The Private Landlord Database (PLD) is a mandatory England-wide register of private landlords and their let properties, created by the Renters' Rights Act 2025 and delivered through the government's Register your rental property service. It is operated centrally and local housing authorities will use it to enforce standards. The rollout was confirmed on 9 September 2026: registration opens region by region from 15 December 2026, at £65 per property, per year.
Registration starts in the West Midlands on 15 December 2026 (deadline 14 March 2027) and reaches every English region by 15 August 2027 (South West deadline 14 November 2027). Each region gets a three-month window before councils can begin enforcement, and the deadline follows the property's location, not the landlord's. Prepare your details and certificates now so you are ready when your region goes live.
Who must register?
- Every private landlord in England who lets a property under an Assured Periodic Tenancy.
- Every managing agent who manages a private rental property on behalf of a landlord must also register.
- HMO landlords must register each property separately.
- Companies that let residential property are within scope, the individual director with day-to-day responsibility must be a named registrant.
What information must be registered?
- Your name, contact address and email
- The address of each let property
- The tenure type (periodic APT, HMO, lodger arrangement etc.)
- The current tenant's name (but not contact details) for each let property
- Whether the property is subject to any outstanding improvement notices or civil penalties
- For HMOs: the HMO licence number
Penalties for failing to register
Failure to register, or providing false information, is a civil offence. Local housing authorities may impose civil penalties of up to £7,000 for an initial breach, rising to £40,000 for continuing or repeat breaches. Once the duty is live, an unregistered landlord also cannot obtain a possession order except on the serious anti-social behaviour grounds, so in practice you cannot recover possession until you comply.
Once the database duty is live in your region, an unregistered landlord cannot obtain a possession order except on the serious anti-social behaviour grounds (7A and 14). If you let a property after the PLD goes live in your region without registering, register before issuing possession proceedings.
When will registration open?
Registration opens 15 December 2026 in the West Midlands, then one region per month: East of England (15 January 2027), East Midlands (15 February 2027), South East (15 March 2027), Yorkshire and the Humber (15 April 2027), North West (15 May 2027), North East (15 June 2027), London (15 July 2027) and South West (15 August 2027). Each region's registration deadline is three months after its start date.
Preparing now
- Gather the addresses of all your let properties, you will need them for registration
- Confirm whether any of your properties have outstanding improvement notices or civil penalties (these must be disclosed)
- For HMOs, have your licence numbers ready
- Download LetSafe UK's Private Landlord Database Registration Pack (LS-E-023), it includes a readiness checklist and a template record-keeping spreadsheet so your data is ready when registration opens
LetSafe UK's Private Landlord Database Registration Pack (LS-E-023, £9) is your preparation toolkit. It includes a property information tracker, a disclosure decision tree (do you need to declare any enforcement history?), and a plain-English summary of your registration obligations under the Renters' Rights Act.