PRS Database: how to register your rental property

The government announced on 9 September 2026 that it will start rolling out the PRS Database of landlords and privately rented properties in England, on a region-by-region basis on 15 December 2026.

The roll-out of the new landlord register will start with the West Midlands, where landlords will have until 14 March 2027 to register their rental properties. By 14 November 2027, all rental properties in scope in England will need to have been registered.

It will cost £65 for landlords to register each property on the PRS Database, and they will need to renew their registrations each year and pay the £65 fee each renewal.

Although it is referred to as the Private Rented Sector Database in Chapter 3 of Part 2 of the Renters’ Rights Act, the name of the Database has been changed to the “Register your rental property” service.

Once registration becomes compulsory in a region, landlords will need an active Landlord Registration Number and a Property Registration Number for each property they let, and will need to keep the entries up to date. The rules that stop a property being marketed or advertised without registration numbers will come later, under further legislation, once the regional roll-out is complete.

If landlords fail to do so, local councils will be able to issue a civil penalty of up to £7,000 for a single breach.

The civil penalty can increase to £40,000 where a landlord gives the Database false or misleading information, or for a continuing breach of the obligation not to let a property without active entries for both the landlord and the property.

The government has been beta-testing the Database with landlords, and I personally tested it in June and July 2026. This gave me an insight into what the “Register your rental property” service will be like for landlords.

This is a comprehensive blog post about the new “Register your rental property” service, including a free tool to check your registration deadline by postcode, drawing on my experience of registering myself and one of my rental properties under the beta-testing.

There is an extensive Q&A section towards the end of the blog post, which I regularly add to.

I keep this blog post updated.

Last updated: 14 October 2026

>> GOV.UK Dedicated page: Get ready for the ‘Register your rental property’ service

>> Useful resource: The Private Rented Sector Database Regulations 2026 (draft)

>> Useful resource: Explanatory Memorandum to The Private Rented Sector Database Regulations 2026 (draft)

What is the PRS Database/Rental Property Register?

The PRS Database, or the Private Rented Sector Database, is the new national database of landlords and rental properties in England, created by Chapter 3 of Part 2 of the Renters’ Rights Act 2025. It is often referred to as the landlord database, the landlord register or the landlord portal. The government has named the service that landlords will use to register the “Register your rental property” service.

Every residential landlord will need to register themselves (a “landlord entry”) and each rental property they let (a “dwelling entry”). Registration gives the landlord a Landlord Registration Number, and a Property Registration Number for each property.

The service opens on 15 December 2026, starting with the West Midlands, and rolls out region by region until the final deadline of 14 November 2027 for the South West. It costs £65 per property per year. Registering as a landlord is free. Entries have to be renewed every year and kept up to date.

Local councils will use it to check compliance, and in future, tenants will be able to see whether a landlord is registered.

Why did the government change the name of the PRS Database?

The Civil Service has a long-standing convention for naming services (see this explanation from 2016), which “uses the words users use” and “describes a task, not a technology”. According to this post from 2015: “Good services are verbs, bad services are nouns”.

They have chosen “register your rental property” as that is the task that landlords will need to do. This is in keeping with other services such as register to vote, renew your driving licence and pay your council tax.

Regional roll-out of the “register your rental property” service (PRS Database)

The government is rolling out the PRS Database in stages, following the nine “ITL1” regions of England. Each region has a separate deadline by which time landlords must have registered their rental properties that are currently let or will become let during the rollout period. The registration of unoccupied rental properties will follow at a later date.

The table below shows the deadlines for landlords to register rental properties in England, ranging from 14 March to 14 November 2027.

The Government’s intention is that in the future, the landlord and any letting agent will need to ensure the unique landlord and property identifiers are included on adverts. However, this will require additional secondary legislation to bring into force, and so for the time being, a property only needs to be registered at the point at which a tenant occupies the property.

The deadlines are based on the location of the property, and not where the landlord lives. Landlords can choose to register properties earlier than the deadline for their region.

Map of PRS Database rental property registration deadlines for the 9 regions

I created the above map to show at a glance the deadlines for landlords to register relevant rental properties for each of the 9 regions of England (ITL1) for the roll-out of the PRS Database, now known as the “Register your rental property” service.

Note that the numbers follow the geography (1 for the North East and 9 for the South West), and not the order of the roll-out.

For a more detailed breakdown of which local authorities sit within each region, see Schedule 1 of the draft PRS Database Regulations.

Look up the deadline to register your rental property

Are you wanting to know when you need to register your property by? The PRS Database rolls out region by region from 15 December 2026, and the deadline depends on where your is property located, not where you live.

An easy way to find out your registration deadline is by using the free tool below. Enter the postcode of each rental property into the box below, and you’ll see which region it falls into, when registration opens and your registration deadline.

Who needs to register rental properties on the PRS Database?

After the registration deadline in each region, Section 82 of the Renters’ Rights Act will require there to be an “active landlord entry in the database” and an “active dwelling entry” for all “residential tenancies”. These entries are to be called the Landlord Registration Number and the Property Registration Number, as explained below.

Residential landlords will have a legal obligation under Section 82(3) to ensure that there is an active Landlord Registration Number and Property Registration Number, and also to keep active entries up to date (Section 78).

Section 63 defines “residential landlord” as a “landlord under a relevant tenancy of a dwelling in England that is not social housing”.

A “relevant tenancy” is an Assured Tenancy (which includes the new Assured Periodic Tenancy) and a regulated tenancy “within the meaning of the Rent Act 1977“.

In other words, landlords who let under an Assured Periodic Tenancy and under the Rent Act 1977 must ensure their rental properties are registered on the Database by their regional registration deadline, ranging from 14 March 2027 for the West Midlands to 14 November 2027 for the South West.

Note that all Assured Shorthold Tenancies in the private rented sector converted to Assured Periodic Tenancies automatically on 1 May 2026.

There will be no requirement for landlords with lodgers and landlords with non-Housing Act tenancies to register on the database. Non-Housing Act tenancies include High Rent Tenancies (rent of £100,000 per annum) or Low Rent Tenancies (rent under £250 pa outside of London and under £1,000 pa in London).

That said, the government has the right to change who is required to register on the Database by secondary legislation. Section 63 specifically mentions the ability to require “superior landlords” to register, as well as adding licences to occupy to the definition of “relevant tenancy”.

The definition of “residential landlord” is also used for the PRS Landlord Ombudsman.

>> Related Post: PRS Landlord Ombudsman – Renters’ Rights landlord redress scheme

How can landlords register on the PRS Database?

Once the PRS Database opens in a region (see the left hand column in the table above), landlords will have 3 months to register their rental properties before their regional deadline. The government guidance states if landlords “wish to register before you are required to do so, including if you let properties in multiple regions and would like to register these all at once, you will be able to do this”.

Landlord will need to start the registration process themselves, even if they use a letting agent, and they will need to pay the £65 fee.

This section sets out what landlords will need to obtain the Landlord Registration Number, which they can’t delegate to a letting agent.

How do landlords register on the PRS Database?

The government will set up an online website for the “Register your rental property service” for landlords to obtain their Landlord Registration Number and their Property Registration Number. This will go live on 15 December 2026.

There will be a paper-based form that landlords can use instead if they do not wish to do it online. (See para 5.6 of the Explanatory Memorandum).

How to obtain a Landlord Registration Number

The first step will be for the landlord to register themselves on the database so that they can obtain their Landlord Registration Number, which they will need before they can register a rental property.

There is no charge to register as a landlord.

The landlord cannot delegate this to their letting agent.

In future, the Landlord Registration Number will need to be included on any listings and marketing for the property. That requirement will be brought in by further legislation once the regional roll-out is complete (see the civil penalties section below).

It is important that the landlord takes care to use the correct residential landlord of the property, which may be in their own name, jointly with someone else or even a limited company or limited liability partnership.

Landlords who are individuals

Landlords who own properties in their own name will need to provide basic information (date of birth, their residential address, and contact details etc).

When I did it myself during the beta testing, I did it via the GOV.UK One Login.

What if there is more than one landlord?

The Explanatory Memorandum (para 5.7) states: “Joint landlords must each make a separate landlord entry on the database but will share a dwelling entry.”

This means that if there is more than one landlord, for instance, if the property is jointly owned, each will need to register as a landlord, and, once the advertising rules are in force, show their Landlord Registration Number on listings and adverts for the property.

There will only be one registration for the property.

Landlords who are legal entities eg limited companies

If the owner is a limited company or other corporate body, they will need to provide the name, the type of legal entity, and contact details, together with:

• Name, date of birth, email address and telephone number of the individual making the entry on behalf of the organisation. 
• Name of nominated contact within the organisation for the purposes of the database, and their email address and telephone number. 
• Companies House Registration number, if applicable. 
• Charity number, if applicable. 
• Where a Companies House registration number is not provided, the names, dates of birth and addresses of all directors, trustees, partners or members of the governing body of the organisation. 

Landlords who are trusts

If the owner is a trust, they will need to provide the name, date of birth, address, email address and telephone number of the lead trustee. 

Anyone registering in a representative capacity (attorney, personal representative, deputy, receiver, trustee in bankruptcy, liquidator, mortgagee etc.) must upload certified evidence of authority.

Can a landlord grant a Power of Attorney to someone to register properties for them?

Someone with Power of attorney can complete the registration process on a landlord’s behalf if they have specific legal authority to act on the landlord’s behalf for the purposes of registering on the database.

In practice, this would mean acting under an appropriate power of attorney. Otherwise, where they are acting as a property manager or letting agent, the landlord will still need to complete the parts of the registration that cannot be completed on their behalf. 

Registering a rental property on the landlord database

This section sets out what landlords will need to do in order to register their rental properties on the PRS Database, and obtain the Property Registration Number, including what they may delegate to their letting agent.

How to obtain a Property Registration Number

Landlords will need to obtain a separate Property Registration Number for each of the rental properties they have in England by the deadline for their region (see above to look up the deadline). They will be able to do this using the “Register your rental property” service.

I was emailed a copy of my Property Registration Number after registering my rental property.

What information is needed to register a rental property on the Database?

The key information needed to register a rental property includes the landlord’s details, the property address and type, the tenancy and rent. Landlords will also need to ensure that copies of the gas safety record and EICR are uploaded, and verify that the EPC is correct. See below for more detail.

When I did the beta testing to register a rental property, it took me about 10 minutes to complete the registration for one rental property.

Here is more detail about the information and documents landlords will need to provide or upload when registering a rental property on the PRS Database (quotations are from the draft PRS Database Regulations). I have split the information into what the landlords must enter, and that which either the landlord or a letting agent may enter, based on a demonstration by MHCLG on 30 September 2026.

Information which the landlord must enter

• Postcode and house number
• “Name of the person who is the residential landlord, or who intends to become the residential landlord”.
• Correspondence address for the residential landlord in England and Wales “which may not be a PO Box number” and an email address for that person for the property.
• Type of property, ie detached, semi-detached, terraced, flat or “other” with a box to insert text.
• Type of ownership, ie freehold, leasehold, share of freehold or commonhold. The explanation for why this was needed was: “This helps local councils know who is responsible for repair work on the property”.
• Is the property occupied by tenants? This was a simple yes/no answer.

Information and documents which either the landlord or their letting agent may enter

• Property licensing: tick boxes for selective licence, HMO mandatory licence, HMO additional licence or “This property does not need a licence”.
• State the number of households living in the property (there is an explanation about what a household is).
• Enter the number of people living in the property. The instructions say to include “everyone who lives there permanently, even if they are not related. You must include children and babies” but to exclude “guests staying for less than 90 days, people on holiday and people who have another main home elsewhere”.
• Enter the number of bedrooms, to exclude rooms smaller than 4.64 square metres.
• Does the rent include bills? A simple yes/no box.
• Is the property furnished? This question gives the options furnished, part-furnished and unfurnished, with explanations of each.
• When rent is charged. The options are monthly, 4 weekly, weekly and “other”, with a text box to state the frequency.
• What is the monthly rent? (The question changes if it is weekly). The instructions say to include any bills or services included in the rent, such as gas, electricity or cleaning, but not to include rent arrears or rent in advance payments.
• Does the property have a gas supply or any gas appliances? Simple yes/no box.
• Gas safety certificate. Note that landlords must also upload new gas safety certificates (and EICRs) within 28 days to keep the property validly registered.
• Which electrical safety certificate do you have for this property? The options are:
  • Electrical Installation Certificate (EIC) – issued when a property is built or rewired
  • Electrical Installation Condition Report (EICR) – issued after an electrician checks your existing electrics
  • None
• EPC: the Database automatically checks the EPC register and asks for confirmation whether we wish to use the EPC we found for the property. Landlords can upload an EPC exemption certificate.
• Name and email address of the freeholder, any other superior landlord, and the property manager.
• Licence numbers for HMO, additional or selective licences, if available.

The full list of information that landlords will need to ensure is entered when registering a rental property is set out in Schedule 3 of the draft PRS Database Regulations.

Final stage

The final stage of registering a property must be carried out by the landlord, and cannot be delegated to a letting agent.

The landlord must check the property details, pay the £65 fee, and submit the property to the register. Once this is completed, the Property Registration Number will be emailed to the landlord.

Can landlords authorise letting agent to enter information and documents?

Yes. Landlords will be able to give letting agents access to their property entries on the register on a property by property basis, and authorise the letting agent to provide certain information and upload documentation on their behalf.

However, a decision was made from a policy perspective that a landlord cannot simply hand it over to the letting agent, and instead must start and end the registration for each property.

It will be compulsory for landlords to enter the initial information for the property (ie property details, address, type, bedrooms, tenure, any joint landlords, whether it is occupied). At this point, they can choose to delegate authority by entering the agent’s email and clicking a button to submit the details. I go through what the letting agent can enter below.

The letting agent will receive an email with a link, and will be required to enter a password before they can access the entry for the property.

After the letting agent has inputted information and documentation, the landlord will receive an email from the Database. The landlord will be asked to check the information, and then submit the property for registration, along with paying the fee.

The landlord will be able to revoke permission for the letting agent to access the property on the register.

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The obligations of letting agents and advertisers regarding the PRS Database

Section 82(2) of the Renters’ Rights Act will place a legal duty on letting agents and portals such as Rightmove and Zoopla to ensure that there is an active Landlord Registration Number and a Property Registration Number in any written advertisement or listing.

These marketing and advertising duties will not come into force with the regional roll-out. MHCLG have told me they will be commenced by further legislation once the roll-out is complete and the tenant-facing part of the service launches.

Letting agents will have a legal obligation under Section 82(1) not to market a relevant rental property unless there is an active Landlord Registration Number and a Property Registration Number.

Once these duties are in force, letting agents and the portals will need to ensure there is a Landlord Registration Number and a Property Registration Number before listing a property, and ensure that they are both stated on the listing or any other advertisements including social media.

If landlords breach the duty to register themselves and their properties, they will be unable to obtain a possession order under Section 8. The only exceptions are for Ground 7A (severe anti-social/criminal behaviour) and Ground 14 (anti-social behaviour).

>> Related Post: Section 8 grounds for possession: up to date landlord guide

How will letting agents be able to register rental properties on the Database?

It is likely that some landlords will wish for their letting agents to register their rental properties on their behalf, so they do not need to do it themselves.

However, landlords will not be able to simply hand it over to their letting agents to do for them. The landlord will need to obtain their Landlord Registration Number themselves (which may differ if they own some rental properties through a limited company and others in their own name).

For a letting agent to enter information and upload documents, the landlord will need to authorise this after they input the initial information for their property registration (see above for the mechanics).

However, the GOV.UK page warns: “Landlords are responsible for starting and ending the registration process. You can agree with your letting agent or property manager that they can provide certain information on your behalf. […] Whilst your letting agent or property manager can support you, you as a landlord will remain responsible for providing all required information”.

There will not be the facility for API/bulk uploads for letting agents to use in the near term, but MHCLG have told me that they will “continue to work with landlords and letting agents to understand their needs and will explore the possibility of integration as part of our longer-term roadmap”.

Quick Q&A on the PRS Database

Is the PRS Database live yet?

No. The PRS Database opens for the registration of landlords and properties in England on 15 December 2026, when it will start to roll out on a region-by-region basis. The regional roll-out will end on 14 November 2027, by which time all residential landlords and rental properties in England will need to be registered.

>> Related Post: Renters’ Rights Act timeline: What happens when?

Do landlords need to register on the PRS Database?

Yes. Once registration becomes compulsory for a given region, every private landlord in that region who lets under an assured periodic tenancy or a regulated tenancy (Rent Act tenancy) must register themselves and each rental property by the registration deadline. (See above for the regional deadlines).

Landlords do not need to register supported exempt accommodation, as set out in the Supported Housing (Regulatory Oversight) Act 2023.

Is the PRS Database the same as the landlord registers in Scotland, Wales and NI?

No. Housing law is devolved in the UK, which means there is not a single landlord database for the UK as a whole. Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland already have their own landlord registration schemes, and England is the last of the four nations to launch a landlord register.

Para 5.22 of the Explanatory Memorandum says it is “different to the devolved administrations’ landlord registers and to the selective licensing regime”, and has been designed to give national coverage for England only.

Some councils in England run selective licensing schemes for landlords, but the PRS Database is the first national landlord register for England.

Will the PRS Database landlord register replace selective licensing?

No. The PRS Database is a national database of landlords and rental properties for England, which is totally separate from licensing, which is devolved to local authorities. As a national database, it sits on top of licensing at the local authority level.

Councils will still be able to operate selective and additional licensing if they choose to do so, and landlords with properties in areas subject to licensing will also be required to register on the PRS Database.

Can I search the PRS Database yet?

No. The PRS Database on which landlords will need to register their rental properties, is not yet live, and the government hasn’t confirmed what will be available to the public.

How much is the PRS Database registration fee?

The Private Rented Sector Database costs £65 to register a rental property each year. The fee is charged when you register each rental property (Reg 6(5)) and again each year when you renew (Reg 10(2)). A landlord with five properties, for instance, will pay £325 a year.

If a property is jointly owned, there is still only one fee per rental property, because the joint landlords share a single dwelling entry.

There is no fee to register yourself as a landlord.

How has the £65 property registration fee been set?

The property registration fee has been set by reference to the “relevant costs”, which are defined in Section 81(4) of the Renters’ Rights Act as including the establishment and operation of the Database, enforcement of the rules relating to the Database, and “enforcement of any other requirements imposed by or under this Act or otherwise in relation to the private rented sector”.

Para 5.10 of the Explanatory Memorandum refers to the possibility of future increases of the fee “to account for changes such as inflation”.

The GOV.UK page confirms the fee covers the cost of running the service and will also fund council enforcement against landlords who don’t comply: “Fees will also support activity to identify and act on non-compliance with the Renters’ Rights Act 2025 reforms. This will include funding to help councils have the staff and skills they need to identify and tackle non-compliance and drive slum landlords who persist in breaking the law out of the sector”.

This has a statutory footing as Section 81(7) allows the Secretary of State to direct the database operator to pay some or all of the fee income to local housing authorities, or into the Consolidated Fund.

This means that the £65 is not ring-fenced for running the Database: it can be passed to councils to fund enforcement, or simply go to the Treasury.

Will landlords be able to set up a direct debit to pay the renewal for the rental property register?

No, landlords will not be able to set up a direct debit. This is because landlords will need to confirm the information is still correct at the point of renewal.

Can a letting agent pay the £65 fee on the landlord’s behalf?

No. The landlord must pay the fee for the registration of the property, and cannot delegate this to the letting agent.

What happens to the registration if a landlord sells to another landlord?

Sale of property to another landlord

If a rental property is sold with sitting tenants, then the entry can be transferred to the incoming landlord. If the property is vacant when it is bought then it will need to be registered separately. 

Can landlords register their rental properties earlier than their regional window?

Yes, landlords will be able to register their rental properties earlier than the three month window for their region, in other words, from the launch of the rental property register on 15 December 2026.

The GOV.UK webpage says: “If you wish to register before you are required to do so, including if you let properties in multiple regions and would like to register these all at once, you will be able to do this”.

How often will documents and information in the PRS Database rental property register need updating?

According to the para 5.13 of the draft Explanatory Memorandum, “information and documents contained in entries must be updated within 28 days of becoming out of date”. This means, for instance, that new gas safety certificates and new rents will need to be updated within 28 days.

How often does the PRS Database rented property register need to be renewed?

Entries on the rental property register will last for a year before they must be renewed. If they are not renewed, the entry will become “inactive”, and the landlord will be in breach. (See para 5.14 of the draft Explanatory Memorandum).

When is the renewal due if I have more than one property?

If landlords have more than one property, the renewal date for all properties will be on the anniversary of the date of the registration of the first property.

Para 5.15 of the draft Explanatory Memorandum says: “we will synchronise renewal points for landlords with two or more properties. Where a landlord has already made a dwelling entry, any subsequent dwelling entries for new properties will have a renewal point that is the same as the first dwelling entry the landlord created. We have created this stipulation to reduce landlords’ administrative burden and ensure landlords with multiple properties do not need to renew their dwelling entries at different points”.

Will the fee be reduced if I register early?

Fees for a dwelling (property) registration will be pro-rated to reflect the fact that some landlords will need to register sooner than others. The adjusted fee will reflect the number of days from 15 November 2027 (the date from which all landlords will be required to be registered) until the property’s annual renewal date.

Does a landlord still have to register if they only have one rental property?

Yes. So long as the property is let or to be let under an Assured Periodic Tenancy (formerly Assured Shorthold Tenancy) or a Rent Act tenancy in England, the landlord has a legal obligation to register the property on the Database. This includes accidental landlords and landlords with only one property.

What about mixed use properties? Say, a flat above a shop.

If a flat in a mixed use property is let under an Assured Periodic Tenancy (formerly Assured Shorthold Tenancy) or a Rent Act tenancy, the landlord will need to be registered and also register the flat. The commercial premises do not need to be registered as they are not let as a “residential tenancy”.

What about a block of flats? Do all flats need to be registered?

Yes, if they are let or about to be let on Assured Periodic Tenancies or Rent Act tenancies.

Each flat that is let is a separate dwelling and will need its own Property Registration Number and its own £65 fee. A landlord who owns a whole block and lets ten flats registers once as a landlord, then registers ten properties, at £650 a year.

If the flats are owned by different leaseholders, each leaseholder registers their own flat, if it’s subject to a residential tenancy.

If a flat in a building is owner occupied, that does not need registering.

Does a freeholder or superior landlord need to register?

No. The freeholder doesn’t need to register in their capacity as a freeholder. The same goes for other superior landlords. They only need to register if they are a residential landlord.

Note that every entry for a leasehold property will need the name and email address of the freeholder and any other superior landlords.

How can overseas landlords register on the database?

Landlords who live outside of England and Wales will need to register on the database. They will need to provide their actual address when they register as a landlord, and a correspondence address in England or Wales when they register each property. They could use the address of their letting agent or accountant, for instance.

It is not a new obligation to have a correspondence address in England or Wales. Section 48 of the Landlord and Tenant Act 1987 already requires landlords in England and Wales to provide tenants with an address in England and Wales to which tenants can send notices. For instance, so that a tenant can send a landlord a notice to quit if they want to terminate the tenancy.

How does the PRS Database work for HMOs with different rents for each room?

As the registration form stood during the beta, it asked for one rent figure for the property, the number of households and the number of occupants, and which type of HMO licence applies. There’s no way to enter a separate rent for each room. My understanding is that registration for HMOs will be for the whole “dwelling”, rather than by room or by tenancy, but I’ll update this post when MHCLG confirm the position for HMOs.

What is already clear is the updating obligation. Entries must be brought up to date within 28 days of any change, so an HMO landlord will need to update the entry each time a room is re-let at a different rent or the number of occupants changes. This is something to include in the tenancy change process.

Do I need to register an empty property?

Not yet. During the regional roll-out, the duty only covers properties that are let, or that become let during the roll-out period. An empty property doesn’t need registering until a tenant moves in.

That will change once the public part of the service launches. Under future legislation, landlords and letting agents will need to register a property before marketing it, and the registration numbers will have to appear on the advert. The government has said it will publish guidance before that requirement comes in.

What happens if a void is longer than 28 days?

If there is a void period of longer than 28 days, the landlord should mark the property as ‘unoccupied’ on the register. This mean they won’t need to provide the tenancy and rent data. Once a new tenancy starts, they will need to return to the register and provide the tenancy information within 28 days.

If the landlord has no immediate plans to market or re-let the property, they can de-activate the entry if they prefer, and they can return to the register and reactivate it when they come to re-let. If this is within the year, they can reactivate without paying a further registration fee.

What if my EPC expires while my property is occupied?

If the EPC expires while the property’s occupied, you do not need to get a new EPC immediately. You only need a new EPC when you advertise the property or start a new tenancy. (That said, I always prefer to replace the EPC so I am tracking how its rating is faring).

Will local authorities be able to view the PRS Database?

Yes. The announcement of 9 September 2026 stated: “Local councils will be able to use a separate service (‘Check a rental property or landlord’) to check the information provided by landlords”. 

The Explanatory Memorandum (para 9.6) says: “Improved access to comprehensive and consistent information on landlords and properties in their area will enable councils to identify noncompliance, prioritise higher-risk cases and target enforcement more effectively”.

Will tenants be able to view information on the PRS Database?

There is widespread concern from landlords about what personal information will be publicly available through the rented property register, particularly those who own the properties in their own name and don’t have a business address.

Many landlords are concerned, in particular, that tenants and/or the general public will be able to see their personal address and their date of birth, leaving them vulnerable for identity theft.

The press release of 9 September 2026 states “tenants will be able to see whether their landlord or prospective landlord has signed up”, and on GOV.UK it says “in future, tenants will be able to use the service to see if a landlord is compliant with key legal requirements, helping them make better informed decisions about where they rent”.

The announcements don’t say whether this is something simple like a tick to show compliance, or whether tenants will be able to download (for instance) the latest gas safety certificate.

The GOV.UK page says “information that will be available to tenants will balance landlords’ privacy concerns with the need for tenants to make better informed rental choices. We’ll publish a list of information that the public will be able to access at a later stage.”

Database civil penalties and offences

Civil penalties for breaches of Section 82 Renters’ Rights Act

After the registration deadline passes for the region in which the rental property is located, councils in this region will be able to initiate enforcement activity.

Here is a summary of when local councils will be able to issue civil penalties of up to £7,000 if they are satisfied beyond reasonable doubt of any of the following for residential tenancies:

• Breach by a residential landlord of the duty to ensure that there is an active Landlord Registration Number and Property Registration Number, and to keep active entries up to date, as required by Section 82(3). This will come in on a rolling basis and landlords could be subject to penalties if they have failed to register by the end of their region’s 3-month window.
• Marketing a property without an active Landlord Registration Number and Property Registration Number in breach of section 82(1). This will include high street letting agents, online letting agents, and landlords who market the property themselves. The marketing and letting restrictions will be commenced with future legislation, once rollout is complete, and when the tenant interface launches. MHCLG have told me “This will enable letting agents to meet their duty by verifying that their clients are registered before marketing and will be commenced with future legislation”.
• Advertising a property without including in the written advertisement an active Landlord Registration Number and Property Registration Number in breach of Section 82(2).

Database offences under Section 92 RRA

Under Section 92, a person will commit an offence if they “knowingly or recklessly provide information to the database operator which is false or misleading in a material respect”.

If someone receives a civil penalty for breach of Section 82(1), (2) or (3), and they either do not rectify the breach within 28 days or they commit a separate breach within 5 years, this will also be an offence.

As an alternative to prosecution, a local authority may impose a civil penalty of up to £40,000 if they are satisfied beyond reasonable doubt that someone has committed a database offence.

>> Related Post: Renters’ Rights Act landlord fines and penalties explained

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