Landlord compliance spreadsheet

What a useful DIY compliance sheet usually includes, where spreadsheets excel, and where reminders and file storage start to break down.

A landlord compliance spreadsheet is still a solid starting point for self-managing landlords in England: one row per property, columns for gas, EICR and EPC dates, and a notes field for where the PDF lives. Many portfolios run happily this way until the reminder and file-storage problems outgrow the grid.

This guide shows a practical sheet layout, what to calculate yourself, and the friction points that appear once camera-roll photos and shared folders enter the mix — without assuming you must switch tools tomorrow.

A minimal useful layout

Columns: Address · Postcode · Gas issue · Gas expiry · EICR issue · EICR next due · EPC issue · EPC expiry · Licence notes · Folder / link · Last reviewed
One row per let — never merge two flats to “save space”.
Use real dates (ISO or consistent UK format) so you can sort and filter.
Add a helper column such as “days to next gas” with a simple date difference formula.
Keep a second tab for a change log: date, property, what changed, who updated.

Where spreadsheets shine

Fast to set up and easy to sort by “due this month”.
Transparent — you can see every date at once.
Easy to share a CSV snapshot with an accountant or adviser.
No lock-in while you are still learning your own process.

Where they start to creak

Files: cells hold paths and links, not the certificate itself. Broken Drive links are common after folder tidy-ups.
Reminders: conditional formatting is not an email at 90 / 30 / 14 days. Someone still has to open the sheet.
Duplicates: two people edit offline copies and the “master” quietly forks.
Evidence packs: exporting a clean set of PDFs per property is still a manual zip job.
Phone capture: photos land in camera roll first; renaming and filing is a second chore that often does not happen.

DIY habits that keep a sheet honest

Name files POSTCODE-type-YYYY-MM-DD.pdf before you paste the link into the sheet.
Review the sheet on a fixed cadence (for example the first Monday of the month).
When a certificate is renewed, update issue and expiry in the same sitting as filing the PDF.
Cross-check gas / EICR / EPC guides so the dates you enter match the documents: gas, EICR, EPC.

When to move beyond the grid

If you are spending more time hunting PDFs than updating dates — or you want reminder emails and a per-property evidence pack without building it yourself — a dedicated tracker such as LetBook can sit alongside or replace the spreadsheet. Free includes one property with certificate dates and reminders; £6.99/month or £69/year unlocks more properties, uploads and the evidence pack.

Keep exporting CSV from whatever you use. Your records should remain portable.