The PRS landlord database: what it is and how to register
Every private landlord in England will soon have to register themselves and every rental property on a new national database, or lose the right to evict through the courts. This guide is for landlords and new investors who want to know what the Private Rented Sector database is, when it lands, what it will cost you to ignore, and what to do now. It sits alongside the Renters' Rights Act guide and the landlord compliance checklist.
What it is, in one paragraph
The Renters' Rights Act 2025 (sections 75 to 96) creates a single national database of private landlords and their properties in England. The government calls it a "one stop shop": tenants can check a property before renting, landlords get a single place to show they are compliant, and councils get a live map of who owns what so they can target enforcement. Registration will be mandatory for all landlords letting on assured or regulated tenancies. That is nearly every normal private tenancy, because since 1 May 2026 all assured shorthold tenancies converted to periodic assured tenancies.
Current status as of July 2026
You cannot register yet. The government's implementation roadmap (published November 2025) puts the database in Phase 2 of the reforms, with rollout commencing from late 2026. Two things worth being precise about:
- It rolls out regionally, not nationally on one day. The database comes online area by area from late 2026, then extends across the country in stages. No national completion date has been published, though most commentators expect the rollout to run through 2027.
- Public access comes later. Landlord registration launches first. Public access and wider data sharing are enabled after that, in phases. So tenants will not be browsing your entry on day one.
No exact launch date, no regional order, and no fee amounts have been published as of 9 July 2026. Anyone quoting you a specific registration fee is guessing.
Who must register
All private landlords letting under assured or regulated tenancies in England, and every property they let. Joint landlords are covered too: the entry has to capture the details of all of them. If you let through an agent, the duty to register is still yours. The agent cannot register instead of you, though agents will be barred from marketing an unregistered property.
What information it will hold
The roadmap sets out the minimum, subject to secondary legislation still to be approved by Parliament:
- Landlord details. Your contact details, including details for all joint landlords.
- Property details. Full address, type of property (flat or house), number of bedrooms, number of households and residents, and whether the property is occupied and furnished.
- Safety information. Gas safety certificate, electrical installation condition report (EICR) and energy performance certificate.
Each landlord and each property gets a unique identifier, and section 82 of the Act requires those identifiers to appear in any written advert for the property. Not everything on the database will be public. The government has said information related to property standards will be publicly available, but some data stays restricted to balance landlord privacy.
Penalties for not registering
The enforcement structure is already in the Act, verified at legislation.gov.uk, even though it is not switched on yet:
| Breach | Consequence | Where it comes from |
|---|---|---|
| Marketing, advertising or letting without an active entry | Civil penalty up to £7,000 per breach, from the council | Sections 82 and 91 |
| Knowingly or recklessly giving false information, continuing a breach 28 days after a penalty, or repeat breaches within 5 years | Criminal offence, or civil penalty up to £40,000 as an alternative | Sections 91 and 92 |
| Committing a database offence | Rent repayment order of up to 24 months' rent, once these offences are in force | Act's expanded RRO list |
| Being unregistered when you need possession | Court cannot make a possession order (see below) | Section 90 |
Councils impose the civil penalties and keep the proceeds for enforcement, and they were handed beefed-up investigation powers back in December 2025. Expect them to use the database as their enforcement radar.
The possession block: the penalty that really bites
Fines require a council to notice you. Section 90 is automatic. While a landlord is in breach of the duty to have an active landlord entry, the court may not make a possession order. The only exceptions are Ground 7A and Ground 14, the antisocial behaviour grounds.
Follow that through. Unregistered landlord, tenant stops paying rent, cast-iron Ground 8 arrears case: no possession order until you fix your registration. Want to sell or move back in: same block. This mirrors the existing deposit protection trap covered in the tenancy-ending guide, and it will catch people the same way, at the hearing, months into the process.
What it will cost
Unknown, honestly. The Act allows fees to be charged for landlord and dwelling entries (section 81), and the roadmap says landlords will pay an annual fee, confirmed closer to launch. The government's stated aim is that fees are proportionate and reflect the cost of running the service. The Act structures fees per entry rather than per landlord, so expect a landlord with four properties to pay more than a landlord with one, subject to the fee regulations when they land. Budget for a modest annual per-property cost and treat any specific number you see before the fee regulations are laid as speculation.
What to do now
Nothing to file yet, but the smart preparation costs you nothing:
- Get the three documents current. Gas safety certificate (annual), EICR (five-yearly) and EPC (minimum E) are exactly what the database asks for. If any of yours are expired or missing, fix that now. The full list is in the compliance checklist.
- Sort your paperwork trail. Digital copies of certificates, deposit protection, and a UK contact address. Registration will be an online form asking for things you should already have.
- Check your ads habit. Once live, every written advert needs the unique identifiers. If you self-advertise, build that into your template.
- Watch for your region. Regional rollout means your start date depends on where the property is. When gov.uk publishes the schedule, diarise it.
- Run your current setup through the compliance checker. Unregistered plus non-compliant is the worst place to be standing when enforcement starts.
What is genuinely still unknown
Being straight with you: the mechanics are not published yet. As of July 2026 we do not know the exact launch date, the regional order, the fee amounts, the full list of required information (the secondary legislation is not laid), exactly what tenants will see publicly, how the offline route works for non-digital landlords, or what grace period existing tenancies get in each region. This guide will be updated when gov.uk publishes the registration mechanics. Do not pay anyone who offers to "pre-register" you. There is nothing to register on yet.
Mistakes people make
- Assuming it is like selective licensing. It is national, it is separate from licensing, and holding an HMO or selective licence will not exempt you. See the HMO licensing guide.
- Thinking the agent handles it. The registration duty sits with the landlord, including every joint landlord.
- Ignoring it because fines seem unlikely. The possession block needs no council action. It just sits there waiting for the day you need your property back.
- Guessing at fees or dates from blog posts. Only gov.uk and legislation.gov.uk count. Everything else is filler until the regulations land.
- Leaving certificates until launch week. An EICR can take weeks to book and remedial works add more. Get compliant now and registration becomes a form-filling exercise.
We track the launch, region by region, in the free Housetrix Discord, so you will know when your registration window opens.
Sources: gov.uk, Guide to the Renters' Rights Act, gov.uk, Implementing the Renters' Rights Act 2025 roadmap, legislation.gov.uk, Renters' Rights Act 2025 sections 75 to 96, legislation.gov.uk, Renters' Rights Act 2025 section 90, legislation.gov.uk, Renters' Rights Act 2025 section 91
Education, not financial advice. For mortgage advice, speak to an FCA-authorised broker.