Tower Hamlets Landlord Safety Certificates: Gas, EICR, EPC and Smoke Alarms

The Safety Documents and Checks Tower Hamlets Requires

You cannot get an HMO licence in Tower Hamlets without current safety documentation. The application file includes safety certificates and a scaled floor plan; smoke and carbon monoxide alarms are installed safety measures, not a certificate. Some documents must be renewed on set cycles throughout the licence term. Missing a required document at submission triggers a charge of £112.50 for mandatory HMOs or £157.50 for additional HMOs, added to your Part B fee.

Here is what you need, when it expires, and who must produce it.

Gas Safety Certificate (CP12)

Frequency: Every 12 months Who produces it: A Gas Safe registered engineer

The Landlord Gas Safety Record covers all gas appliances, flues and pipework in the property. The engineer inspects boilers, gas fires, gas cookers (if landlord-supplied) and any gas meters in communal areas.

You must supply a copy to each existing tenant within 28 days of the inspection and to new tenants before they move in. Keep dated copies — the council can request them during a compliance inspection at any time.

If you let the certificate lapse, even by a day, you are in breach of both the Gas Safety (Installation and Use) Regulations 1998 and your HMO licence conditions.

Electrical Installation Condition Report (EICR)

Frequency: Every 5 years Who produces it: A qualified electrician working to BS 7671 standards

The EICR covers the fixed electrical installation — wiring, consumer units, sockets and light fittings. The report grades defects from C1 (danger present — immediate action required) to C3 (improvement recommended).

For a Tower Hamlets HMO licence, the EICR must show no outstanding C1 or C2 defects. If the report flags a C1, it requires immediate remedial action. C2 defects must be remedied within 28 days or within a shorter period specified in the report. A satisfactory EICR with only C3 observations or FI (further investigation) items is acceptable at application, though FI items should be investigated promptly.

Under the Electrical Safety Standards in the Private Rented Sector (England) Regulations 2020, failing to obtain an EICR or complete required remedial work can lead to a civil penalty of up to £40,000 for breaches committed from 1 May 2026, independent of licensing enforcement.

Energy Performance Certificate (EPC)

Frequency: Every 10 years Who produces it: An accredited Domestic Energy Assessor

The property must hold a valid EPC at minimum Grade E. If the current rating is F or G, you must either improve the property to reach Grade E or register a valid exemption on the PRS Exemptions Register. Exemptions are valid for five years and require documentary evidence (such as an independent surveyor's report confirming that all cost-effective improvements have been made).

The EPC is the longest-lived certificate in the set, but if it was issued 9 years ago and you are applying for a 5-year licence, it will expire during the licence term. Plan the renewal before it lapses.

Fire Risk Assessment

Frequency: Periodic review (no fixed statutory interval, but reviewed after any material change and at least alongside licence renewals) Who produces it: A competent assessor (PAS 79 standard recommended)

The Fire Risk Assessment evaluates escape routes, fire detection systems, fire doors, emergency lighting, and the building's overall fire resistance. For HMOs in Tower Hamlets, the council expects interlinked smoke alarms on every floor, carbon monoxide detectors in rooms with gas appliances, and fire blankets in kitchens.

Mandatory HMOs (five or more occupants) need 30-minute fire-rated doors to bedrooms and kitchens. Additional HMOs (three or four occupants) may need fire doors depending on the layout and the assessor's recommendations.

Smoke and Carbon Monoxide Alarms

Frequency: Monthly testing (interlinked alarm systems); battery replacement as needed Who installs them: Any competent person, but interlinked systems typically need an electrician

Under the Smoke and Carbon Monoxide Alarm (Amendment) Regulations 2022, every floor with a room used as living accommodation must have a working smoke alarm, and every room with a fixed combustion appliance (gas boiler, gas fire) must have a carbon monoxide alarm.

Tower Hamlets HMO licence conditions go further: alarms must be interlinked so that when one activates, all activate. Monthly testing is a licence condition — keep a dated log of each test. The council's inspectors will ask for it.

Renewal Schedule at a Glance

Renew documents with a fixed cycle by their due dates: gas safety is annual and an EICR is renewed every five years. An expired gas safety record or EICR can breach its applicable legal duty or licence condition; the EPC is required at application, while the fire risk assessment is reviewed periodically.

Our Tower Hamlets Landlord Licensing Guide includes a compliance log worksheet that tracks every certificate's expiry date and renewal deadline across the full licence term, so nothing slips through the gap between annual renewals.

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