Knowledge base

What are the May 2025 UK letting-agent sanctions rules?

Since 14 May 2025 UK letting agents are relevant firms under sanctions law: report any tenant or landlord you know or suspect is sanctioned to OFSI.

Which anti-money laundering guidance do UK letting agents follow?

Letting and estate agents follow HMRC's AML guidance (AMLG2300 for lettings). LSAG guidance is for solicitors and conveyancers, not agents.

What are the MLR-2017 obligations for UK accountants in 2026?

UK accountants must do customer due diligence at engagement, enhanced due diligence on high-risk clients, and ongoing monitoring. What each step needs.

What is the FCA Warning List and why does it matter?

The FCA Warning List names unauthorised and clone firms targeting UK consumers. It changes often: check it before any financial transaction.

The Renters' Rights Act 2025: how does it change AML compliance for letting agents?

The Renters' Rights Act 2025 ends Section 21, makes tenancies periodic and limits rent in advance to a month. AML duties stay; when checks happen shifts.

Can I be the MLRO for my own letting agency? What if I am a sole trader?

Yes. Under MLR 2017 reg 21 a sole trader can be their own MLRO, and small-firm owners usually are. No formal qualification is needed.

What does HMRC actually ask at an MLR-2017 inspection of a letting agency?

HMRC inspections of letting agents look for seven things: risk assessment, CDD policy, training log, MLRO, SAR records, source of funds and monitoring.

Do I need Cyber Essentials for my letting agency to handle tenant personal data alongside Certaby?

No. Neither MLR 2017 nor ARLA requires it. The ICO recommends Cyber Essentials (about £300 a year) to any UK firm handling personal data.

Do I need ARLA Propertymark membership to run AML checks legally?

No. MLR 2017 applies to letting agents through the £10,000-a-month rent threshold, not ARLA membership. HMRC supervises lettings AML directly.

Do estate agents have to do AML checks on the buyer?

Yes. Once the seller accepts their offer the buyer is an estate agent's customer too, and HMRC expects the buyer's checks before the offer is accepted.

Do estate agents need to register with HMRC for money-laundering supervision?

Yes, before doing any estate agency work. Trading without registering is a criminal offence, and it is the most common reason for the penalties HMRC publishes.

Do art dealers have to do AML and sanctions checks on buyers?

Yes, on any sale of £10,000 or more (the threshold since 30 June 2026): check the buyer, often the seller, before the sale, and report matches to OFSI.

What checks do I need before taking on a company as a client (KYB)?

Verify the company, its board and owners, collect the PSC register excerpt and report discrepancies, screen for sanctions and PEPs, and keep records five years.

Can estate and letting agents charge clients for ID checks?

Estate agents can charge buyers and sellers for ID checks. Letting agents in England cannot charge tenants for them (Tenant Fees Act 2019), only landlords.

What is the difference between the UK, UN, EU and US sanctions lists?

UK law enforces the UK Sanctions List; UN designations are carried into it; EU and US lists bind their own jurisdictions. Certaby screens all four.

What is the difference between a PEP match and an adverse-media match?

A PEP is a politically exposed person (FATF Recommendation 12). Adverse media is reporting that links someone to crime or fraud. Each needs different action.

The May 2025 UK sanctions rule for letting agents: what changed, who enforces it, and how to comply

Since 14 May 2025 letting agents must report a sanctioned tenant or landlord to OFSI, at any rent. Screening is how you'd know. A let from £1.98.

Do estate agents have to report sanctions matches to OFSI?

Yes. Estate agents are relevant firms under UK sanctions law: report to OFSI as soon as practicable if you know or suspect a buyer or seller is designated.

Do insolvency practitioners have to do sanctions checks before taking an appointment?

Yes. Insolvency practitioners are relevant firms under UK sanctions since 14 May 2025, and the money-laundering rules want the client checked before you act.

When does a sanctioned owner make a company sanctioned? The UK, EU and US 50% rules compared

The UK counts more than 50% or control, without adding owners together; the EU and the US count 50% or more, added together. Each test, with a worked example.

How is a UK UBO calculated under MLR-2017?

A beneficial owner under MLR 2017 owns over 25% of a company, directly or through a chain. Indirect stakes multiply: 75% of 75% is 56.25%.

MEES 2030 for UK letting agents: the domestic property timeline, exemptions, and cost reality

Rented homes need EPC band E today and band C for every tenancy from 1 October 2030 (January 2026 response). £10,000 cost cap, fines up to £30,000.

MEES for UK commercial property: EPC E today, EPC B from 2031 for larger buildings

Commercial lets need EPC band E today. From 2031 buildings over 1,000 m2 need band B where works pay back within 7 years (June 2026 interim response).

Material information in property listings: what UK letting and estate agents must disclose now the NTSELAT guidance is withdrawn

The duty to disclose material information now sits in the DMCC Act 2024. NTSELAT withdrew its Parts A, B and C guidance in May 2025; the duty stayed.

How does MEES compliance work for UK letting agents?

Rented homes need EPC band E today and band C for every tenancy from 1 October 2030. The maximum fine rises from £5,000 a property to £30,000.

When does the EPC band C 2030 rule kick in for landlords?

From 1 October 2030 every private tenancy in England and Wales needs EPC band C, new and existing alike (January 2026 response). £10,000 cost cap.

How does flood risk affect a UK property let or sale?

The Environment Agency publishes flood risk from rivers, the sea and surface water, free. Letting agents disclose it, conveyancers search it, insurers price it.

How does Coal Authority Development High Risk Area affect conveyancing?

Coal mining Development High Risk Areas flag property over old workings. Conveyancers order a CON29M mining report when one applies. The data is free.

What is the Risk of Flooding from Rivers and Sea (RoFRaS) band?

The Environment Agency's RoFRaS bands flood risk from rivers and the sea as very low, low, medium or high, by yearly chance. Lenders and insurers use it.

How do conveyancers verify radon risk on a property?

UKHSA's radon maps show where 1% or more of homes exceed the 200 Bq/m³ action level. Conveyancers flag the band; a home test costs about £43.

Japanese knotweed disclosure under TA6: what to ask

The TA6 form asks sellers about Japanese knotweed and its treatment. Buyers should ask for treatment evidence and a Property Care Association certificate.

What is a Section 78R(1) contaminated-land register entry?

Section 78R of the Environmental Protection Act 1990 makes each council keep a public register of contaminated land. Formats differ: check each council.

What should a conveyancer's environmental search cover in 2026?

A conveyancer's environmental search should cover flood, radon, coal mining, contaminated land, landfill, knotweed and energy. Typical cost £46 to £80.

OpenSanctions vs the official sanctions lists: which should I use?

Screen sanctions against the official UK, UN, EU and US lists. OpenSanctions adds politically exposed persons and adverse media, which those lists don't cover.

SmartSearch or pay as you go: which suits a 5-person letting agency?

For a letting agency doing 5 to 30 lets a month, Certaby at £3.27 a let, with no contract, against SmartSearch's quote-led annual contract.

Credas vs Certaby for UK letting agents: which AML provider?

Credas sells ID and AML checks to UK property firms by subscription and quote. Certaby publishes its prices, with property risk on the same certificate.

How fast do you alert on a new sanctions designation?

The same morning. The UK, UN, EU and US lists refresh at 04:00 UTC, watched names are re-screened after, and a new possible match is emailed to you.

Can I screen an international tenant against multiple country watchlists?

Yes. Every Certaby sanctions check screens against the UK, UN, EU and US (OFAC) lists at once, and the certificate names each list and its date.

Why use Certaby instead of a spreadsheet + manual checks?

Manual sanctions + PEP + UBO + property checks take 30-45 minutes per let. Certaby runs them in one transaction with a hash-bound certificate. A let from £1.98.

Is the Right to Rent check free, and how do I do it?

Yes. The GOV.UK share-code check is free, and so is recording it in Certaby. A check by link, for a British or Irish passport or a share code, is £3.49. England.

How much should a letting agent budget for AML compliance checks per let?

AML checks cost UK letting agents £3 to £25 a check. A Certaby let is £3.27 (£4.07 with PEP): £32.70 a month for 10 lets.

Can multiple branches of a letting agency share one Certaby account, or do we need separate accounts per branch?

Yes. A firm's branches share one Certaby account: each person signs in with their own login, and credit, transactions and records are shared.

If I cancel Certaby, do my old audit certificates stay accessible? What about MLR-2017 5-year retention?

Yes. Every Certaby certificate's verify link works for 7 years whether or not you still use Certaby, and you can download every PDF before you leave.

Does the US Entity List apply to UK companies?

It applies when your goods are subject to US export rules: US-made, or above the de minimis level of US content. Supplying a listed party then needs a licence.

What is the US 50% rule, when does it apply, and what should UK firms check?

Suspended until 10 January 2027. If it returns, companies 50% or more owned by Entity List or Military End User parties are restricted as if listed.

What are the UK sanctions end-use controls, and what should exporters do?

Since 13 May 2026, an exporter told by the government its goods may be diverted to a sanctioned country needs a licence first. What it covers and what to do.