Waltham Forest Landlord Safety Certificates: Gas, EICR, EPC and Fire Safety Requirements

The Four Certificates You Need

Every property licence application in Waltham Forest — selective, additional HMO or mandatory HMO — requires safety certification. Missing or expired documents are one of the most common reasons applications stall in the council's queue. Here is what the licensing team expects.

Gas Safety Certificate (CP12)

If the property has any gas appliances — a boiler, hob, fireplace or wall heater — you need a current Gas Safety Certificate issued by a Gas Safe registered engineer. The certificate must be renewed annually. It cannot be older than 12 months at the point you submit your licence application, and it must remain current throughout the 5-year licence term.

Properties with no gas supply or gas appliances do not need this certificate, but you will need to declare that on the application form.

Electrical Installation Condition Report (EICR)

The Electrical Safety Standards in the Private Rented Sector (England) Regulations 2020 require a satisfactory EICR for every private rented property. A qualified person (someone competent to inspect and test) must carry out the inspection at least every 5 years; the report may set an earlier date for the next inspection.

The EICR must show a satisfactory overall assessment. If it flags C1 (danger present), C2 (potentially dangerous) or further investigation, the required work must be completed within 28 days or any shorter period specified in the report. After the work, provide the tenant and council with the report and written confirmation within 28 days; a re-issued EICR is not the only accepted evidence. C3 (improvement recommended) observations do not require remedial work under the regulations, though addressing them is good practice.

Energy Performance Certificate (EPC)

The Domestic Minimum Energy Efficiency Standard requires a minimum EPC Band E for rented properties. You cannot legally let a property rated F or G unless you hold a valid exemption registered on the PRS Exemptions Register.

Beyond the legal minimum, Waltham Forest offers fee discounts for higher-rated properties on selective and additional HMO licences:

• EPC Band C reduces the selective licence fee from £895 to £800 (a £95 saving on the Part B payment) and the additional HMO fee from £1,200 to £1,105.
• EPC Band A or B reduces the selective licence fee to £600 (a £295 saving) and the additional HMO fee to £800.

The EPC must be valid at the time of application. If it has expired (EPCs last 10 years), commission a new one before submitting.

Fire Safety: Smoke Alarms, CO Detectors and Fire Risk Assessments

Fire safety requirements scale with the type of licence:

Selective licence (single lets / two sharers): Working smoke alarms on every storey used as living accommodation. Carbon monoxide alarms in rooms used as living accommodation that contain a fixed combustion appliance, such as a gas boiler or solid-fuel appliance; gas cookers are excluded. You must declare this on the application.

Additional HMO licence (3–4 sharers): Everything above, plus a fire risk assessment (FRA) for the property. Mains-wired smoke alarms and emergency lighting in escape routes. Certificates for alarm installation and testing should be available for the council.

Mandatory HMO licence (5+ occupants): A written fire risk assessment, plus a Grade A LD2 fire alarm system (mains-wired with battery backup, covering escape routes and high-risk rooms). Emergency lighting in all common parts. Accredited fire alarm commissioning and testing certificates.

If your HMO has a communal kitchen, the FRA will typically require a fire blanket and a suitable fire extinguisher as well.

Putting It Together for Your Application

Gather all certificates before you open a session on the council's Metastreet portal. The portal will time out if you pause to chase documents mid-application. Our Waltham Forest landlord licensing guide includes a document-readiness checklist you can work through before starting the online submission — covering the exact specifications for each certificate, floor plan requirements and the Part A / Part B fee split.

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