PRS Database Registration: Dates by Region and What Landlords Need to Do (2026-2027)

What is the PRS Database?

The PRS Database is a centralised national register of all private landlords and their rental properties in England. It is designed to bring transparency to the private rented sector by giving tenants, councils, and landlords themselves a single, reliable source of landlord and property information.

The database serves three core purposes:

• Tenants: Make more informed choices when renting, with access to landlord compliance records and property details
• Landlords: Demonstrate compliance with legal obligations in one place, reducing the burden of responding to individual enforcement requests
• Local councils: Identify non-compliant landlords more efficiently and target enforcement action where it is needed most

Think of it as a public-facing register that links your identity as a landlord to every property you let, along with evidence that you are meeting your legal responsibilities. It replaces the current fragmented approach where different obligations are tracked by different bodies with no central oversight.

When does the PRS Database launch?

The PRS Database (Register your rental property) opens region by region from 15 December 2026 to 15 August 2027. The region is set by where the property is, not where the landlord lives, and each region has three months from its opening date to register.

Registration dates by region

Registration opens on the 15th of the month shown and the deadline is three months later. Which region applies to you is decided by where the rental property is located, not where you live.

Once a region's deadline has passed, councils in that region can begin enforcement, and landlords who have not registered risk fines.

Who needs to register?

All private landlords letting residential property in England must register on the PRS Database. There are no exemptions based on portfolio size, property type, or whether you use a letting agent.

Registration is mandatory if you:

• ✓ Let a single buy-to-let property
• ✓ Own a portfolio of rental properties
• ✓ Let through a letting agent or managing agent
• ✓ Let a room under a lodger arrangement (details TBC)
• ✓ Are a company or trust that lets residential property

Using a letting agent does not remove the obligation. Even if an agent manages every aspect of the tenancy, the landlord remains legally responsible for registration. Agents may assist with the process, but the duty sits with the property owner.

What information is required?

Landlords will need to provide personal contact details, property information for each rental, and evidence of safety certificate compliance. The full data specification will be published before the database opens.

Based on the Renters' Rights Act provisions and government guidance published so far, expect to provide:

Landlord details

• Full name and contact information
• Correspondence address
• Proof of identity (form TBC)
• Company/trust details if applicable

Property information (per property)

• Full property address
• Property type (house, flat, HMO, etc.)
• Number of bedrooms
• Current tenancy status
• Letting agent details (if applicable)

Safety and compliance certificates

• Gas Safety Certificate (CP12) - date and expiry
• EICR (Electrical Installation Condition Report) - date and expiry
• EPC (Energy Performance Certificate) - rating and expiry
• Any required licensing (HMO, selective, additional)

The database will cross-reference records with existing registers to verify landlord claims. Specifically, local authorities will be able to match against:

• EPC register — to verify energy performance certificates and identify rental properties
• MEES exemptions register — to cross-check any sub-standard EPC exemptions landlords have claimed
• Gas Safe register — to verify Gas Safety Certificate validity

This cross-referencing means discrepancies between what a landlord submits and what these registers hold will be automatically flagged for enforcement action. Keeping accurate, up-to-date records now will make registration straightforward when it opens.

Fees and penalties

The registration fee is £65 per property per year. Failing to register can bring a civil penalty, and repeated or continued failure can be prosecuted as a criminal offence.

The fee is charged per property, per year, so a landlord with several properties pays £65 for each one. We will update this page if the fee changes.

What happens if you do not register?

Unregistered landlords cannot use most Section 8 possession grounds until they register, and once a region's deadline has passed, councils in that region can fine landlords who have not registered.

1. Loss of most Section 8 possession grounds

Under the Renters' Rights Act 2025, landlords who are not registered on the PRS Database cannot use most Section 8 grounds for possession. In practical terms, this means:

• You cannot serve a valid Section 8 notice citing rent arrears
• You cannot use the standard possession grounds for anti-social behaviour, damage, or other breaches
• Courts can strike out or refuse possession claims from unregistered landlords
• Tenants and their legal representatives can use non-registration as a defence in possession proceedings

Registration must be in place before serving any Section 8 notice. Registering after a dispute has already started may not rescue a possession claim already in progress.

2. Criminal offence

A first failure to register is dealt with by a civil penalty. Repeated or continued failure can be prosecuted as a criminal offence under the Renters' Rights Act 2025. This carries the potential for prosecution and a criminal record, in addition to financial penalties. Providing false information to the database is a separate criminal offence.

3. Financial penalties

Local authorities can issue civil penalty notices to unregistered landlords once their region's deadline has passed. The specific penalty amounts will be set in secondary legislation closer to launch. The government has ring-fenced £18.2 million to fund council enforcement capacity.

4. Cross-referencing with other registers

Local authorities will cross-reference the PRS Database against:

• EPC register — to identify rental properties and verify energy ratings
• MEES exemptions register — to check landlords claiming sub-standard EPC exemptions
• Council tax records and Land Registry data to identify unregistered rentals

This means even landlords who do not register will be identified through data matching, making non-registration a high-risk strategy.

5. Private Landlord Ombudsman access

The Private Landlord Ombudsman (expected to launch around 2028) will require PRS Database registration as a prerequisite for membership. Ombudsman membership is itself mandatory under the Renters' Rights Act. Landlords who are not registered on the PRS Database will therefore also be non-compliant with the Ombudsman requirement — compounding the legal exposure.

How will it be enforced?

Local housing authorities will enforce PRS Database registration requirements. The government has committed £18.2 million in 2025/26 to strengthen council enforcement capacity, with further funding expected to follow. Enforcement uses a combination of proactive data matching and tenant-driven reporting.

The enforcement model combines several approaches:

• Proactive identification: Councils will use the database to cross-reference known rental properties against registered landlords, identifying unregistered properties via council tax records, Land Registry data, and EPC register matching
• EPC and MEES cross-referencing: The database will be linked to the EPC register and MEES exemptions register, making it straightforward for councils to identify rental properties and check registration status
• Tenant reporting: Tenants will be able to check whether their landlord is registered and report those who are not — giving every tenant a financial incentive to check their landlord's status
• Possession proceedings: Unregistered landlords will find their Section 8 notices challenged or struck out in court, creating a built-in enforcement mechanism in every possession case
• Criminal prosecution and civil penalties: Councils will be able to issue civil penalty notices and, for repeated or continued non-registration, prosecute

The £18.2 million investment represents the largest single injection of enforcement funding for the private rented sector. It will fund additional enforcement officers, digital tools, and training for local authorities across England. This signals that the government is serious about ensuring registration is not optional in practice.

How LandlordOS helps you prepare

LandlordOS keeps your property data, safety certificates, and tenant records organised in one place, so when PRS Database registration opens you already have everything you need.

Smart landlords are getting their records in order now, months before registration opens. Here is what you can do today:

• Store all property details - address, type, bedrooms, tenancy status in a structured format ready to transfer
• Upload safety certificates - Gas Safety, EICR, EPC certificates with AI-powered date extraction so you never miss a renewal
• Track tenant information - contact details, tenancy dates, and Right to Rent records all in one place
• Get automatic compliance reminders - never let a certificate expire or miss a deadline

When the PRS Database goes live, landlords using LandlordOS will have all required information already collected, verified, and accessible. No last-minute scramble to find certificates or chase down property details.