Register your rental property: what you need to do, and by when

The new national landlord register is one of the biggest practical changes in the Renters’ Rights Act, and it’s the one I’m being asked about most. The official name is the Register your rental property service (you’ll also see it called the PRS Database). Here’s what it means for you, in plain English.

Who has to register

If you let a property in England to tenants on an assured or regulated tenancy (which covers almost every private let), you must register yourself as a landlord, and each property you let.

A few points that catch people out:

• Joint owners each register. If you own with a spouse, partner or family member, each of you registers. One of you registers the property and invites the others.
• Part-owners count too. If you own part of the property and are entitled to possession, you must register as a joint landlord even if you’re not named on the tenancy.
• Companies register as organisations. If you let through a limited company, the company registers, and you can add people who can manage the properties.
• Empty properties can wait, for now. During the rollout (15 December 2026 to 14 November 2027) you only need to register properties that are let, or become let. In future, empty properties will have to be registered before you advertise them.

When you have to do it

Registration opens region by region. Your deadline depends on where the property is, not where you live. You must register before midnight on the end date. You can register earlier if you want to, for example if you have properties in several regions and want to do them all at once.

Region	Opens	Deadline
West Midlands	15 December 2026	14 March 2027
East of England	15 January 2027	14 April 2027
East Midlands	15 February 2027	14 May 2027
South East	15 March 2027	14 June 2027
Yorkshire and Humber	15 April 2027	14 July 2027
North West	15 May 2027	14 August 2027
North East	15 June 2027	14 September 2027
London	15 July 2027	14 October 2027
South West	15 August 2027	14 November 2027

Derby, Nottingham, Leicester and the rest of the East Midlands open on 15 February 2027.

What it costs

• Registering yourself as a landlord is free.
• Each property costs £65 a year. There’s no VAT on it, and the government says it’s tax-deductible.
• During the rollout the fee is pro-rated, so you’re not penalised for registering early. The government’s own examples: registering on 15 December 2026 costs £5.34 per property, and on 25 June 2027 costs £39.60.
• All your properties renew on the same date: one year after you register your first one.

What you’ll need to have ready

To register you’ll use a GOV.UK One Login (the same login used for other government services). If you’re not online, there’s a paper application.

For each property you’ll be asked for:

• the address, number of bedrooms and whether it’s let
• a correspondence address in England or Wales
• contact details for any managing agent, superior landlord or freeholder
• your gas safety record (if there’s a gas supply)
• your electrical safety certificate (EICR)
• your Energy Performance Certificate
• tenancy details, including the rent
• any licence you hold, such as an HMO or selective licence

You can add the certificates and tenancy details at the time, or within 28 days. If you don’t, the registration can be deactivated, which puts you back in breach if the property is let. An HMO has one registration for the whole building.

My advice: get the paperwork together now. Put the current gas, electrical and EPC certificates for each property in one folder, check the expiry dates, and renew anything that’s close. It’s the paperwork, not the form, that holds people up.

Keeping it up to date

Once you’re registered, you must update your record within 28 days if your contact details change, the occupancy changes, or a safety certificate is renewed or expires. Updates are free. So every time you get a new gas safety record, it now has a second job: uploading to the register.

If you use a letting agent

The legal responsibility stays with you. You have to register yourself and start each property registration, and pay the fee. Once the property has a registration number and is let, your agent can add the tenancy and safety details for you. You’re still responsible for the record being complete within 28 days, so agree with your agent who’s doing what.

What happens if you don’t register

The penalties are serious:

• up to £7,000 for failing to register yourself or a property
• up to £40,000 for knowingly or recklessly giving false or misleading information, or for continuing or repeated breaches

Councils can take enforcement action once your region’s window has closed, and tenants can apply for a Rent Repayment Order through the First-tier Tribunal once registration has opened for their area.

Coming next: numbers on adverts

In future, your landlord number and property number will have to appear on every advert for the property. That’s not required yet, but you’re allowed to include them now. The government says it will publish guidance before it becomes compulsory.

Your to-do list

1. Find your region’s dates in the table above and put the deadline in your diary.
2. Set up a GOV.UK One Login if you don’t already have one.
3. Gather the current gas, electrical and EPC certificates for every property, and renew anything near expiry.
4. If you own jointly, agree who will register each property and invite the others.
5. If you use an agent, agree in writing who uploads what, and when.
6. Budget £65 per property per year from 2027.

If you’d like to talk through your situation, particularly if you have several properties, joint owners or a company, book a call.