The much-anticipated PRS Database has been given an official title and now's the time for landlords to take note of important dates for the diary.
The Government has confirmed further details of the new "register your rental property" service, more familiarly known as the PRS Database.
The PRS Database will be a national register requiring landlords of all assured or regulated tenancies in England to register both themselves and the property they let. The aim is to create a new framework for transparency and accountability across the private rental market to drive professionalism in the sector and to ensure key information is centrally stored for landlords, their tenants and local authorities, thus making it more easily accessible.
The regional roll-out of the database begins on 15 December 2026 with rental properties in the West Midlands first to be captured. It is important to note that the registration will be based on the location of the rental property, and not that of the landlord's home or business address. In addition, landlords are responsible for starting and ending the registration process, but they can agree with their letting agent or property manager to provide certain information on their behalf. The responsibility throughout remains with the landlord for providing all required information.
Landlords will have a three-month registration window for each region, and the annual registration fee will be £65 per property to be renewed on an annual basis. Landlords have the option to register earlier than their region's roll out date, with the fee being calculated on a pro-rata basis accounting for the early period.
Landlords will need a Landlord Registration Number and a separate Property Registration Number for each rental property. Once the registration deadline of three-months has passed, the landlord will be required to provide the registration numbers when marketing or advertising the property.
The roll-out registration concludes in the South West on 14 November 2027 with the Government stating the intention is to avoid "bottlenecks in the service which could arise if everyone was to register and renew properties on the same date".
So, what if a landlord fails to register within their region's three-month roll-out period? Well, like most breaches under the Renters Rights Act 2025, if a property is not registered, the landlord runs the risk of a fine and/or the inability to rely on a number of the Section 8 grounds for possession.
So landlords, now is the time to take note, get "register your rental property" ready and those with multi-unit properties across multiple regions, ensure you have a good diary process in place to avoid becoming victims of the long awaited roll out.
A region by region key dates table can be found at: Get ready: 'Register your rental property' service - Housing Hub
