One of the key reforms under the Renters’ Rights Act 2025 is the introduction of a new and public Private Rented Sector Database. Landlords will be required to register their rental properties and keep information up to date, with significant consequences for non-compliance. The database is intended to create a central record of landlords and rental properties, giving local authorities, tenants and government bodies greater visibility of the private rented sector.

To support its introduction, the Government will roll out the new ‘Register Your Rental Property’ service in phases from December 2026 to November 2027, with the first phase launching on 15 December 2026 in the West Midlands.

What is the Register Your Rental Property service?

A new public database which landlords will be legally required to register with. Landlords will have a duty to maintain the entries on the database and ensure that they are updated annually.
The first phase of the database will require compulsory registration for tenanted properties or properties which become tenanted after the date on which the database is implemented in your area.
Further regulations will make registration a prerequisite for renting properties, as landlords and lettings agents will need a unique Database ID to market the property.
Landlords will need to provide the Database ID on Claim Forms for possession. Otherwise, landlords will be prevented from relying on most possession grounds, except grounds for antisocial behaviour.
There will be an annual registration fee of £65 per property. The registration fees will support local authorities to carry out activity to identify and act on non-compliance with the Renters’ Rights Act 2025 reforms.

What information must landlords provide when registering?

The information required is intended to give local authorities and tenants greater transparency about landlords, rental properties and compliance with legal obligations.

Landlords will need to provide information and upload documentation under the following headings:

Landlord Information – including the landlord’s contact details as well as relevant information from all joint landlords, company landlords, or trustees where land is held under a trust.
Dwelling Information – including the property address, type of property, and number of rooms.
Tenancy Information – including the number of occupiers, HMO certificate (if any), and whether the property is furnished or not.
Rent Information – rent charged and payment frequency, and whether rent includes utilities.
Health and Safety Information – including Gas Safety Certificates, Electrical Installation Condition Report and EPC.

Further regulations will confirm how much of this information will be made public.

When must landlords register their properties?

The database is being implemented for properties in the West Midlands from 15 December 2026.
The database will be rolled out across regions in England until full implementation in November 2027.
The regional rollout is designed to avoid bottlenecks in the service caused by mass first registrations and annual re-registrations.
Landlords must register their properties when the database is implemented in the region in which the property is based.
Once the database is implemented in your area, landlords have a three-month window to register their properties.
Landlords can choose to register their properties before the database is implemented in their area, should they wish to do so.
Annual fees are pro-rated to ensure that landlords who sign up early are not required to pay more than the landlords who sign up later in the rollout.

Why should landlords prepare now?

Landlords should review their tenancy documentation and ensure they are prepared to register their properties on the Private Rented Sector Database when the service becomes available in their region.

Now is the ideal time to ask:

Are all gas and electrical safety certificates current?
Are tenancy records organised and accessible?
Is EPC documentation readily available?
Are property details accurate and up to date?

Landlords who can answer “yes” to these questions are likely prepared to register once the database is rolled out for the area where their property is located.

If not, landlords should prepare for the hidden costs of compliance and ensure they rectify any errors or omissions in tenancy documentation. Any non-compliance could result in financial penalties or civil, or even criminal, sanctions.

With the first phase of the database rollout fast approaching, landlords should ensure their records, tenancy documentation and compliance certificates are up to date before registration becomes mandatory in their region.

Whilst the changes may seem daunting, early preparation can help avoid compliance issues and unnecessary costs further down the line. If you would like advice on the Renters’ Rights Act 2025 or any aspect of residential landlord and tenant law, we do offer fixed fees on certain services. Please contact our Property Litigation team, who will be happy to assist.