Monthly Landlord Admin Checklist

Here is a one-page monthly checklist you can print and tick through. Use it once a month for your entire portfolio.

1. Rent and arrears

• Rent collection log
• List every property and confirm rent received in full and on time.
• Flag any payments more than 3 days late.
• Arrears status
• For any tenant who owes rent:
• Note total arrears, days late, and what step you are on:
• Step 1: Friendly reminder (call / text / email).
• Step 2: Formal arrears letter and payment plan proposal.
• Step 3: Pre-action protocol steps / final warning.
• Step 4: Section 8 notice (if criteria met).
• Update your arrears spreadsheet and diary the next action date.

2. Maintenance and repairs

• Outstanding repairs
• Review all open repair requests from tenants.
• Confirm which are booked and which still need a contractor.
• Chase any jobs instructed more than 2 weeks ago with no progress.
• New issues and scheduled maintenance
• Add any new issues noted in the last month.
• Check planned maintenance: boiler services, gutter clearing, external painting, EPC upgrade works.
• Confirm dates and contractors for the next 4-8 weeks.

3. Compliance dates (safety, EPC, licensing)

Have a central spreadsheet with property vs expiry dates. Each month:

• Gas safety (CP12)
• Are any certificates expiring in the next 2 months?
• If yes: book the engineer now and diarise access arrangements.
• EICR (electrical)
• Are any EICRs due within the next 6 months?
• If inside 3 months, book the inspection now.
• EPC
• Are any EPCs expiring within 12 months?
• For any on E or below, start an EPC upgrade plan.
• Licensing
• Check HMO / additional / selective licence expiry dates.
• If any licence expires within 6 months, start prep for renewal.

4. Financial admin and tax

• Record income and expenses
• Enter all rents and costs into your bookkeeping or MTD software.
• Categorise: mortgage interest, repairs, insurance, travel, letting fees, utilities, service charges, etc.
• Bank reconciliation
• Reconcile your rent account to your records:
• Every credit is matched to a property and month.
• Every expense is coded.
• Tax reserve
• Move a fixed percentage of net rent (for example 20-30%) into a separate tax savings account.
• Increase the percentage if you are higher-rate or have big other income.

5. Tenants and communication

• Tenant issues log
• Review any complaints or issues raised in the last month.
• Confirm you have responded in writing and given timescales.
• Inspections and visits
• Check if any property is due for a routine inspection this month (see Section 9).
• Send 24+ hours' written notice for each visit.
• Relationship check-in
• For long-standing tenants, consider a quick proactive message:
• "Any maintenance issues or niggles we should be aware of?"

6. Insurance

• Policy review
• Check renewal dates for:
• Landlord buildings and contents.
• Rent guarantee / legal expenses.
• Public liability (if relevant).
• If any policy expires in the next 2-3 months, get quotes and check cover still fits:
• Correct number of tenants, HMO status, holiday let vs AST.

7. Mortgages and finance

• Product expiry check
• For each loan, note the fixed/product end date.
• If anything expires in the next 6-9 months, contact a broker now.
• Check LTV and expected new payment at current rates.
• Covenants and stress tests
• For portfolio or Ltd company lending, ensure you are still within ICR/stress test requirements and any minimum income tests.

8. Voids and letting pipeline

• Upcoming voids
• Any tenants who have given notice? Any fixed terms ending soon?
• Decide whether to renew, re-let or sell.
• Marketing prep
• For any property likely to be empty within 2 months:
• Book photos / video if needed.
• Draft listing text and check comparables and rent levels.
• Line up any works during void (decor, flooring, EPC upgrade).

9. Property inspections (quarterly rotation)

Aim: each property gets a full inspection at least once per quarter.

• Quarterly inspection rota
• Divide your portfolio into four groups.
• Each month, schedule inspections for that month's group so that every property is seen at least every 3 months.
• During inspection, always check:
• Signs of damp/mould or condensation.
• Smoke / CO alarms and trip hazards.
• Overcrowding or signs of unauthorised subletting or pets.
• Garden/external maintenance, gutters, drains.
• Record findings with photos and a short written report.

10. Strategic review (quarterly within this monthly check)

Once every 3 months, add:

• Rent level review
• Compare current rents to local market.
• Decide where you will use Section 13 / contractual reviews in the next 3-6 months.
• Portfolio performance
• Check net yield, arrears, and voids per property.
• Flag any property that looks like a candidate for sale, refinance or EPC upgrade.

Common things landlords forget in their monthly routine

Expiry dates:

• Gas safety and EICR creeping up with no engineer booked.
• Licences quietly expiring and drifting into unlicensed territory.

Tax reserves:

• Spending the full rent each month and then scrambling in January.

Documentation:

• Not logging arrears letters, payment plans, inspection notes, and photos. That kills you later in court or with insurers.

Insurance and mortgages:

• Letting policies auto-renew on bad terms.
• Missing the window to remortgage before a fixed rate ends and getting hit with SVR.

Regular inspections:

• Going a year or more without seeing a property, then discovering damage, ASB, or unauthorised occupants.

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