Private Rented Sector (PRS) Database

The Private Rented Sector (PRS) Database is a mandatory national register of private landlords and their rental properties in England, established by Chapter 3 of Part 2 (sections 75 to 96) of the Renters' Rights Act 2025. Landlords letting under an assured or regulated tenancy must register themselves and each property, and pay an annual fee of £65 per property. The government presents the register to landlords as a GOV.UK service called "Register your rental property", which rolls out region by region from 15 December 2026. England is the last nation to require registration. Scotland has required every private landlord to register with their local authority since 2006, with renewal every three years and the registration number shown on every advert, and Wales has required registration with Rent Smart Wales since 2015. Scottish registration is covered in our Scottish landlord guide.

When registration opens and when it closes

Registration is staggered by region to prevent the service being overwhelmed at launch. Each region has a commencement date, after which landlords with property there have three months to register. The deadline is set by where the property is, not where the landlord lives.

Source: GOV.UK Housing Hub, 9 September 2026. Deadlines confirmed by statutory instrument laid before Parliament and subject to approval.

Landlords who hold property in more than one region can register everything at once from 15 December 2026 rather than waiting for each regional window.

Who must register

Every private landlord in England letting under an assured or regulated tenancy must register, whatever the size of the portfolio and whether or not a managing agent is used. The obligation falls on the landlord personally. An agent can supply certain information on the landlord's behalf, but the landlord starts the process and remains responsible for its accuracy.

Landlords of supported exempt accommodation, as set out in section 12 of the Supported Housing (Regulatory Oversight) Act 2023, do not need to register. Social landlords, meaning housing associations and local authorities, sit outside the scheme and operate under separate regulatory frameworks.

At this stage of the rollout the duty applies only to properties that are currently let, or that become let during the rollout period. Empty properties do not yet need registering. Under future legislation, once the public interface goes live, landlords will also have to register a property before marketing it and display their registration numbers on adverts.

What landlords must register

For each property, landlords give the address, ownership type, dwelling type, number of bedrooms, number of occupants and households, whether the property is furnished, the rent and its frequency, and whether the rent includes utilities. Health and safety evidence is uploaded alongside it: the gas safety record and its issue date where there is a gas supply, the EICR or EIC with its expiry date, and the current EPC. Where a property falls below the minimum energy efficiency standard, the landlord states whether a MEES exemption is registered.

Individual landlords also give their name, date of birth, residential address, telephone number and email. Organisational landlords give the entity type, a non-PO-Box address, Companies House or charity number where applicable, and details of a nominated contact.

From working with self-managing landlords across the UK, the gap that catches people out is rarely the form itself. It is producing a current EICR or a gas safety record on demand for a property acquired several years ago, where the paperwork lives with a previous agent. Registration turns document readiness into a dated obligation for the first time.

Penalties and the possession restriction

Letting or advertising a property without an active registration carries a civil penalty of up to £7,000 for a first offence, rising to £40,000 for continuing or repeated breaches, with criminal prosecution possible in the most serious cases. Supplying false or misleading information to the Database is a separate offence carrying a penalty of up to £40,000. Local housing authorities impose these penalties, not the database operator.

The sharper consequence is possession. An unregistered landlord cannot obtain a court order on most grounds for possession, the exceptions being Ground 7A and Ground 14, which cover serious anti-social behaviour and criminality. With Section 21 abolished since 1 May 2026, a landlord who has not registered has almost no lawful route to recover a property. Tenants and councils can also pursue rent repayment orders of up to 24 months' rent, double the previous maximum.

How the Database fits the wider Act

The Database and the PRS Ombudsman are the two institutional pillars of Part 2 of the Renters' Rights Act 2025. The Database is the second phase of the Act's implementation, following the tenancy reforms that took effect on 1 May 2026, and sits alongside the enforcement powers given to local housing authorities. Mandatory Ombudsman membership is expected from 2028.

The Database does not replace selective or HMO licensing, which continue to operate in parallel. A licensable HMO in a selective licensing area needs both the local licence and the national registration. It does replace the Database of Rogue Landlords, bringing banning order records and offence information into one system.

Councils will use a separate service, "Check a rental property or landlord", to verify what landlords have submitted. Public access for tenants follows later, and the government has said it will publish what tenants can see closer to that point.

For the regional deadline table in full, the complete registration data schedule and how to prepare a portfolio before the window opens, see our guide to registering on the PRS Database.

Frequently asked questions

How much does PRS Database registration cost?

£65 per property per year, confirmed by the government on 9 September 2026. The fee is charged per property rather than per landlord, so a five-property portfolio costs £325 a year. Registration must be renewed annually and the fee paid each time.

Do I need to register an empty property?

Not during the current rollout. The duty applies to properties that are let, or that become let during the rollout period. The government has said that under future legislation landlords will need to register unoccupied properties before marketing them, and will publish guidance ahead of that change.

Does the PRS Database apply in Scotland and Wales?

No. It is established under the Renters' Rights Act 2025 and applies to England only. Scotland has run Landlord Registration since 2006 under the Antisocial Behaviour etc. (Scotland) Act 2004. Wales operates Rent Smart Wales under the Housing (Wales) Act 2014, which requires registration and, for self-managing landlords, a licence. Registrations are not transferable between the three schemes.

Can my letting agent register the property for me?

No. The landlord starts and ends the registration process. An agent can be authorised to upload certain information, and the government will publish guidance for agents before launch, but the landlord remains responsible for everything submitted. An agent who markets or manages a property for an unregistered landlord can face a penalty of their own.