Running a short-term let means juggling a surprising number of safety and legal obligations, and it is easy to lose track of which apply to you. This is a complete compliance checklist for UK Airbnb and holiday-let hosts — grouped by area, with a plain note on what is legally required, what is best practice, and where to read the detail. Work through it for each property you let.

A quick note before you start: exactly what applies depends on your property, how you let it and where it is in the UK. Treat this as the map of everything to check, not a guarantee that every line applies to every let. Prefer to answer a few questions first? Run the free Airbnb compliance checker for a readiness score, then use this checklist to close any gaps.

1. Fire safety

Fire risk assessment — required. Every short-term let legally needs one under the Fire Safety Order 2005. It drives everything else below. See Airbnb fire risk assessments.
Smoke alarms — required. Working alarms on every storey, ideally mains-powered and interlinked.
Carbon monoxide alarms — required where there is a gas, oil or solid-fuel appliance.
Clear escape routes, fire doors and guest fire information — as your assessment requires. See Airbnb fire safety regulations.

2. Gas safety

Annual gas safety check — required if the property has gas appliances. Carried out every 12 months by a Gas Safe registered engineer, with the record displayed in the property for short lets. See Airbnb gas safety certificates.
All-electric property? This one does not apply to you.

3. Electrical safety

EICR — not automatically mandated, but strongly expected. The private-rented-sector regulations bind tenancies, not short-term lets, but duty of care, fire safety, insurers and (in Scotland) licensing all point to a five-yearly EICR. See does an Airbnb need an EICR?
PAT testing of appliances — best practice, annually.

4. Energy performance (EPC)

EPC — it depends. A genuine short-stay let under a licence to occupy, let for under four months a year, may be exempt; you will need one if you let longer, let on a tenancy, or sell or remortgage. See Airbnb EPC requirements.

5. Licensing and registration

Licence or registration — varies by nation. A licence is mandatory in Scotland; England is introducing registration and has new planning rules; Wales is introducing registration; Northern Ireland requires Tourism NI certification. See do you need a licence for Airbnb in the UK?
Planning permission — check locally, especially in London (the 90-night rule) and any short-term let control area.

6. Insurance and permissions

Specialist short-term let insurance — essential. Standard home or buy-to-let cover usually will not cover paying guests.
Mortgage and lease consent — check. Many residential mortgages and leasehold agreements restrict or prohibit short-term letting.

7. Records and management

Keep every certificate and assessment, with its expiry date. Fire risk assessment, gas record, EICR, EPC, licence and insurance.
Review dates — diarise them. A lapsed certificate is as much a problem as never having had one.
Be able to produce it all on demand — for a guest complaint, an insurer or a council.

Which certificates does an Airbnb need? A quick summary

The short version most hosts come here for: a fire risk assessment (always), a gas safety record (annually, if there is gas), an EICR (not automatic but strongly advised, five-yearly), an EPC (often, but not always — it depends on how you let), and a licence or registration depending on the nation. Plus the right insurance and permissions to let at all.

Keep it all in one place

The hardest part of short-term let compliance is not any single certificate — it is keeping all of them current across every property and being able to prove it. Complys holds the fire risk assessment, gas, electrical, EPC, licence and insurance records for each let, tracks every expiry and reminds you before anything lapses. See Airbnb & short-term let compliance software.

Official guidance and sources

GOV.UK — fire safety for small paying-guest accommodation.
HSE — landlord gas safety checks.
gov.scot — short-term let licensing (Scotland).

Airbnb Compliance Checklist UK: What Hosts Need to Check