When do I have to register my rental property?

Start dates are according to the draft regulations. Registration deadlines come from Housing Hub (GOV.UK).

Government Housing Hub: deadlines checked 19 October 2026.

Checked against the draft PRS Database Regulations 2026 on 18 October 2026.

The draft covers 153 English council areas. According to the draft regulations, commencement for other purposes is 15 September 2027.

Use the rental property's postcode. The finder follows: postcode to ONS region to regional dates. Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland fall outside this register.

Early registration is available according to Housing Hub.

When will the landlord database start?

Registration opens to all regions on 15 December 2026. You can register before your region's start date, including properties in different regions together.

Each property's compulsory deadline follows its own location. If you register a portfolio together, use the earliest deadline among those properties; a later regional window does not extend an earlier one.

Is the database live in 2026?

The government's announced opening date for "Register your rental property" is 15 December 2026. The opening date and the last day to register are different: West Midlands starts first according to the draft regulations, while its deadline falls in the following year.

Which properties must be registered?

PRS Database registration is mandatory for private landlords in England. During rollout, Housing Hub requires registration of properties already let or becoming let during that period. Its guidance says future legislation will require registration of unoccupied properties before advertising.

The Renters' Rights Act 2025 provides for active landlord and property entries before marketing or letting, and database numbers in written advertisements. Read the advertising rules alongside the rollout guidance above.

Section 91 of the Renters' Rights Act 2025 caps database penalties at £7,000 for a section 82 breach and £40,000 for an offence under section 92. These penalty powers did not come into force on 1 May 2026: regulation 3(i) of SI 2026/421 excluded them. No later regulations bringing them into force were found on 23 October 2026. See the penalties explanation.

How do I register?

According to the draft regulations, submit through the database operator's website or its form. An active landlord entry must exist before a property entry is made.

The draft permits applications by landlords, intending landlords and specified representatives, including people acting under a power of attorney. Housing Hub says landlords using a letting agent must still start registration themselves. Under the draft, an appointed agent or property manager can supply the property information and documents in Part 2 of Schedule 3.

The fee is £65 per property per year, according to the government's Housing Hub. Fees are adjusted proportionately during rollout so earlier registrants do not pay more. According to the draft regulations, payment is required before a property entry is made.