From December 2026, landlords in England will have to register themselves and their rented homes on a new government database before they let a property and, in many cases, before they can take a tenant to court. The government has now set out how the system will work. Here is what it means in practice.
Why this is happening
The Renters' Rights Act, or RRA, 2025, is being introduced in stages. The first stage reshaped tenancies, ending fixed terms and "no-fault" evictions under Section 21, so most tenancies now roll on month to month. The second stage is about transparency: creating a single, official record of who is renting out what. That record is the Private Rented Sector (PRS) database, and landlords will use a service called "Register your rental property".
Who has to register, and what it costs
If you let a home on an assured or regulated tenancy, covering the majority of private landlords, you will need to register. It works on two levels. First, you register yourself as a landlord, and second, you separately register each property you let.
The annual fee is £65 per property, which is charged on each home you let rather than once per landlord, so it scales with the size of your portfolio and recurs annually as a running compliance cost rather than as a one-off. Landlords used to a single licensing fee will need to treat this as a permanent budget line for every property they hold. Properties standing empty do not need to be registered yet, although that is expected to change.
When you'll need to do it
The service opens on 15 December 2026 and is being rolled out region by region. The West Midlands will serve as a test bed, with regional landlords given until 14 March 2027 to register. Other regions will follow month by month, and the last to be counted – the South West – has until 14 November 2027 to comply. Each region will receive a three-month window from its start date, and so the sensible approach is to determine when your area opens and note the deadline early, rather than leaving it to the last minute.
What information you'll provide
The database is meant to give tenants and councils a clear picture of each let, so it asks for more than a name and address. You will need to supply your own details as landlord, including your name, date of birth, address and contact information. You will also give details of the property itself: its address, type, number of bedrooms and whether it is occupied. In terms of the tenancy, you will be asked to include how many people and households live there and whether any licensing applies. Beyond that, you will record the rent, how often it is paid, whether any bills are included, and key safety documents (specifically a current gas safety record, an electrical installation report and an Energy Performance Certificate, or EPC). Much of this is information a well-run tenancy should already have to hand, so the real work falls on landlords whose paperwork has lapsed.
What happens if you don't?
A landlord who fails to register can face a civil penalty of up to £5,000, rising to as much as £40,000 for repeated breaches, or for giving false or misleading information – a criminal offence.
Just as importantly, registration is tied to your ability to recover your property from a tenant. An unregistered landlord will not be able to obtain a possession order from the Court except on a narrow set of grounds, such as serious criminal or anti-social behaviour by the tenant. With Section 21 now gone, this makes registration effectively a precondition of letting a home and, if it ever comes to it, recovering it.
What to do now?
There is nothing to register until the service opens, but there is much to prepare. Find out when your region's window begins. Ensure that your gas, electrical and energy certificates are current. Gather the tenancy details you will be asked for and, if you own several properties, budget for the annual fee across all of them. A little pre-emptive organisation today will turn what could be a scramble in 2027 into a straightforward afternoon of administration and keep you on the right side of rules that, this time, come with substantial financial and practical consequences.
- From December 2026, landlords in England must register themselves and their rented homes on the official PRS database under the "Register your rental property" service.
- Registration costs £65 per property, per year (scaling with portfolio size), while standing empty properties are currently exempt.
- Unregistered landlords face civil penalties (up to £5,000 for initial failures; up to £40,000 for repeated breaches) and cannot legally evict tenants or obtain court possession orders under most grounds.
Disclaimer: This simplified summary of a UK legal case is for general information only. It is not legal advice, may omit important detail, and may not reflect later developments or appeals. Please read the full judgement and seek professional legal advice before acting.