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Landlord register

England landlord register for letting agents and property managers: what you can and cannot do

Landlords must start the registration themselves, but GOV.UK has set out how an agent or property manager can supply the tenancy and safety details and keep them updated. Here is the process, who stays responsible, and what to prepare before the first region opens on 15 December 2026.

Independent guide, not governmentReviewed by Liam Humphreys on Last updated Last checked 6 sources5 min readHow this guide was made, including our use of AI

Contents

Status at 4 November 2026: guidance published, Regulations still draft

GOV.UK published guidance for letting agents and property managers on 29 October 2026. The Private Rented Sector Database Regulations 2026 are still shown on legislation.gov.uk as a draft that has not been made, and we could not confirm Parliament has approved them. The service launches with the first region, the West Midlands, on 15 December 2026. Using the agent feature is voluntary, according to GOV.UK.

The short version

  • The landlord starts. Landlords must start all property registrations, and it is their legal responsibility to register each property and pay the fee.
  • You can then supply details. Once the property has a registration number and is occupied, the landlord can give your agency’s email address and the service sends you a link. You can provide tenancy and safety details and keep them updated.
  • 28 days. If the information is not submitted within 28 days, the property’s registration becomes inactive and the landlord may breach their legal duties.
  • Redress scheme. To do lettings agency or property management work you must also be registered with a relevant redress scheme.

What the landlord does first

The landlord registers themselves, which gives them a landlord number, then registers each property, pays the annual fee and receives a property registration number. Landlord numbers look like L-XXXX-XXXX and rental property numbers like P-XXXX-XXXX. When registering a property the landlord can choose for you to provide certain information, and for that they need an email address for your agency. See the steps for landlords.

What you can provide

Using the link sent to your agency you can provide:

  • details of any house in multiple occupation (HMO), additional or selective licences;
  • the number of tenants and households;
  • whether the property is furnished, partly furnished or unfurnished;
  • how much the rent is;
  • any bills the rent includes.

You can also provide the compliance certificates and their issue or expiry information: the gas safety certificate (if the property has gas), the Electrical Installation Condition Report (EICR) or Electrical Installation Certificate (EIC), and the energy performance certificate (EPC). You can keep these sections up to date.

You cannot register the landlord, pay the landlord’s fee or complete the landlord’s own sections. GOV.UK says landlords remain responsible for ensuring the information is provided.

Responsibility

GOV.UK’s guidance says you are “responsible for the accuracy of any property information you submit”, and the landlord receives a notification of any data you submit. The service sends landlords a reminder if required information has not been provided during the 28 days. The landlord must also keep information up to date within 28 days of any change, such as the number of occupants or the rent changing, or a certificate expiring and being replaced, and you can supply those updates through the same links.

  • You receive a unique link for each property.
  • The first time you use a link, you are asked to set a password, which you use each time you update that property.
  • Anyone in your agency with the link and password can update the registration, so different departments can update different parts.
  • You cannot reset the password yourself. The landlord must cancel the access link and send you a new one.
  • Plan how you will store the links and passwords safely.

Which properties, and what is coming

During the rollout, landlords only have to register properties that are let on an assured periodic or regulated tenancy at the time of their region’s deadline, or that become let after it. Supported exempt accommodation as defined in section 12 of the Supported Housing (Regulatory Oversight) Act 2023 does not need registering. (GOV.UK’s landlord guidance words the first point as properties that are “currently occupied by tenants”.)

In the future, properties available for let will also have to be registered before they can be marketed and advertised, including unoccupied ones. GOV.UK says that when that happens you will need to confirm the landlord and property have been registered before you market, and include the landlord and rental property number on adverts. No date has been given, and GOV.UK says it will update guidance before the requirement takes effect. Under the draft Regulations a landlord entry and a dwelling entry must be active before a home is marketed, a duty the Act sets out in section 82.

Dates by region

The first region’s registration period (West Midlands) starts on 15 December 2026. The nine start and end dates are in our deadlines guide. The deadline follows the property’s location, not the landlord’s or the agency’s.

What to prepare now

This is our suggestion, not GOV.UK’s.

  1. List the landlords you manage for and the region of each property, so you know which deadline applies. A landlord with properties in several regions can register them together.
  2. Agree with each landlord, before the service launches, who will provide the tenancy and safety details. GOV.UK says to discuss how they will approach it.
  3. Choose one agency email address to give landlords, and decide where links and passwords are stored.
  4. Collect each property’s gas safety record, EICR or EIC, and EPC with their dates, and the tenancy facts above. The documents guide lists them.
  5. Check your redress scheme membership is current.

Disclosure: Plainfiles sells a branded pack for letting agents to give landlords about the register, at this page. That is our own product and nothing in the GOV.UK guidance requires it.

Frequently asked questions

Can a letting agent register a landlord for them?

Not as a routine matter. GOV.UK says landlords must start all property registrations. Only certain people with legal authority, for example an attorney or a personal representative, can register on a landlord’s behalf, and they must contact the service. See the third-party guidance.

No. GOV.UK says using this feature is voluntary. But if the details are not submitted within 28 days the property’s registration becomes inactive, so the landlord has to supply them if you do not.

Does an agent pay the fee?

GOV.UK says landlords need to pay the property’s annual registration fee on the service. It does not say agents pay.

What if a landlord changes agent?

GOV.UK says if you need a new password, the landlord cancels the access link and sends a new one. It does not say more on changing agent, and we have not found guidance on it.

Sources

Last checked 4 November 2026.

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.