Data protection laws affect all businesses, and landlords are no exception. Unless you’re the most hands-off landlord, you’ll need to register with the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) each year.
The ICO is the independent body responsible for making sure that organisations comply with UK data privacy law.
You’ll also need to process data in a way that complies with the GDPR’s seven principles.
This post explains which landlords need to register with the ICO, how to go about it, how much it costs, and also provides a link to a template Data Protection Notice.
Updated: 14 July 2025
At a glance
Do landlords need to register with the ICO?
Yes, most landlords do need to register with the ICO.
The ICO has stated that landlords must register with them if they are doing any of the following activities:
- process personal data for the purpose of producing tenancy agreements/contracts,
- perform credit checks via a credit reference agency on prospective tenants,
- obtain references,
- keep a database of potential tenants,
- make a decision as to which tenant can rent a property, or
- receive electronic copies of tenancy agreements.
Landlords are exempt from registering if they use letting agents who fully manage the letting of the properties. This means that landlords only receive details of the monthly statement and rent, ie the accounts and records exemption.
This exemption includes only the most “hands off” landlords, who don’t even receive copies of the tenancy agreements. This means that almost all landlords should register with the ICO.
Who registers with the ICO if the landlord is a limited company?
If the landlord is a limited company, that is the entity that needs to register with the ICO.
Where a landlord owns some properties through a limited company and some in their own name, they should have a registration in both their own name and that of the limited company. This is because a limited company is a separate legal entity from its shareholders and directors.
How can landlords register with the ICO?
It’s very easy for landlords to register with the ICO. It’s an online process that takes about 5 minutes. They will email you with a request for payment after you’ve applied to register.
Click here for the direct link to the registration page on the ICO website if you’re doing it for the first time.
How much is the fee for landlords to register with the ICO (2025)?
The fee for a landlord to register with the ICO is £52, assuming they qualify as a “micro organisation” with a turnover of under £632,000 and fewer than 10 staff.
The fee increased from £40 to £52 on 17 February 2025 following a consultation on the Data protection fee regime. The government response to the consultation states that this increase of 30%, which is the first increase since 2018, is necessary “to take account of inflationary increases and in order to provide the ICO with necessary funding to discharge their legal responsibilities”.
The government did not increase the turnover threshold for a micro organisation, despite the “inflationary increases” applying to equally to them.
The ICO continues to offer a £5 automatic discount if payment is by direct debit (last checked February 2025), which means the actual cost is £47 per annum, an increase of 37%. The discount was not increased to take account of the “inflationary increases” for landlords and other small businesses.
Template Data Protection Notice for tenants
As well as registering with the ICO, landlords need to make sure they comply with data protection law, which includes having a data protection notice and processing data in accordance with the notice.
You can see a genericised version of the Data Protection Notice that I use by clicking on the Useful Resource link below.
>> Useful Resource: Data Protection Notice for Tenants
