England Confirms Its National Landlord Register: 'Register Your Rental Property' Opens on 15 December 2026 at £65 a Property a Year

England's private rented sector is about to gain a national digital record. On 9 September 2026 the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government confirmed the launch details for the Private Rented Sector Database, the next major phase of the Renters' Rights Act 2025, rebranded for landlords and tenants as the 'Register your rental property' service. For investors with residential lettings, it introduces a new legal duty, a recurring cost and a fresh set of compliance dates to plan around. ## What was confirmed and when it starts

The announcement set out the first concrete timetable for a reform that had been expected for months. On 9 September 2026, the government announced details of the second phase of implementation of the Renters' Rights Act 2025, the Private Rented Sector database, rebranded as the 'Register your rental property' service, to be introduced region by region from 15 December 2026.

Rather than a single national switch-on, the rollout is staggered. The service will roll out on a regional basis from 15 December 2026 to avoid bottlenecks that could arise were all landlords required to register on the same date, so the requirement is staggered according to the region in which a property is located, coming into force in different parts of the country on a rolling monthly basis. When an area is called forward, landlords with properties in the region will have a three-month period to sign up, with all landlords actively letting properties required to register by 14 November 2027.

• • West Midlands: registration opens 15 December 2026, deadline 14 March 2027
• • London: registration opens 15 July 2027, deadline 14 October 2027
• • South West: last to open, on 15 August 2027, with a final deadline of 14 November 2027

Landlords will need to pay £65 per property, every year, to register, and registration will be a legal requirement.

Goodlord, reporting the government's confirmation, 2026

The cost and who must register

The headline financial detail is the annual fee. Landlords will need to pay £65 per property, every year, to register, and registration will be a legal requirement. Each property registration must be renewed annually, so four registered properties would cost £260 a year at the current published fee.

The duty extends across the mainstream lettings market. Landlords of assured and regulated tenancies will need to register both themselves and each property they let, including all new assured periodic tenancies and the assured shorthold tenancies that automatically converted to periodic tenancies on 1 May 2026. Which property the deadline follows matters for portfolio landlords. The deadline is determined by where the rental property is located, rather than where the landlord lives.

What landlords must provide

The register is designed to hold compliance information in one place. For occupied properties, landlords will need information about the number of occupants and households, any HMO, additional or selective licensing requirements, whether the property is furnished, the rent charged and payment frequency, and whether rent includes utilities, alongside health and safety information including gas safety, electrical safety and EPC documentation.

The government frames the service as a tool for both councils and tenants. MHCLG said the database will give councils access to information to help them spot rogue landlords and take quicker action, and will also enable tenants to see whether their landlord or prospective landlord has signed up.

The penalties for non-compliance

Enforcement is a central feature of the regime. Failure to register can lead to serious penalties, including fines of up to £40,000, rent repayment orders, or being barred from gaining possession of the property.

The possession restriction is significant but not permanent. Landlords in breach of the duty to register will not be able to obtain a possession order, except where the ground relied upon is Ground 7A or Ground 14, and MHCLG has said it will ensure landlords are always able to rectify non-compliance so they are not prevented from regaining possession indefinitely. More detail is still to come. The guidance is based on available legislation and government statements, and more information still needs to be published about how to register and how agents can be involved in the process.

For residential investors, the register is best treated as an operational deadline rather than a surprise: gathering gas, electrical and EPC certificates now, mapping each property to its regional window, and budgeting for the recurring fee will make registration straightforward when the window opens. At Silkwood Group we will continue to follow the rollout and the further guidance still to be published.

Sources

• • GOV.UK Housing Hub, Get ready: 'Register your rental property' service
• • Mishcon de Reya, Renters' Rights Act 'Register your Rental Property' service to launch in December 2026
• • NRLA, Landlord Database: Register your rental property