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Status at 4 November 2026: penalties are in the Act, commencement not confirmed
The £7,000 and £40,000 limits are in the Renters’ Rights Act 2025 and repeated in GOV.UK’s guidance for landlords (29 October 2026). We could not find a commencement order that brings the sections that set them into force as duties: legislation.gov.uk lists only Commencement Regulations Nos. 1 to 3, and the explanatory memorandum to the draft register Regulations says a Commencement No. 4 will bring the database provisions in. The Regulations are still a draft. Check GOV.UK before relying on any of this.
The short version
- Up to £7,000: a council penalty for failing to register yourself and your property, according to GOV.UK.
- Up to £40,000: for knowingly or recklessly giving false or misleading information, or for continuing or repeated breaches.
- Rent repayment orders: a tenant can apply, but only for the false-information and continuing or repeated breach cases, not for simply being late. This is our reading of GOV.UK’s guidance and section 98 of the Act.
- Possession: while you are in breach of the duty to have active entries, a court may not make an order for possession under section 7 of the Housing Act 1988, except on ground 7A or ground 14. GOV.UK’s guidance for third parties says this restriction starts “from Winter 2027”.
- No penalty before your region’s deadline: Housing Hub says councils can start enforcement after the region’s deadline, from 14 March 2027 in the West Midlands.
What GOV.UK says
GOV.UK’s landlord guidance, under “Penalties and enforcement”:
> You may be subject to penalties of up to £7,000 for failing to register yourself and your property on the service. You may be subject to penalties up to £40,000 for knowingly or recklessly providing false or misleading to the service or have committed continuing or repeated breaches of certain requirements relating to the service. Your local authority may take enforcement action if you do not comply with the service requirements.
Housing Hub is shorter: “If you don’t register your properties, then you risk being fined.” The GOV.UK announcement of 9 September 2026 says registration “will be a legal requirement and risks a fine if not completed”.
What the Act says
The duty is in section 82 of the Renters’ Rights Act 2025. A residential landlord must make sure there are active landlord and dwelling entries and that updates are made, and a home may not be marketed without them. Councils impose the penalties (section 91): up to £7,000 for the section 82 breaches, and up to £40,000 for the offences in section 92. Councils must be satisfied beyond reasonable doubt. Our fee and penalties guide sets out each offence and where it is in the Act.
Rent repayment orders
GOV.UK’s guidance says that from 15 December 2026 tenants will be able to apply for rent repayment orders where a landlord has knowingly or recklessly provided false or misleading information to the service, or has committed continuing or repeated breaches of certain requirements relating to it. It says they only become available once the registration period for the area of the property opens, and that applications go to the First-tier Tribunal. Section 98 of the Act adds the section 92(1) and 92(2) offences to the list of offences for which such an order can be made. Neither source lists the basic failure to register on its own.
The possession bar
Section 90 of the Act adds a rule to section 7 of the Housing Act 1988. While the landlord, or any joint landlord, is in breach of the duty to have active entries, the court may not make a possession order unless the ground is 7A or 14. GOV.UK’s third-party guidance says: “From Winter 2027 a property and its landlord must be registered on the service before a court can issue a possession order, this is known as the possession restriction.” It promises more guidance before it takes effect.
When can a council act?
Housing Hub says: “Once properties in a particular region are required to be registered, you will have a 3-month window in which to do so. After this deadline, councils in this region will be able to initiate enforcement activity.”
| Region | Register by (before midnight) |
|---|---|
| West Midlands | 14 March 2027 |
| East of England | 14 April 2027 |
| East Midlands | 14 May 2027 |
| South East | 14 June 2027 |
| Yorkshire and Humber | 14 July 2027 |
| North West | 14 August 2027 |
| North East | 14 September 2027 |
| London | 14 October 2027 |
| South West | 14 November 2027 |
The 28-day rules matter too. If outstanding property information is not provided within 28 days, GOV.UK says the property registration may be deactivated, which may put you in breach of the requirement to have an active property registration if the property is let.
What has not been published
- The date the Act’s penalty and offence sections come into force as duties.
- Any scale, or guidance for councils, on how large a penalty will be. The Act lets the Secretary of State issue guidance. We found none.
- How councils will use their powers in practice.
Frequently asked questions
What is the penalty for not registering as a landlord in England?
GOV.UK says up to £7,000, imposed by the local authority. Up to £40,000 applies to knowingly or recklessly giving false or misleading information and to continuing or repeated breaches.
Can I be fined before 15 December 2026?
Registration starts on 15 December 2026 and Housing Hub says councils can start enforcement after a region’s deadline, the first being 14 March 2027. We found nothing that says a council can act earlier.
Can I evict a tenant if I have not registered?
Not once the possession restriction is in force, unless the ground is 7A or 14 (anti-social behaviour grounds). GOV.UK says it starts from Winter 2027 and that more guidance will come. See our fee and penalties guide for the wording of section 90.
What can a tenant do if their landlord is not registered?
Housing Hub says that in future tenants will be able to use the service to see whether a landlord is compliant, and GOV.UK’s landlord guidance says that rent repayment orders are available for the false-information and repeated-breach offences. We found no tenant right tied to the simple failure to register.
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 third parties, GOV.UK, 29 October 2026
- Get ready: ‘Register your rental property’ service, Housing Hub, GOV.UK
- Stronger protections and greater confidence for renters, GOV.UK, 9 September 2026
- Renters’ Rights Act 2025, section 82, section 90, section 91, section 92 and section 98, legislation.gov.uk
- Renters’ Rights Act 2025 commencement 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.