Registration opens on 15 December 2026, and every private landlord in England with an assured or regulated tenancy will need to register themselves and each of their rental properties with the government. The new GOV.UK service is called ‘Register your rental property’. It is England’s new national landlord database, known formally as the private rented sector (PRS) database, and it was created by the Renters’ Rights Act 2025.
The rollout runs region by region. Landlords in the West Midlands go first and have until 14 March 2027. The final region, the South West, has until 14 November 2027. Once a region’s deadline passes, councils can take enforcement action against anyone who has not registered.
The database is part of the second phase of the Renters’ Rights Act. Councils will use it to see who lets what. Later, tenants will be able to use it to check whether their landlord meets key legal requirements. Your safety certificates will be held by the government, against your name.
Who needs to register
You must register if you let a property in England on an assured or regulated tenancy. That covers most private lettings. You register yourself once as a landlord, then add each property you let.
For now, only properties that are currently let, or become let during the rollout, need to be registered. Under future legislation, empty properties will need registering before they are marketed, and adverts will have to show the landlord and property reference numbers. No date has been set for that yet.
Landlords of supported exempt accommodation covered by the Supported Housing (Regulatory Oversight) Act 2023 do not need to register.
Letting agents and property managers can help, and there is an option for agents to upload certain information. The landlord still has to start the process and remains responsible for providing everything required.
How much it costs
The fee is £65 per property, per year. Registration must be renewed every year, on the anniversary of your first property registration.
- Each property needs its own fee.
- Letting by the room does not increase the fee, but each self-contained unit needs its own registration.
- During the rollout the fee is pro-rated, so registering early does not cost more.
The fees fund the service and council enforcement of the Renters’ Rights Act. The NRLA expects the fee to be an allowable expense for tax purposes.
Registration deadlines by region
Each region has three months from the date its regulations commence. The deadline depends on where the property is, not where the landlord lives. Wherever your properties are, you can register early from 15 December 2026 and add homes in several regions at once.
| Region | Regulations commence | Deadline to register |
|---|---|---|
| West Midlands | 15 December 2026 | 14 March 2027 |
| East of England | 15 January 2027 | 14 April 2027 |
| East Midlands | 15 February 2027 | 14 May 2027 |
| South East | 15 March 2027 | 14 June 2027 |
| Yorkshire and the Humber | 15 April 2027 | 14 July 2027 |
| North West | 15 May 2027 | 14 August 2027 |
| North East | 15 June 2027 | 14 September 2027 |
| London | 15 July 2027 | 14 October 2027 |
| South West | 15 August 2027 | 14 November 2027 |
The dates are staggered to avoid overloading the system. Bulk uploads are not expected to be available, so landlords with larger portfolios should allow time to enter each property.
What information you will need
You will need a GOV.UK One Login before you start. Offline routes are available for landlords who cannot register online.
About you (individual landlords): name, date of birth, residential address, phone number and email address.
About you (organisations): organisation name, legal entity type, address (not a PO box), contact details, the person making the entry, a nominated contact, and your Companies House or charity number. Without a Companies House number, you will need details of all directors, trustees, partners or governing body members.
If you act for someone else (for example under power of attorney, as a deputy, receiver or mortgagee): your capacity, your details and certified or sealed evidence of your authority.
About each property:
- Address, ownership type, dwelling type and number of bedrooms
- Whether it is currently let
- Details of any freeholder, superior landlord or property manager
- Number of occupants and households
- HMO, additional or selective licence status, with licence numbers if you have them
- Furnishing status
- Rent amount, payment frequency and any utilities included
Health and safety records for each property:
- Gas: the gas safety record, if there is one, and its issue date
- Electrical: the EICR or Electrical Installation Certificate and its expiry date
- EPC: whether a valid EPC was required for the current tenant, a copy of the latest EPC, and the tenancy start date if the EPC has since expired
- MEES: if the EPC rating is below the minimum energy efficiency standard, whether a registered exemption applies and which type
You also have to keep the entry up to date. Property information must be added within 28 days of creating the entry, and any change must be recorded within 28 days. That includes a renewed gas or electrical certificate, a new EPC or MEES exemption, a rent change or a change in the number of occupiers.
What happens if you do not register
The penalties are set out in the Renters’ Rights Act 2025, and councils can use them once a region’s deadline has passed. A breach carries a civil penalty of up to £7,000. A more serious offence can lead to prosecution or a civil penalty of up to £40,000.
| Breach | Consequence |
|---|---|
| Failing to register, or marketing a property without an active entry | Civil penalty of up to £7,000 |
| Continuing to breach after a penalty or conviction | Prosecution, or a civil penalty of up to £40,000 |
| Knowingly or recklessly giving false or misleading information | Prosecution, or a civil penalty of up to £40,000 |
| Seeking possession without active landlord and property entries | The court cannot grant a possession order, except on anti-social behaviour grounds |
| Failing to register within 28 days of a penalty or conviction, or giving false information | The tenant can apply for a rent repayment order |
The possession rule is the one to watch. An unregistered landlord who needs a property back, for a sale or because of rent arrears, would be unable to get a possession order until the registration is in place.
What tenants will be able to see
Tenants will eventually be able to check whether their landlord meets key legal requirements. Only some information will be public, and the government has said it will publish a list of what that includes. No date has been confirmed.
Before then, your gas, electrical and energy records will already sit with the government, against your landlord number and each property number.
How to get ready
- Find your deadline. Check which region each property sits in. If you have homes in the West Midlands, your window opens on 15 December 2026.
- Set up your GOV.UK One Login. You need it before you can start.
- Gather your certificates. Pull together the gas safety record, EICR and EPC for every property. Note any that are close to expiry, since renewals must be logged within 28 days.
- Check licences and exemptions. Have HMO, additional or selective licence numbers and any MEES exemption details to hand.
- Confirm tenancy and rent details. Occupant numbers, households, furnishing status, rent and any utilities included.
- Agree roles with your agent. Decide who uploads what, and who updates the register when something changes.
- Budget for the fee. £65 a year for each property, renewed annually.
- Register early. The fee is pro-rated, so there is no cost to going first.
Certificates, property condition and damp monitoring
The register asks for certificates: gas, electrical and energy performance. Each one is a snapshot from a single visit, and the visits can be a year or more apart. They tell you nothing about damp and mould, or about conditions in the home in between.
The Renters’ Rights Act already allows councils to issue civil penalties of up to £7,000 for category 1 hazards under the HHSRS, and Awaab’s Law is set to bring fixed deadlines for investigating and fixing hazards such as damp and mould to private rented homes.
Resi-IQ, ResiSure’s monitoring device, records temperature, humidity and air quality in a rental home every 30 minutes. It flags the conditions that lead to damp and mould before they become visible, and builds an independent, timestamped record of the conditions in each property.
If a council or a court asks how a home has been kept, that record sits alongside your registered certificates. ResiSure is a recognised NRLA supplier. See how it works for landlords and property managers.
Frequently asked questions
When does the Register your rental property service open?
It opens on 15 December 2026, starting with the West Midlands. Other regions follow monthly until the South West on 15 August 2027. Any landlord can register early from 15 December 2026.
How much does it cost to register a rental property?
£65 per property, per year. The fee is pro-rated during the rollout.
Do I need to register if I use a letting agent?
Yes. Your agent can help and can upload some information, but you must start the process and you remain responsible for the details.
Do I need to register an empty property?
Not yet. Only properties that are let, or become let during the rollout, must be registered. Future legislation will require empty properties to be registered before they are marketed.
What happens if I miss my deadline?
Your council can take enforcement action, including civil penalties of up to £7,000, rising to £40,000 for continued breaches. You would also be unable to get a possession order, except on anti-social behaviour grounds.
Do I need to update my registration?
Yes. Changes such as a new gas safety record, EICR or EPC, a rent change or a change in occupiers must be recorded within 28 days, and registration must be renewed every year.
Does this apply in Wales or Scotland?
No. The Register your rental property service covers England. Wales and Scotland run their own landlord registration schemes.
Get your properties ready
Book a Resi-IQ demo to see how it builds a timestamped record of conditions in every property you register.