Wales Landlord Compliance Tracker and Record Keeping: What to Log and Why

A Welsh landlord who keeps every safety certificate current but cannot show when copies were served may have difficulty proving compliance. Schedule 9A restricts Section 173 notices for specified failures, and the consequences depend on which duty was missed; rent is not payable for days when the dwelling is legally treated as unfit.

Why Record Keeping Matters More in Wales

The Renting Homes (Wales) Act 2016 restricts Section 173 notices when specified statutory duties have not been met. The cure depends on the duty: for example, if the written statement is provided late, the landlord cannot give notice for six months starting from the day it is provided. A missing receipt is an evidence risk, not automatic proof that service did not happen.

These are key documents and service deadlines to track; they do not all have the same Section 173 consequence:

1. Written statement of the occupation contract — within 14 days of occupation
2. EICR — within 14 days starting with the occupation date if inspected before occupation, or within 14 days starting with the inspection date if inspected after occupation
3. Electrical remedial work confirmation — within 14 days starting with the day the landlord receives the written confirmation (or, for work completed before occupation, within 14 days starting with the occupation date)
4. Landlord Gas Safety Record (CP12) — before occupation (new) or within 28 days (existing)
5. Energy Performance Certificate — before occupation
6. Deposit prescribed information — within 30 days
7. Landlord address notice (RHW2) — within 14 days of occupation

Each of these has a different deadline, a different trigger event, and a different statutory source. Tracking them all in your head or in a generic spreadsheet invites mistakes.

What Your Compliance Log Should Contain

An effective compliance tracker records four things for every obligation:

The event — what triggered the duty (new contract signed, EICR completed, gas check done).

The deadline — the exact calendar date by which the document must reach the contract-holder.

The delivery — the method used (hand delivery with signed receipt, recorded post with tracking number, email with read receipt where the contract-holder has consented to electronic service).

The proof — a copy of the signed receipt, postal tracking confirmation, or email delivery record, dated and filed against the property address and contract-holder name.

Without dated proof of delivery, it can be harder to establish that service took place. Rent Smart Wales does not collect these documents centrally. A Section 173 possession claim is dealt with by the County Court; the Residential Property Tribunal handles separate matters such as licensing and Rent Repayment Orders.

Building a Practical System

You do not need property management software to track compliance. A structured paper file or a simple dated ledger works, provided it captures the four elements above for every obligation.

Organise by property address, then by compliance domain:

• Electrical: EICR date, next due date, copy served to contract-holder (date + method), any remedial work dates and confirmation service dates
• Gas: CP12 date, next due date, copy served (date + method), Gas Safe engineer registration number
• Alarms: Installation date, installer details, type (hardwired interlinked smoke / CO), last test date
• EPC: Certificate date, rating, expiry, copy served
• Contract documents: Written statement served date, deposit scheme certificate served date, landlord address notice served date

For each entry, note the deadline you were working against and whether you met it. If you missed a deadline — document what happened and when you rectified it. Courts and tribunals look at patterns and good faith, not just isolated failures.

Common Record-Keeping Mistakes

Relying on the contractor's paperwork alone. Your electrician's office keeps a copy of the EICR. Your gas engineer files the CP12 with Gas Safe Register. Neither of those proves you served the document to your contract-holder within 14 days (EICR) or 28 days (gas). The service record is your responsibility.

Not distinguishing between completion and service. For an inspection after occupation, the 14-day clock for serving the EICR starts on the day the inspection is completed. For a new contract, the 14-day period starts on the occupation date, even if the inspection took place earlier. The remedial-work confirmation clock starts when you receive the written confirmation, not when the work is completed.

Assuming email delivery equals service. Electronic service is valid only where the contract-holder has agreed to receive documents electronically. If they have not explicitly consented, post or hand delivery is the safe route. Record the consent itself if you rely on email.

Keeping records for only the current contract-holder. Retain all compliance records for at least two years after a contract-holder vacates. Gas safety records must be kept for a minimum of 24 months by law, and disrepair claims can surface well after occupancy ends.

Digital vs Paper

Either works. The legal requirement is that you can produce dated evidence — not that it lives in a particular format. If you use a paper file, keep copies (photograph each signed receipt and store it in a dated folder). If you use a spreadsheet or app, back it up and make sure the dates are not editable without a visible audit trail.

The Fitness for Human Habitation compliance guide includes a 14-day service audit ledger and remedial action log built around the Welsh statutory deadlines — a structured system for landlords who want compliance tracking without a subscription.

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