without a registered exemption.

Upload Timing and Portal Dependencies

Salford's licensing portal has three steps. Steps One and Two can be completed in either order, but both manager and licence-holder IDs are needed before Step Three (Property Registration). The certificate uploads happen during Step Three, but you should have everything ready before you begin. Here's why: if you get through Steps One and Two (registering yourself as manager and licence holder, which requires Basic DBS disclosures dated within the last three months) and then discover your EICR is unsatisfactory or your Gas Safety Certificate expired last month, your application stalls with the council holding your manager and licence holder IDs but no usable property submission.

Get all applicable documents current before you touch the portal.

After the Licence Is Granted

The certificates don't just matter at application time. Every Salford property licence carries mandatory conditions requiring you to:

• Supply a valid annual Gas Safety Certificate to the council if the property has gas appliances
• Keep electrical installations safe and supply EICR reports on demand
• Maintain an EPC of E or higher, or a valid registered exemption, throughout the tenancy

Failure to comply is a licence condition breach, which can trigger a civil penalty of up to £40,000 per offence under the Renters' Rights Act 2025.

For the full application walkthrough — including what happens after the certificates are uploaded and how the Part A/Part B fee split works — our Salford licensing guide covers every step from address check to licence grant.

See more England guides →