Another major part of the Renters' Rights Act is on its way. From December 2026, the government will begin rolling out its new national 'Register your rental property' service, often referred to as the Private Rented Sector or PRS Database.
Ultimately, landlords of assured or regulated tenancies in England will be required to register themselves and each rental property they let. For London landlords, the legal registration window opens on 15 July 2027, with a deadline of 14 October 2027, although the service itself launches on 15 December 2026 and landlords will be able to register properties voluntarily from that date.
For landlords used to their managing agent taking care of most regulatory administration, there is one important catch: you cannot simply hand the entire registration process to us. The landlord will remain legally responsible for registration and must start and finish the process themselves.
Agents and property managers will, with the landlord's agreement, be able to provide certain information on their behalf. The government has said that further guidance setting out exactly how this will work will be published before launch, so there is more detail still to come.
That does not mean you will be on your own. In fact, for well-managed properties, much of the information needed should already exist within your property management records.
What is the landlord database?
The database is one of the next stages of the Renters' Rights Act reforms. The government's stated intention is to create a central place where landlords can demonstrate compliance, councils can more easily identify non-compliance and, in time, renters can see specified information about a landlord and property before deciding where to live.
We support the principle behind that. Good landlords already spend considerable time and money meeting their obligations, so a properly designed system which makes compliance more transparent and makes it harder for persistently non-compliant operators to hide should ultimately benefit responsible landlords, renters and the wider sector.
As ever, the real test will be how well the technology and implementation work in practice. A good idea badly delivered can create as many problems as it solves, so we will be watching the rollout closely.
When do I need to register?
The database is being introduced region by region, based on where the rental property is located, not where the landlord lives. That distinction matters for landlords with properties in more than one part of England, as different deadlines may apply across a portfolio.
The current timetable is:
RegionRegistration beginsDeadlineWest Midlands15 December 202614 March 2027East of England15 January 202714 April 2027East Midlands15 February 202714 May 2027South East15 March 202714 June 2027Yorkshire and Humber15 April 202714 July 2027North West15 May 202714 August 2027North East15 June 202714 September 2027London15 July 202714 October 2027South West15 August 202714 November 2027
Once a region's legal requirement begins, landlords have three months to comply. Landlords with properties across several regions can choose to register them together earlier rather than waiting for each individual regional deadline.
How much will it cost?
Registration will cost £65 per property, per year, and registration must be renewed annually. During the initial rollout the charge will be pro-rated so landlords registering earlier are not disadvantaged by having to renew sooner.
Importantly, that is £65 for each individual property, not one £65 charge covering an entire portfolio or block. So, for example, a landlord with five registered properties would normally face £325 in annual registration fees.
What will landlords need to provide?
This is where preparation becomes important. Individual landlords will be asked for personal details including their name, date of birth, residential address, telephone number and email address, while different and more extensive information will be required where the landlord is a company, trust or other organisation.
For each rental property, information is expected to include its address, ownership and dwelling type, number of bedrooms and whether it is currently let. For a let property, landlords will also need information including:
- number of occupants and households
- whether an HMO, additional or selective licence is required, together with licence details where applicable
- whether the property is furnished, part-furnished or unfurnished
- rent charged and payment frequency
- whether utilities are included in the rent
Landlords will also need to demonstrate relevant property compliance. This is expected to include information and documents relating to gas safety, electrical safety, Energy Performance Certificates and any applicable Minimum Energy Efficiency Standards exemption.
The landlord will also need a GOV.UK One Login to use the online service. That is worth setting up well in advance if you do not already have one.
What about empty properties?
During the initial rollout, the government says landlords only need to register properties which are currently let or become let during the rollout period. Unoccupied properties do not yet need to be registered.
That will change later. The government intends to introduce a future requirement under which an unoccupied property must be registered before it is marketed to let, and at that point landlords and agents will also need to ensure the property's unique landlord and property identifiers appear in advertising.
Further guidance and a commencement date for that requirement are still to come, so this is one of the areas we will continue to monitor closely.
Can base register the property for me?
Not completely, and this is probably the most important practical point for landlords to understand. The government says that the landlord must start and end the registration process, so you cannot appoint base, or another letting agent, to take complete responsibility for registering in your place.
However, the system is being designed to allow landlords to authorise their letting agent or property manager to provide certain information on their behalf. Exactly what information agents will be permitted to submit is still to be confirmed in detailed government guidance.
So what can base do?
Quite a lot. For properties we manage, much of the information the database is designed to capture should already form part of good property management, so our role will be to help make registration as painless as possible.
We can help by:
- identifying the deadline applying to each property
- reviewing the property and tenancy information we already hold
- checking the compliance documentation held on file
- identifying missing or expired documentation that needs attention
- helping assemble the information you will need when registering
- supporting the permitted agent section of the registration process once the government confirms precisely how that functionality will operate
- helping keep managed properties compliant as certificates, licences and tenancies change
- keeping landlords updated as further database rules and guidance are introduced
There is an important distinction here. We can help you prepare, organise and maintain the information, but we cannot remove your responsibility as landlord to ensure the registration is complete and accurate.
What happens if I don't register?
This is not an optional accreditation scheme. Once the relevant requirements come into force, registration will be a legal obligation and local authorities will have enforcement powers where landlords fail to comply.
Government guidance states that letting or, once the relevant requirement is commenced, advertising a property without the necessary database registration can lead to a civil penalty of up to £7,000. Repeated breaches and certain more serious offences, including fraudulent information provided to the database, can lead to penalties of up to £40,000 or criminal prosecution.
The wider direction of travel is also worth understanding. The database gives local authorities a considerably clearer picture of landlords, properties and compliance, and the government explicitly describes it as a tool that will help councils identify and tackle poor practice.
For landlords doing things properly, that should not be something to fear. It does, however, make accurate records, good systems and proactive management increasingly important.
What should London landlords do now?
There is no need to panic, and there is no benefit in pretending the July 2027 London start date is tomorrow. There is, however, a clear benefit in getting organised early so there are no unpleasant surprises when the registration window opens.
If base manages your property, we will continue monitoring the detailed guidance as it is released and will explain what action you need to take and what we can do alongside you. In the meantime, landlords should make sure their contact and ownership details are correct, ensure property compliance documents are up to date and, if they do not already have one, familiarise themselves with GOV.UK One Login.
The private rented sector has never exactly suffered from a shortage of regulation, so our job is to cut through the noise, tell you what actually matters and help make compliance part of good property management rather than another last-minute administrative scramble.
London registration opens: 15 July 2027
London registration deadline: 14 October 2027
Annual fee: £65 per property
We will be talking about this again well before then, because there is still more detail to come and we want our landlords to be ready before the rush starts.
Information correct as at 24 September 2026. Government guidance may be updated as the service approaches launch.
