LetbinderEngland's landlord register, explained
From 15 December 2026, landlords in England can join the new landlord database, the Private Rented Sector Database, through GOV.UK's "Register your rental property" service. Here's what's known so far, in plain English, with the source for each answer.
The start dates are in draft regulations due for debate in Parliament on 28 October 2026. The deadlines are from GOV.UK's timetable, and a separate commencement order, due by 24 November 2026, will switch the rules on (Lords scrutiny report, paragraph 28). Details may change. Answers checked 24 October 2026.
What is the landlord register in England?
The Renters' Rights Act 2025 sets up a database of private landlords and the homes they let in England, called the Private Rented Sector Database. Landlords join it through GOV.UK's "Register your rental property" service, and get a landlord registration number and a registration number for each property.
Sources: Renters' Rights Act 2025, Part 2, Chapter 3; GOV.UK Housing Hub; NRLA.
When does the landlord database start?
Landlords can register any let home from 15 December 2026, wherever it is. Then each region gets a three-month window, from the West Midlands in December 2026 to the South West in August 2027. GOV.UK says all landlords actively letting property must be registered by 14 November 2027.
| Region | Window opens | Deadline |
|---|---|---|
| West Midlands | 15 Dec 2026 | 14 Mar 2027 |
| East of England | 15 Jan 2027 | 14 Apr 2027 |
| East Midlands | 15 Feb 2027 | 14 May 2027 |
| South East | 15 Mar 2027 | 14 Jun 2027 |
| Yorkshire and Humber | 15 Apr 2027 | 14 Jul 2027 |
| North West | 15 May 2027 | 14 Aug 2027 |
| North East | 15 Jun 2027 | 14 Sep 2027 |
| London | 15 Jul 2027 | 14 Oct 2027 |
| South West | 15 Aug 2027 | 14 Nov 2027 |
Check a property's postcode or find your council.
Sources: the start dates are in the draft regulations; the deadlines are GOV.UK's timetable; GOV.UK announcement.
Do I need to register as a landlord in England?
Yes, if you let a home in England on an assured or regulated tenancy, which is most private lets. You register yourself once, and then each property. Social housing isn't included, and the draft regulations leave out supported exempt accommodation. For now you only have to register homes that are let, or become let during the rollout; under future rules, you'll also register empty homes before they're marketed.
Sources: GOV.UK Housing Hub; the Act, section 63; the draft regulations.
How much does it cost to register?
£65 a year for each property, renewed each year. During the rollout, the fee ignores any days before 15 November 2027, so registering early doesn't cost more. The £65 isn't written into the regulations: they leave the amount to the database operator (the government, or a body it appoints), so it can change without new regulations. Whether you can claim it against your rental income is a question for HMRC's guidance or your accountant.
Sources: GOV.UK Housing Hub; House of Lords scrutiny committee report, paragraph 38; the draft regulations, regulation 14.
What do I need to register?
- A GOV.UK One Login. There'll be an offline route for landlords who need one.
- Your details, once: name, date of birth, home address, phone and email. Companies and trusts give different details, and joint landlords each register.
- For each property: the address, a correspondence address in England or Wales and an email, the ownership type, the type of home and bedrooms, whether it's let, and the name and email of any freeholder, superior landlord or property manager.
- If it's let: how many people and households live there, whether it needs an HMO, additional or selective licence (and its number), the rent, how often it's paid and whether bills are included, whether it's furnished, the gas safety record (if there's gas) and its date, the electrical report (EICR) and its expiry date, the EPC (if you had to give the tenant one), and any minimum energy standard (MEES) exemption.
- 28 days for the let details. You can add them within 28 days, counting the day you register: register on 15 December and they're due by 11 January. If they're late, the property's entry becomes inactive.
- Afterwards: update any change within 28 days, and renew every year. Your landlord entry and all your properties share one renewal date, set by your first property.
Sources: GOV.UK Housing Hub; the draft regulations, Schedules 2 and 3 and regulations 6 to 11.
Can my letting agent register my property?
Not on their own. You, or someone with legal authority to act for you (such as an attorney), must make each registration, and you stay responsible for it. Your letting agent or property manager can add the tenancy, rent and safety details for you.
Sources: GOV.UK Housing Hub; the draft regulations, regulations 4 and 7.
What happens if a landlord isn't registered?
Once your region's deadline has passed, the council can fine you up to £7,000 for letting a home without an active registration, or for not keeping it up to date. Under future rules, the same fine will apply to anyone who markets or advertises a home that isn't registered.
If you knowingly or recklessly give false or misleading information, or keep breaking the rules after a fine (not putting it right within 28 days, or breaking them again within five years), the fine can be up to £40,000, or you can be prosecuted instead.
And once registration is required, a court can't make a possession order on an assured tenancy while you, or any joint landlord, don't have an active registration, except on the anti-social behaviour grounds (Grounds 7A and 14).
Sources: the Act, sections 90, 91 and 92; GOV.UK Housing Hub (enforcement after the deadline); GOV.UK guide to the Renters' Rights Act.
Is the landlord database the same as the landlord ombudsman?
No. The PRS Landlord Ombudsman is a separate scheme, with its own fee, that follows the database. The government expects landlords to have to join it in 2028.
Source: the government's roadmap for the Renters' Rights Act.
Is this the same as landlord registration in Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland?
No. Those already have their own schemes: the Scottish Landlord Register, Rent Smart Wales and Northern Ireland's Landlord Registration Scheme. The new database covers England only.
Get ready before your deadline
Letbinder is an app that gets each property ready for the register: a checklist, your certificates on your phone, reminders and a PDF to keep beside you as you fill in the GOV.UK form.
Get a reminder before your deadline
Letbinder is an independent app, not the government's service. It doesn't register you.