The new landlords database: registration dates, fees and what landlords need to do

One of the new initiatives under the Renters’ Rights Act 2025 was a new Landlord Database.

As I said in my blog post here, this is long overdue.  At the moment, there is no comprehensive national register showing who all the landlords are and where their rented properties are situated.

Information needed for good governance.

The new database is announced.

The Renters’ Rights Act received Royal Assent on 27 October 2025, and its main private tenancy reforms came into force on 1 May 2026 in phase one, as set out in the government’s roadmap.

The new database was scheduled to come into force in phase 2 – which is now almost upon us!

Called ‘Register your rental property’, the service is due to open on 15 December 2026, with registration introduced region by region. The announced fee is £65 per property each year.

So when will you need to register, and what will you have to do?

Here is an overview of the arrangements announced so far.  Although, note that the detailed regulations are currently published in draft form, so some arrangements may change before launch.

What is the database for?

The intention is to:

• provide information to the authorities about the extent of the Private Rented Sector,
• help landlords understand and demonstrate compliance with their obligations,
• give tenants information about rental properties, and
• help councils identify landlords who are breaking the law.

There will be separate entries for landlords and their rental properties. The database is therefore intended to cover all ordinary private landlords, rather than just landlords who have committed offences.

Who will need to register?

The announced scheme covers landlords letting properties in England under assured or regulated tenancies. This includes landlords with just one rented property.

The draft regulations exclude supported exempt accommodation, as defined in section 12 of the Supported Housing (Regulatory Oversight) Act 2023.

Note that this is an England only scheme. Wales has had registration for some time, in the scheme run by Rent Smart Wales.

When will I have to register?

The government has published the following timetable:

The relevant region is where the property is situated, rather than where you live.

What if my property is empty?

The initial rollout covers properties which are already let or become let during the rollout.

Later, the government intends to require landlords to register empty properties before marketing them. At that stage, landlords and agents will also have to include registration numbers in advertisements.

However, this is for a later stage. It should not be confused with the initial registration.

How much will registration cost?

The government has announced an annual fee of £65 per property, with annual renewal.

It says fees will be adjusted during the rollout so that landlords registering first do not have to pay more.

What information will I need to provide?

You should prepare your personal or company details, property addresses, tenancy and rent information, and relevant safety documents.

The draft regulations contain detailed requirements for landlord and property entries, including supporting documents. These should be checked against the final regulations and registration guidance before you submit your entries.

You can find out more about what you will need to provide in the government guidance here.

Can my letting agent deal with it?

Government guidance says landlords will need to start and finish the registration process themselves. Agents and property managers can supply certain information on your behalf, but you can’t just sit back and leave it all to them.

Further guidance on the agent’s role is expected before launch.

Will I need to keep the information up to date?

Yes. Under the draft regulations, any relevant changes must, in most cases, be recorded within 28 days.

Entries will also need annual renewal. Failure to renew, or to supply required information within the specified period, can cause an entry to become inactive.

So this will be an ongoing responsibility, rather than something you do once and forget about.

What happens if I do not comply?

The Act provides for civil penalties of up to £7,000 for breaches of the database requirements.

If you commit one of the offences in section 92 of the Act, such as knowingly or recklessly providing information to the database operator which is false or misleading in a material respect, the maximum civil penalty is £40,000. A lot of money.

Note that these are maximum penalties, rather than automatic fines. You should check your local authority policy on enforcement if you think you may be at risk.  Landlord Law members can find out more about this here.

Could failure to register affect possession proceedings?

Yes, once the relevant provisions are brought into force. Section 90 provides that a court cannot make a possession order while the landlord is in breach of the relevant registration duty, except where possession is sought under Ground 7A or Ground 14.

Where there are joint landlords, a breach by any of them can engage this restriction.

This is a significant consequence once the provision becomes operative.

You should therefore always check this carefully before serving notice and/or bringing possession proceedings.

Will tenants be able to see all my information?

Do not assume that everything supplied will be publicly available.

The government intends to introduce public access later. Further regulations are planned to specify which information will be public and govern data sharing.

And finally – what should I do now?

For now, check the registration timetable for your properties and start gathering the information you will need.

If you use a managing agent, discuss what help they will provide.

We will report further developments on this blog as the service launches.