The Private Rented Sector Database will begin rolling out from December this year – requiring all landlords to sign up.
If you’ve been following the Renters’ Right Act, you’ll know that the government are implementing a mandatory nationwide database, which all landlords must sign up for in order to let out their property.
DISCLAIMER: This article is for informational purposes only and should not be viewed as or relied upon as advice.
Contents:
When is it rolling out?
This landlord database is being delivered as part of phase 2 of the Renters Rights Act and will be rolled out regionally, starting with the West Midlands on 15th December 2026.
Here are the release dates and deadlines for each region:
Do you need to sign up?
Landlords in each region will be asked to sign up to the register, which is expected to document their rental property, whether it is licensed, all safety certificates, and how much it rents for.
Tenanted properties must sign up to this ‘Register Your Property Service’, including all existing tenancies and any that were started during the ‘roll out’ period.
Vacant homes which are being marketed to let do not need to be registered at this stage – though this is likely to change once the register is fully implemented, as rental properties will need a registration number in order to be advertised.
What landlords need to know
When a region is called to register, landlords with let properties in that area will have a 3-month window to sign up. All landlords in England will need to have registered by 14 November 2027.
Failure to sign up as a landlord with a tenanted property could result in fines.
Letting agents cannot register properties on behalf of a landlord. Registration must be completed by the landlord themself.
In the future, prospective tenants will be able to check if a landlord is registered, which is intended to give renters more confidence that a landlord is following the rules.
There will also be a fee involved when registering a property: £65 per property, per year.
Why is this being implemented?
Government guidance states that this phase of the Renters’ Rights Act will give private renters “stronger protections, greater transparency, and more confidence in the homes they rent”
On the face of it, the main goals of this register are to:
- Catch rogue landlords; As the council will have clear data to find unsafe properties and landlords who do not follow legislation.
- Protecting renters; As prospective tenants will be able to check that a property has all safety certificates before beginning a tenancy
- Supporting good landlords; As upstanding owners will be able to prove that they follow the rules.
- Fill data gaps; Once fully rolled out, the government will have access to an updated, accurate, and complete national map of all rental homes.
Alternatively, if take-up rates are high, the register will function as a lucrative avenue of generating income through annual registrations.
It will also function as a heat map, showing hyper-local hotspots which could go on to influence whether Article 4 Directions and selective licensing are implemented in certain areas
Local rent data will also be fed to local councils and the First-Tier Tribunal, so local market rents will be clear and accessible.
They may even be relied on to determine acceptable rent increases, for example.
Conclusion – Will this improve/worsen the PRS?
Though the implementation of this landlord register is not likely to be popular with many, it supports the government’s other planned legislative efforts in ‘declassifying’ the PRS – making landlords’ rights and responsibilities more transparent and balancing the power dynamic between landlords and tenants.
This register, alongside the planned ombudsman and Decent Homes Standard, will make landlords more socially responsible and aware of their legal responsibilities, which will aid in creating a fairer experience for both landlords and tenants.
Once the Database has been fully released, the 2nd phase of the Renters’ Rights Act will continue with the delivery of the PRS Ombudsman, though this is estimated to be in 2028.
For more information on how the government plans to implement the landlord register, read the government’s press statement here.
Last Updated: 14/09/26