UnitCareLandlord guides
Plain-English guides to the rules landlords in England deal with most, practical maintenance tips, and step-by-step help for using UnitCare. Each legal guide links to the official source.
Safety checks
The certificates and checks landlords in England need, and how often.
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EICR for landlords: how often, who gets a copy and what to fix
The electrical safety rules for private landlords in England: 5-yearly inspections, the 28-day deadlines, sharing the report and fixing problems the inspector finds.
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Gas safety certificates for landlords: the rules in plain English
How often you need a gas safety check, who can do it, when tenants must get a copy, how long to keep records and how to renew early without losing a month.
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Landlord compliance checklist for England
The main legal checks for private landlords in England in one list: gas, electrics, alarms, EPC, deposits, Right to Rent and more, with how often each is due.
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Smoke and carbon monoxide alarms: what landlords must fit
Where smoke and CO alarms are required in rented homes in England, the check on move-in day, what to do when one breaks and the fines for getting it wrong.
Repairs
What you have to fix, how fast, and how to handle the tricky ones.
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Awaab's Law and private landlords: where it's up to
Awaab's Law already applies to social housing. Here's what it requires, what the Renters' Rights Act means for private landlords and what to do now to be ready.
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Damp and mould in a rental: a landlord's step-by-step response
What to do when a tenant reports damp or mould: how to respond, find the cause, fix it properly and keep the records you'll need.
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Landlord repair responsibilities: what you must fix and how fast
Which repairs are the landlord's job in England, which are the tenant's, how quickly to respond and what tenants can do if repairs are ignored.
Records
The paperwork that protects you when there's a dispute.
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Check-in inventory: what to record when a tenant moves in
A practical guide to doing a check-in inventory for a rental property: what to photograph, what to write down, meter readings, keys and getting the tenant to sign.
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Check-out inspections and fair wear and tear: what you can deduct
How to do a check-out inspection, the difference between damage and fair wear and tear, and how to make deposit deductions you can back up.
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Deposit disputes: the repair records that win them
How deposit disputes work in England, what evidence the deposit schemes look at, and the repair records that help you show what was damage and what was wear and tear.
Running your rentals
Practical ways to keep properties in good shape with less hassle.
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Finding and managing tradespeople as a landlord
How to find reliable tradespeople for your rentals, the checks to make for gas and electrical work, arranging access with tenants, and keeping a record of every job.
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How to set up a repair reporting system for your tenants
Texts, WhatsApp, email or a reporting form? How to give tenants one simple way to report repairs, and what a good report needs to include.
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Landlord maintenance checklist: what to check and when
A season-by-season maintenance checklist for rental properties, plus what to check between tenancies, so small problems don't become expensive repairs.
Using UnitCare
Step-by-step help for getting the most out of UnitCare.
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Getting started with UnitCare: your first property in 5 minutes
A step-by-step walkthrough: create your account, add a property, put up the QR code, turn on alerts and see exactly what your tenants see.
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QR code repair posters: how to get tenants to actually use them
Where to put your UnitCare QR poster, what to send tenants so they use it, and how to move them away from texting you about repairs.
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Handling a repair report in UnitCare, from alert to fixed
What to do when a tenant reports a problem: read the report, message the tenant, ask for photos, mark it in progress and close it with a record of everything.
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Get repair alerts on your phone: iPhone and Android
How to put UnitCare on your home screen and turn on instant alerts, so you know the moment a tenant reports a problem.
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Safety check reminders in UnitCare: never miss a gas or EICR date
How to add gas safety, EICR, EPC and other dates to UnitCare, when the reminder emails arrive, and how to record a check as done.
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UnitCare Pro: your logo on tenant pages and printable repair history
What you get with Pro, how to add your business name and logo, and how to print or save a property's full repair history as a PDF.
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Send a repair to your tradesperson (and see when it's done)
How UnitCare Pro sends a repair to your plumber or electrician with the photos, lets them book the visit and mark it done, and keeps you updated.
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Check-in and check-out inspections your tenant signs on their phone
How to record each room with photos at move-in and move-out in UnitCare Pro, send it to your tenant to sign, and save a dated report for deposit disputes.