Landlord database registration confirmed: dates, fees and what you need

What was announced on 9 September 2026

The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government published the next phase of Renters' Rights Act implementation, headlined by the launch of the Register your rental property service. The service is the public face of the PRS Database created under Part 2 of the Act.

• Registration is a legal requirement for landlords of assured and regulated tenancies in England, with a fine risk for non-registration.
• £65 per property, per year, renewable annually.
• Regional rollout from 15 December 2026, starting in the West Midlands and finishing with the South West in August 2027.
• Compliance certificates are required at sign-up: gas safety record, EICR or EIC, and current EPC.
• Offline registration routes will exist for landlords who cannot use the online service.

Who must register

Registration covers landlords of assured or regulated tenancies in England. Each landlord registers themselves and each of their properties.

• All landlords of assured or regulated tenancies in England, whether individual, company, or trust, including non-resident (overseas) landlords.
• England only. Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland run their own registration and licensing schemes under devolved legislation.
• Initially only let properties are caught. Properties currently let, or becoming let during the rollout, must be registered first; unoccupied properties follow under later legislation once the public interface goes live.
• Excluded: landlords of supported exempt accommodation under the Supported Housing (Regulatory Oversight) Act 2023.
• HMO landlords must register on the database as well as holding any HMO licence required by their local council. The two systems run in parallel.

Regional rollout dates and registration deadlines

Regulations commence region by region. From the commencement date, landlords in that region have three months to register before councils can begin enforcement. Your deadline follows the property's location, not where you live.

• West Midlands: regulations commence 15 December 2026, registration deadline 14 March 2027.
• East of England: commence 15 January 2027, deadline 14 April 2027.
• East Midlands: commence 15 February 2027, deadline 14 May 2027.
• South East: commence 15 March 2027, deadline 14 June 2027.
• Yorkshire and the Humber: commence 15 April 2027, deadline 14 July 2027.
• North West: commence 15 May 2027, deadline 14 August 2027.
• North East: commence 15 June 2027, deadline 14 September 2027.
• London: commence 15 July 2027, deadline 14 October 2027.
• South West: commence 15 August 2027, deadline 14 November 2027.

What you need to register: the certificate checklist

This is the part most landlords underestimate. Registration is not just a name-and-address form, the service asks you to evidence your compliance paperwork property by property.

• Gas safety record with its issue date, for any property with a gas supply.
• Electrical Installation Condition Report (EICR), or the appropriate Electrical Installation Certificate (EIC) if that is what you hold, with its expiry date.
• Current Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) for the property.
• MEES exemption detail where the EPC rating falls below the minimum standard and you rely on a registered exemption.
• Landlords whose certificates have lapsed will need to book a Gas Safe engineer or qualified electrician before they can complete registration, in rollout regions that is now a dated obligation, not a background one.

Penalties for non-registration

The Renters' Rights Act 2025 creates a civil penalty regime enforced by local housing authorities, with penalties that escalate for continued or repeat non-compliance.

• Up to £7,000 civil penalty for an initial failure to register.
• Up to £40,000 for continuing or repeat breaches, with prosecution possible for the most serious cases.
• Rent Repayment Orders, tenants can apply to the First-tier Tribunal for repayment of up to 24 months' rent where a landlord keeps failing to register after a financial penalty has been imposed.
• Advertising and marketing restrictions, a registration number will be needed to market and let a property once the requirement bites in your region.
• Possession risk, a landlord in breach of the duty to register cannot get a possession order, except under Ground 7A or Ground 14 (tenant anti-social behaviour).

How to prepare before your region goes live

The West Midlands window opens on 15 December 2026 and every other region follows within nine months. The preparation is the same wherever your property is:

• List every rented property with its full address and identify which rollout region each one falls in, the deadline follows the property, not you.
• Pull together the gas safety record, EICR or EIC, and EPC for each property, and check none has expired or expires before your registration window.
• Book renewals now for anything lapsed or close to lapsing, engineer availability will tighten as each regional deadline approaches.
• Note any MEES exemptions you rely on and have the exemption register details to hand.
• Download the LetSafe UK PRS Database Registration Pack (LS-E-023, £9), a pre-registration checklist plus a tenancy agreement addendum for adding your registration number once issued.

Frequently asked questions