Landlord database (PRS Database) registration: who, when and how much

Written by GenZAgents, reviewed 28 October 2026. Sources below.

From 15 December 2026 every private landlord in England must register themselves and each let property on the government's "Register your rental property" service. The requirement starts region by region, from the West Midlands in December 2026 to the South West in August 2027. It costs £65 a property a year. For each property you upload the gas safety record, the EICR and the EPC.

What the landlord database is

The Renters' Rights Act 2025 sets up a Private Rented Sector Database (Part 2, Chapter 3 of the Act). The government runs it as an online service called "Register your rental property". The detail is in the draft Private Rented Sector Database Regulations 2026 (legislation.gov.uk), laid before Parliament on 9 September 2026 and not yet approved. The House of Lords Secondary Legislation Scrutiny Committee drew them to the special attention of the House (13th report, 22 October 2026), and a Commons Delegated Legislation Committee and the Lords Grand Committee debated them on 28 October 2026; both Houses still have to approve them (Parliament record, checked 28 October 2026).

You make one entry for yourself as the landlord. Then you make one entry for each property: the dwelling, the tenancy, the rent, and the health and safety documents. You start the entry yourself with GOV.UK One Login.

Who must register

Private landlords in England. The official guidance says landlords of assured or regulated tenancies must register themselves and each of their properties. For now, that means properties that are let, or that become let during the rollout. Unoccupied properties do not need registering yet. Landlords of supported exempt accommodation under the Supported Housing (Regulatory Oversight) Act 2023 do not need to register.

The service covers England only, not Wales or Scotland.

When you must register

Registration opens for all of England on 15 December 2026. Each region then has its own start date and deadline. The official guidance says the deadline depends on where the property is, not where you live. A London landlord with a West Midlands flat works to the West Midlands deadline.

The first deadline is 14 March 2027, for the West Midlands. The last is 14 November 2027, for the South West. You can register before your region's start date, from 15 December 2026. The full table is in the deadlines by region guide.

What it costs

The fee is £65 per property per year, so three properties cost £195 a year. Renewal is every 12 months from your first entry, and properties you add later take the same renewal date (in the draft regulations, regulation 10, and reported by the NRLA; not yet in official guidance). Later properties pay pro rata for their first year (the official guidance says the fee is pro-rated during the rollout; how it works for later properties is reported by the NRLA). More in the fee guide.

What you upload

For each property, within 28 days of making the entry (in the draft regulations, regulation 6(2), and reported by the NRLA; not yet in official guidance):

the latest gas safety record (CP12) and its issue date, if the property has gas;
the EICR (or the EIC if there is no EICR yet) and its expiry date;
the latest EPC and any MEES exemption, or, if the EPC has lapsed, the start date of the current tenancy.

Every other question is in what you need to register.

If you do not register

Penalties are up to £7,000 for a breach (section 91) and up to £40,000 for the offences in section 92: false information, continuing a breach after a penalty, or a repeat within five years. Without an active entry, the court cannot make a possession order, except on Ground 7A or Ground 14 (section 90). The penalties guide has the detail.

How rentready helps

rentready is a free check that runs in your browser. Add each property's postcode and certificate dates. It tells you your region's deadline, whether each certificate will be in date at the deadline, what to book and the total fee. Its registration pack lists every question the service asks.

Check your properties free Runs in your browser. Only the postcode leaves it, to find the region.

The two 28-day rules

Upload within 28 days, or the entry goes inactive. You can make a property's entry before you have the tenancy and safety details (occupiers, licences, gas safety record, EICR, EPC, rent), but they must be added within 28 days of making the entry (draft regulation 6(2)). If they are not, the entry becomes inactive (draft regulation 11(2)(a)). An inactive entry is the same as no entry: letting the property risks a penalty of up to £7,000, and the court cannot make a possession order except on Ground 7A or Ground 14 (section 90).
Update within 28 days of any change. When information or a document in the entry goes out of date, for example when the annual gas safety check replaces last year's record, or a new EICR replaces the old one, the entry must be updated within 28 days of the day it went out of date (draft regulation 9(4)). For gas, that is every year.

Both rules are in the draft Private Rented Sector Database Regulations 2026, which Parliament has not yet approved; the official guidance does not mention them yet.

Questions

When does the landlord database open?

Registration opens for all of England on 15 December 2026. The requirement starts in the West Midlands that day and reaches the South West on 15 August 2027.

Do I need to register an empty property?

Not yet. The official guidance says properties must be registered if they are let or become let during the rollout. Future legislation will require unoccupied properties to be registered before they are marketed.

Can my letting agent register for me?

No. The official guidance says landlords must start and end the registration themselves. An agent can upload certain information if you agree it.

How much does registration cost?

£65 per property per year, according to the official guidance.

Related guides

Sources

Not legal advice. Check gov.uk before relying on this. Last checked 28 Oct 2026.