Registration opens on 15th December 2026, region by region. Every landlord actively letting property in England and their let properties will need to be registered by 14th November 2027.
The
Renters' Rights Act 2025 is being introduced in phases. The first changed the tenancy regime itself. The second is more administrative, but no less significant: a national register of private landlords and the properties they let, known as the private rented sector database.
Landlords will use it through a government service called Register your rental property. It will launch on 15th December 2026, starting in the West Midlands and moving through each region over 12 months. When an area is called forward to register, landlords with properties in the region will have a three-month period to sign up. The responsibility rests with you as the landlord, even where an agent manages the property on your behalf.
This guide explains what the database is, who it applies to and when your region is due to open. It covers the information you will need to have ready, what registration will cost, and why a missing or lapsed registration matters far beyond the paperwork. It closes with the practical steps worth taking now, so that registration is a formality rather than a scramble.
What the database is
The private rented sector database is a single government record of who lets property in England and which properties they let. The requirement is in two parts: if you're a landlord of an assured or regulated tenancy, you must register yourself and each of your properties through the service.
In practice, that means a landlord record covering you, or the organisation you let through, and a separate property record for each home you let. A landlord with one flat makes one of each. A portfolio landlord makes one landlord record and a property record for every let property. Each landlord and each property will carry its own unique identifier, which will later have to appear on lettings adverts.
The database has three purposes:
Registration is not a one-off exercise. You'll need to renew your registration each year, so the database is best thought of as a standing record to maintain rather than a form to complete once.
Who it applies to
If you are the landlord of an assured or regulated tenancy in England, you must register yourself and each of your properties through the service. That covers the great majority of private lettings.
The requirement reaches beyond individual owners. Organisations such as limited companies, partnerships and trusts register as organisational landlords. They provide details including the type of legal entity, a Companies House registration number where applicable and, for a trust, the lead trustee's details. If a property is held by a company, the registration should reflect the company as the landlord. Registering in your own name when the title sits elsewhere creates problems that are better avoided than corrected.
Some people register on a landlord's behalf: someone holding a power of attorney, a personal representative of a deceased person's estate, a court-appointed deputy, a receiver or a mortgagee, among others. They will need to say so, and supply certified or sealed evidence of their authority, such as the power of attorney itself or the grant of probate.
There are two important limits on the requirement.
Supported exempt accommodation is excluded. You won't need to register if you're a landlord of supported exempt accommodation as defined in the Supported Housing (Regulatory Oversight) Act 2023.
Vacant properties are not yet included. For now, only properties that are currently let, or that become let during the rollout period, need to be registered. Under future legislation, unoccupied properties will need to be registered before they are marketed for let. Until then, landlords with vacant properties should wait for further guidance.
Using a letting agent does not transfer the duty. Landlords are responsible for starting and ending the registration process. Your agent or property manager can provide certain information on your behalf, but you remain responsible for providing all required information. The government will publish guidance for agents and property managers on exactly what they can do before the service launches..
When you will need to act
The service does not open everywhere at once. To avoid bottlenecks, the government is staggering when properties in each region must be registered. The requirement begins in a different region each month, and once your region opens you have a three-month window to register.
Your deadline depends on where the property is, not where you live. For example, if you live in London but your rental property is in Kent, you'll need to meet the South East deadline. Landlords with properties in several regions will therefore face several deadlines.
The government has published the full timetable:
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Region
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Requirement begins
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Deadline to register
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West Midlands
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15 December 2026
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14 March 2027
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East of England
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15 January 2027
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14 April 2027
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East Midlands
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15 February 2027
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14 May 2027
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South East
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15 March 2027
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14 June 2027
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Yorkshire and Humber
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15 April 2027
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14 July 2027
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North West
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15 May 2027
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14 August 2027
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North East
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15 June 2027
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14 September 2027
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London
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15 July 2027
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14 October 2027
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South West
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15 August 2027
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14 November 2027
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The deadline matters because of what follows it. Once it has passed, councils in the region can begin enforcement. By 14th November 2027, every landlord actively letting property in England will need to be registered.
You do not have to wait for your region. The dates set when registration becomes a legal requirement, not when it becomes possible. You can register whenever you want from 15th December 2026, provided you do so before the deadline for your property's area. Portfolio landlords may find it simpler to register all their properties in one sitting rather than region by region.
We will confirm the opening date for your region with you directly, so the timetable does not depend on you watching the calendar.
What you will need to provide
You will need a GOV.UK One Login to use the service. If you don't have one, it is worth setting it up well before your region opens. Offline registration routes will be available for landlords who need them.
Most of the detail sits in the property records, and some of it, particularly the safety certificates, can take time to gather. Having everything ready before you start makes registration straightforward.
About you
Individual landlords will be asked for their name, date of birth, residential address, telephone number and email address.
Organisational landlords provide the organisation's name, its type of legal entity, an address (which cannot be a PO Box), and contact details. They also provide the details of the person making the entry and of a nominated contact. A Companies House or charity number should be included where one exists. Without a Companies House number, the names, dates of birth and addresses of all directors, trustees, partners or members of the governing body are required.
About each property
For every property you let, you will be asked for:
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The property itself: the address, ownership type, property type, the number of bedrooms and whether it is currently let.
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Who is involved: the landlord's name, a correspondence address in England and Wales and an email address. You will also need the name and email address of any freeholder, superior landlord or property manager.
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The tenancy: the number of occupants and households, any HMO, additional or selective licence (with licence numbers if available), and whether the property is let furnished, part furnished or unfurnished.
Health and safety documents
This is where landlords are most likely to be caught out, because you will be uploading the documents themselves:
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Energy performance: where a valid EPC had to be given to the current tenant, a copy of the most recent one. If that EPC has since expired, you will need the date the current tenancy started. If the rating falls below the minimum energy efficiency standard, you will need to state whether a MEES exemption is registered and, if so, which type.
An expired certificate discovered on the day you sit down to register can hold up the whole process. Checking dates now gives you time to arrange renewals before your region opens.
If you need help registering or renewing once the service is live, Aspire will be on hand to help you.
The cost
There is an annual £65 registration fee per property, and you will need to renew your registration each year. The fee is set per property, so a landlord with five let properties pays five fees, on first registration and again at each renewal.
The government says the fee balances fairness and sustainability for landlords against the cost of running the service and tackling non-compliance. The fee also helps fund councils to find and act on breaches of the Renters' Rights Act 2025. For compliant landlords, that is the point: the cost of registration supports enforcement against those who undercut the market by ignoring the rules.
Why this matters beyond the paperwork
Registration will become part of how property is let
At first, only properties that are already let need to be registered. That will change. Under future legislation, unoccupied properties will need to be registered before they are marketed for let. Landlords and letting agents will also need to include the landlord and property registration numbers on adverts. The government will publish further guidance before this comes in.
When it does, registration becomes a precondition of letting a property rather than something that follows it. Landlords already registered and compliant will be able to market their rental properties without delay.
Tenants will be able to check
Prospective landlords will also need to register in future, and tenants will be able to see whether their landlord, or a prospective landlord, has registered. The government's aim is to give tenants more confidence that a landlord is genuine and following the rules.
For a well-run portfolio, this is an advantage. The government says the database will help good landlords show their standards while stopping rogue landlords undercutting them. Increasingly, a current registration will be part of what tenants expect to see.
Councils will use it to enforce
Councils will use the information to spot rogue landlords and act sooner. Once your region's deadline has passed, they can start enforcement, and landlords who have not registered risk a fine.
Because each registration is renewed annually, enforcement does not stop once you have registered. A lapsed renewal, or a certificate that has expired without being replaced, can leave a once-compliant landlord exposed.
Penalties
Registration will be a legal requirement, and landlords who don't complete it risk a fine.
Enforcement follows the regional timetable. Once a region's three-month window closes, its councils can begin enforcement against landlords with unregistered properties. In practice, the deadline for your region is the date by which every let property you own there should be on the database.
The obligation continues after you register. Registration must be renewed each year, so a renewal missed after a first registration can leave a landlord out of compliance again.
The government has not set out the size of fines in its landlord guidance on the service. Details of how councils will enforce are expected in further GOV.UK guidance before and during the rollout.
What we suggest you do now
Registration does not open until 15th December 2026, and for most regions the deadline is months later. The preparation, however, can start now, and landlords who complete it early will find registration takes little time.
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Check your safety certificates. For each property, confirm the gas safety record, EICR or EIC, and EPC are current, and note their dates. Where an EPC rating falls below the minimum standard, check whether a MEES exemption is registered. Arrange any renewals now, not in the week your region opens.
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Confirm who the legal landlord is. Check whether each property is held in your own name, jointly, through a company or in a trust. Company-held properties should be registered to the company, using its Companies House number. If you act for someone else, for example under a power of attorney or as an executor, have certified or sealed evidence of your authority to hand.
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Gather the tenancy and rent details. For each property, note the number of occupants and households, the furnishing status, the rent and how often it is paid, and whether any utilities are included. Find your licence numbers too, if any apply.
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Set up a GOV.UK One Login. You will need one to use the service, so it is sensible to create it before your region opens.
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Note your deadlines. Find the region of each property you let and record its deadline. If you let in more than one region, consider registering everything at once from 15th December 2026.
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Talk to your agent. Agents and property managers will be able to supply some information on your behalf, but you start and finish the process. Once the government publishes its guidance for agents, agree who will provide what.
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Keep up with guidance. The government will publish further guidance on agent access and on registering vacant properties. You can sign up to GOV.UK email alerts on changes to private renting to hear when it is published.
How we can help
For managed clients, we already hold most of the compliance documents the service asks for, including gas safety records, electrical reports and EPCs. The government has confirmed that agents will be able to provide some information on a landlord's behalf. Once it publishes its guidance for agents, we will confirm exactly how we can support your registration.
For landlords who let through us on an Introduction Only basis, we can talk through the requirement and what registration will involve for your properties, including which regions and deadlines apply to you.
The database is a real change, but a manageable one for any landlord whose compliance is already in order. The landlords who struggle will be those who find an expired certificate in the week their region opens.
Contact your local office to discuss your properties and your registration timetable.
Frequently asked questions
What is the private rented sector database?
It is a national register of private landlords in England and the properties they let. Landlords use it through a government service called Register your rental property, rolling out from 15th December 2026 as part of the second phase of the Renters' Rights Act 2025.
Do I need to register?
If you are the landlord of an assured or regulated tenancy, you must register yourself and each of your properties. This includes properties held through a company, partnership or trust. The main exception is supported exempt accommodation, as defined in the Supported Housing (Regulatory Oversight) Act 2023.
When do I need to register?
It depends on where your property is, not where you live. The requirement starts in a different region each month, beginning with the West Midlands on 15th December 2026, and you have three months from your region's start date to register. You can also register early, at any time from 15th December 2026, which may suit landlords with properties in several regions.
How much does registration cost?
There is an annual fee of £65 per property, renewed each year. During the rollout, the fee is pro-rated so that landlords who register early don't pay more.
Do I need to register a vacant property?
Not yet. For now, only properties that are let, or that become let during the rollout, need to be registered. Under future legislation, vacant properties will need to be registered before they are marketed for let, and registration numbers will need to appear on adverts.
Can my letting agent register for me?
No. You must start and finish the registration process yourself. Your agent or property manager can provide certain information on your behalf, but you remain responsible for supplying everything required.
What happens if I don't register?
Registration is a legal requirement, and landlords who don't register risk a fine. Once a region's deadline passes, its councils can begin enforcement against unregistered landlords.
This article is general information and is not legal advice. Dates and figures are correct as of 6th October 2026 and reflect the Renters' Rights Act 2025 and government guidance on the Register your rental property service published on GOV.UK. Further guidance is expected, including on agent access and the registration of unoccupied properties.
