The landlord database, explained in plain English.
From 15 December 2026, every private rented home in England has to be registered on a new government database. Here's what it costs, when your deadline is and what to get ready.
What it is
The landlord database, officially the "Register your rental property" service, was created by the Renters' Rights Act 2025. Each landlord gets a landlord entry, and each rented home gets its own property entry with key safety information. Councils and tenants will be able to use it to check that a home is registered.
Register every rented home in England, pay £65 per property each year, keep the details up to date, and do it before your region's deadline.
Who must register
Landlords of assured and regulated tenancies in England. The landlord has to register; a letting agent can't register on your behalf, though they can help with information. Limited exceptions exist, for example for personal representatives of a landlord who has died or someone acting under power of attorney.
Empty homes you plan to let need registering before you advertise them, and adverts will need to show your registration details.
What it costs
£65 per property, per year. Renewal falls on the anniversary of your first property's registration, and properties you add later pay a pro-rata fee for their first year.
Deadlines by region
The service opens to everyone on 15 December 2026, but the legal requirement rolls out region by region. Deadlines depend on where the property is, not where you live.
| Region | Rules apply from | Register by midnight on |
|---|
Source: NRLA, from the official schedule published September 2026. Always confirm on GOV.UK.
What to prepare
- Your details as landlord, including contact information
- For each property: the address, property type and tenancy details
- Your current gas safety record (for homes with gas appliances)
- Your electrical installation condition report (EICR)
- Your energy performance certificate (EPC)
The service doesn't pull these in from other systems, so you'll need to enter or upload them yourself. Having them together for each address saves a lot of clicking.
Snap your certificates once and Lettava gathers everything the database asks for, per property, ready to copy in.
See it in the demoPenalties
Councils can fine landlords up to £7,000 for a breach and up to £40,000 for repeat breaches. The bigger risk for most landlords: without an active registration you can't use most possession grounds, so getting a property back becomes much harder.
Practical tips
- Start early. You can register any property from 15 December 2026, even before your region's rules apply.
- Homes in several regions? Each has its own deadline. Work to the earliest.
- Diary the renewal. The fee is yearly, and details need updating when tenancies or certificates change.
- Wales and Scotland have their own schemes (Rent Smart Wales and the Scottish Landlord Register); this guide covers England only.
Sources
- NRLA: Register Your Rental Property Service
- Property Industry Eye: Regional deadlines unveiled
- Property Industry Eye: Workload from the new landlord database
- HCR Law: PRS database to go live from 15 December 2026
- Mortgage Introducer: Legal and connectivity concerns
General guidance, not legal advice. Lettava is not affiliated with the UK government.