Contents
Status at 4 November 2026: opens 15 December 2026
The service is called “Register your rental property”. GOV.UK published guidance for landlords on 29 October 2026 and says registration begins on a regional basis from 15 December 2026. The Private Rented Sector Database Regulations 2026 are still shown on legislation.gov.uk as a draft that has not been made, so check GOV.UK before relying on a date. The screens themselves have not been published, so the steps below follow GOV.UK’s description, not a walkthrough.
The short version
- You register on GOV.UK, with a GOV.UK One Login. There is a paper route if you have no digital access.
- You register yourself first (no fee), then each rented property (£65 a year each, pro-rated in the first year).
- Your deadline depends on where the property is: from 14 March 2027 (West Midlands) to 14 November 2027 (South West).
- You can give the safety and tenancy details later, but within 28 days.
Step 1: check that you have to register
You must register if you let a property in England that is currently occupied by tenants on an assured or regulated tenancy. This includes organisations that act as private landlords. You do not need to register if your tenancy is supported exempt accommodation as defined in section 12 of the Supported Housing (Regulatory Oversight) Act 2023. (GOV.UK guidance for landlords.)
For now you only have to register properties that are let, or that become let, between 15 December 2026 and 14 November 2027. Registering empty properties before you market them will be required “in the future”, with no date given. (GOV.UK guidance for landlords; Housing Hub.)
If you own a property with others, each of you must register, and one joint landlord registers the property and invites the others. See who has to register.
Step 2: find your region and your deadline
The deadline follows the property, not where you live. Use the property’s postcode to find its council, then the council’s region. GOV.UK links a PDF, “Regions of England and their local councils”, from its landlord guidance.
| Region | Start date | End date (before midnight) |
|---|---|---|
| West Midlands | 15 December 2026 | 14 March 2027 |
| East of England | 15 January 2027 | 14 April 2027 |
| East Midlands | 15 February 2027 | 14 May 2027 |
| South East | 15 March 2027 | 14 June 2027 |
| Yorkshire and Humberside | 15 April 2027 | 14 July 2027 |
| North West | 15 May 2027 | 14 August 2027 |
| North East | 15 June 2027 | 14 September 2027 |
| London | 15 July 2027 | 14 October 2027 |
| South West | 15 August 2027 | 14 November 2027 |
You can register before your region’s start date, so if you have properties in several regions you can register them together, as long as none is registered after its own end date. Our deadlines guide lists the councils in each region.
Step 3: gather what you need
For each property: the address, the number of bedrooms, whether it is let now, a correspondence address in England or Wales, and contact details for any managing agent, superior landlord and freeholder. Then, as files: the gas safety record (if the property has gas), the electrical report, the energy performance certificate, and any HMO or other licence details, plus the rent and tenancy details. The full list is in our documents guide.
Step 4: sign in
You sign in with a GOV.UK One Login, and have the option of verifying your identity. If you do not have digital access you can register through a paper-based application. GOV.UK says that once the service is live you can contact it for support and for the paper application. We found no form or contact details published yet.
Step 5: register yourself
You register yourself first, as an individual or as an organisation, and the service gives you a landlord number. GOV.UK’s guidance for letting agents says landlord numbers look like L-XXXX-XXXX. Your landlord registration is free, and so are any updates you make to it. Organisations give their details and a contact; anyone from the organisation can register it and then add team members.
Our reading of the draft Regulations is that a landlord entry becomes inactive if no dwelling entry is made within three months of it (regulation 11(1)(a) and the explanatory memorandum, paragraph 5.16), so do not register yourself long before you are ready to register a property. GOV.UK’s guidance says your landlord registration is deactivated if you have no active properties.
Step 6: register each property and pay
You give the property details, pay the property registration fee and are given a property registration number, which looks like P-XXXX-XXXX according to the letting agent guidance. The fee is £65 a year for each property, with no VAT, and pro-rated during the rollout. Our cost guide shows what that means by date. For an HMO with a licence, make one registration for the whole property, not one per room.
Step 7: give the rest within 28 days
You can give the further information (gas, electrical and energy performance evidence, tenancy information including the rent, and any licences) at the same time, or submit the registration and give it within 28 days. If you do not, the property registration may be deactivated, which can put you in breach of the requirement to have an active registration if the property is let.
Step 8: optional, let your agent help
You must start the registration yourself. Once the property has a registration number and is occupied, you can give your agent’s email address and the service sends the agent a link to provide the tenancy and safety details. You remain responsible for the 28-day deadline. See our guide for letting agents.
Step 9: keep it up to date and renew
Update anything that changes or expires within 28 days. Updates are free. Your renewal date for all properties is one year from when you registered your first property, so a portfolio renews together.
What we do not know yet
- The order of the screens, the file types and size limits for uploads.
- The paper form and the contact details for the support service.
- What the public will be able to see. GOV.UK says that currently your information will not be shared publicly but in future some may be.
Frequently asked questions
Can I register before 15 December 2026?
No. GOV.UK says registration is on a regional basis from 15 December 2026, and that from then you can register your properties whenever you want, before your region’s end date.
How long does it take?
GOV.UK has not said. It says you can submit the registration with the property details and give the remaining information within 28 days.
Do I register myself and my properties separately?
Yes. GOV.UK says you register yourself and each of your properties. The landlord registration is free; each property costs £65 a year.
I have only one rental property. Do I still register?
Yes, if it is let on an assured or regulated tenancy in England and is not supported exempt accommodation.
Sources
Last checked 4 November 2026.
- Register your rental property service: guidance for landlords, GOV.UK, 29 October 2026
- Register your rental property service: guidance for letting agents and property managers, GOV.UK, 29 October 2026
- Get ready: ‘Register your rental property’ service, Housing Hub, GOV.UK
- The Private Rented Sector Database Regulations 2026 (draft), legislation.gov.uk
- Explanatory Memorandum to the draft Regulations, legislation.gov.uk
Changes to this guide
- 4 November 2026: Published. Written on 3 November 2026 and re-checked against the primary sources on 4 November 2026: no source had changed.
This guide is general information written from the official sources listed above and checked on 4 November 2026. It is not legal, tax or financial advice, and Plainfiles is not endorsed by any government body. Rules change, so check the linked official pages for your own situation. Written and designed by Plainfiles with the help of artificial intelligence (AI) tools, then checked against the official legislation and guidance listed in the sources. How we write and check our guides.