The PRS Database: How to Register Your Rental Property

The PRS database is the government’s new register of private landlords and rented homes in England. Through the Register your rental property service, every landlord must register themselves and each let property, pay £65 per property per year and add gas, electrical and EPC certificates. Registration opens region by region from 15 December 2026.

Last updated: 2 November 2026. Applies to England unless stated.

This guide is the starting point for everything TLA publishes on landlord registration. It explains what the database is, who must register, when your region opens, what it costs, what you need to hand and what happens if you get it wrong. Each section links to a detailed guide when you need more.

What is the PRS database?

The private rented sector (PRS) database was created by the Renters’ Rights Act 2025. The government service that delivers it is called Register your rental property, and it is run by the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government.

It does two jobs. It gives councils a single record of who lets what, so enforcement can be targeted at the landlords who ignore the rules. Over time it will also let tenants check whether a landlord has registered before they rent.

For landlords, the practical effect is simple. Registration becomes a legal requirement for letting, in the same way that a gas safety record or deposit protection already is.

Who must register?

You must register if you are a private landlord letting property in England that is occupied under an assured or regulated tenancy. Since 1 May 2026, most private tenancies in England are assured periodic tenancies, so this captures the vast majority of private lets.

Registration covers:

• Individual landlords, including sole traders, people who let a single property and partners in an English business partnership.
• Joint landlords. Each joint landlord must register. A part-owner who is entitled to possession must register even if they are not named on the tenancy.
• Organisation landlords, including companies, charities, trusts, LLPs and Scottish partnerships.

Who does not need to register yet

Supported exempt accommodation, as defined in section 12 of the Supported Housing (Regulatory Oversight) Act 2023, is excluded.

During the rollout, which runs until 14 November 2027, you only need to register properties that are let, or that become let during that period. Empty properties do not need registering yet. The government has said that in future, unoccupied properties will need registering before they are marketed.

When do I need to register? Regional deadlines

The service opens on 15 December 2026 and rolls out region by region. Each region has a three-month window. Your deadline follows where the property is, not where you live, and you must register before midnight on the end date.

You can register before your region’s window opens, once the service is live. You cannot register late without being in breach. If your portfolio spans several regions, read our guide to PRS database deadlines by region before deciding whether to register everything at once.

How registration works

Registration happens in two stages, using a GOV.UK One Login account. A paper application is available if you cannot use the online service.

1. Register yourself as a landlord. You give your personal or organisation details and receive a landlord number.
2. Register each property. You give the property details, pay the fee and receive a rental property registration number.
3. Complete the property record within 28 days. You add tenancy details and upload the gas safety certificate (if there is a gas supply), electrical safety report and EPC.

Landlord numbers take the format L-XXXX-XXXX and property numbers P-XXXX-XXXX. They will have to appear in adverts in future. Including them now is optional.

Our step-by-step registration guide walks through each step, from setting up One Login to inviting joint landlords.

What does it cost?

The fee is £65 per property per year. It is not subject to VAT and it is tax-deductible as a letting expense. There is no charge for registering yourself as a landlord or for updating your records.

During the rollout the fee is pro-rated so that landlords who register early do not pay more. Days before 15 November 2027 are disregarded in the calculation. GOV.UK’s own examples show a fee of £5.34 for a property registered on 15 December 2026, and £39.60 for one registered on 25 June 2027.

Your renewal date is one year after you register your first property, and all your properties share that date. One renewal each year covers the whole portfolio. Our guide to PRS database deadlines by region explains the shared renewal date in more detail.

What information and documents do I need?

For yourself, have your name, date of birth, residential address, phone number and email ready. Organisations also need their legal entity type, Companies House or charity number where they have one, and details of directors, trustees or partners.

For each property, you need:

• The address, number of bedrooms and rental status.
• A correspondence address in England or Wales.
• Contact details for any managing agent, superior landlord or freeholder.
• Tenancy details: rent, number of tenants and households, furnishing, and whether bills are included.
• Any HMO, additional or selective licence.
• Gas safety certificate (if there is a gas supply), EICR or Electrical Installation Certificate, and EPC, with issue and expiry dates.

An HMO needs one registration for the whole building, not one per room. Our guide to the documents you need to register each property includes a per-property checklist.

Joint landlords, companies and partnerships

Where a property has joint landlords, one of them registers the property and invites the others. Each joint landlord must still hold their own landlord registration.

For companies and other organisations, anyone in the organisation can create the registration and then add team members, who can register and update properties. Members of English business partnerships register as individuals. LLPs and Scottish partnerships register as organisations and list all partners.

Our step-by-step registration guide explains how joint landlords register.

Can my letting agent register for me?

Not entirely. You must register yourself, start each property registration and pay the fee. Once you have the property number and the property is let, you can give your agent a secure link so they can add tenancy details, licences and certificates.

The agent is responsible for the accuracy of what they submit, and you are notified of every submission. You remain responsible for making sure the record is complete within 28 days. Our step-by-step registration guide explains how to split the work.

What happens if I do not register?

Local councils enforce the database. GOV.UK guidance sets out two tiers of civil penalty:

• Up to £7,000 for failing to register yourself or your property.
• Up to £40,000 for knowingly or recklessly giving false or misleading information, or for continuing or repeated breaches.

From 15 December 2026, tenants can also apply to the First-tier Tribunal for a rent repayment order over these failures, in areas where registration has opened.

Possession is also at stake. The Renters’ Rights Act 2025 restricts possession orders where the landlord or the property is not registered, with limited exceptions. The government has not yet confirmed exactly when this restriction applies in each area, so check GOV.UK, and take legal advice, before you start possession proceedings. Read our full guide to penalties for not registering, and the possession risk.

Keeping your registration active

Registration is not a one-off task. You must update your record within 28 days of any change, such as a new tenant, a change of rent or a replacement certificate. Updates are free.

If required information is missing after 28 days, the property registration can be deactivated. An inactive registration may put you in breach of the duty to hold an active entry for a let property. If none of your properties remain active, your landlord registration is deactivated too.

Landlords with a live banning order may not be allowed to register, depending on the terms of the order.

What comes next: the Landlord Ombudsman

The Renters’ Rights Act also creates a mandatory PRS Landlord Ombudsman, which every private landlord will have to join. It is expected to follow the database, with 2028 widely expected, but no firm date has been set. Our planned guide to the Landlord Ombudsman will track the timetable.

Wales and Scotland

The PRS database applies to England only. Wales and Scotland run their own separate landlord registration schemes, with different rules, fees and enforcement. If you let property outside England, see our planned guide to landlord registration in Wales and Scotland.

Your registration-ready checklist

1. Confirm which region each property sits in and note the deadline.
2. Set up or check your GOV.UK One Login account.
3. Collect your landlord details, or your organisation’s details and officer list.
4. Check every gas safety certificate, EICR and EPC is in date, and note issue and expiry dates.
5. List tenancy details for each property: rent, tenants, households, furnishing and bills.
6. Gather any HMO, additional or selective licences.
7. Agree with joint owners who will register each property and send invitations.
8. Agree with your agent which sections they will complete, and how they will store property links.
9. Decide whether to register the whole portfolio at once to set a single renewal date.

This guide is general information, not legal advice.