Built for your profession
For UK letting agents (2026)
Since 14 May 2025, every UK letting agent has been required to screen both tenant and landlord against the UK consolidated sanctions list on every let. There is no rent threshold. HMRC issued 170 AML penalties in 2025-26 totalling over £835,000, and most letting agents found out late.
Certaby handles the whole let in one place. Open a transaction for the tenancy and run the checks it needs: tenant and landlord sanctions, PEPs, adverse media, PSC walk on corporate landlords, plus the property check (MEES verdict, crime breakdown, flood risk). Keep one signed PDF for the client file with a 7-year verify link per MLR-2017, monitor the parties for changes after the let, and add the Compliance plan when you need the written AML records an HMRC inspection asks for. No contract, no setup fee, no card required to look at the result.
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Start free with a no-card demo, then create your account to run real checks. Same audit-cert PDF format used by larger firms. No contract, no setup fee. Pay per check.
Frequently asked questions
What is the minimum AML requirement for a UK letting agent in 2026?
Under MLR-2017 as amended, you must (1) screen every tenant and landlord against the UK consolidated sanctions list at the point of let, (2) keep records of each check for 5 years from the end of the business relationship, (3) have a written risk assessment on file. The May 2025 amendment removed the previous rent threshold, so every let is in scope. A signed audit-cert PDF satisfies all three when paired with your firm risk assessment.
What happens when the landlord is a company?
Certaby walks the Companies House PSC (Persons with Significant Control) tree, identifies the UBO, and screens every UBO against the same sanctions, PEP, and adverse media sources. The cert lists each step. This is what regulators expect under MLR-2017 reg 5(1)(a). Corporate landlords with offshore parents or trust ownership are handled to a recursive depth of 5 layers.
How does the audit-cert PDF prove the check happened, if anyone asks later?
Each PDF carries a SHA-256 hash bound to the underlying inputs and the source list versions. A public verifier at certaby.com/verify/<hash> resolves to a confirmation page (no PII) for 7 years. An HMRC inspector or your MLRO can independently verify the cert without contacting you. The cert format is documented at certaby.com/knowledge/audit-cert-format.
How much does each check cost?
Letting Agent Client Check is £4.95 per check pay-as-you-go, dropping to £2.95 per check at the 1,000-pack tier. Checks run from a credit balance (the smallest top-up is £5 and credit never expires), so there is no monthly subscription. Pricing is published at certaby.com/pricing.
Do I need to be ARLA-registered to use Certaby?
No. ARLA Propertymark membership is a separate trade-association credential. Certaby is open to any UK letting agent, regardless of professional-body affiliation. The compliance obligation is on you under MLR-2017 whether you are ARLA, NAEA, RICS, or independent.
Do you cover Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland?
Yes. Sanctions, PEP and adverse-media screening applies UK-wide and runs the same way in all four nations. Right to Rent is a duty in England only, so for a Scottish, Welsh or Northern Irish let the transaction skips it (we never ask you to run a check that does not apply where you operate). MEES is an England and Wales standard, so for a property in Scotland or Northern Ireland we show the EPC band for information and do not apply an England and Wales penalty verdict. Landlord registration differs by nation (Rent Smart Wales, the Scottish Landlord Register, the NI Landlord Registration Scheme); we surface the sanctions and AML duties common across them.
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