If you’re a landlord of a property which is currently let under an assured or regulated tenancy, you’ve got another key date before Christmas to keep in mind. From 16 December 2026, a new registration service being rolled out across the UK.
The Government has announced the launch of its Private Rented Sector (“PRS”) Database as part of ongoing changes we are seeing to the private rental sector in the wake of the Renters’ Rights Act 2025.
Landlords will now be required to register certain key information about themselves and their occupied rental properties on the PRS Database, with fines imposed if they fail to do so within a 3-month period. The period of registration will be set out on a rolling basis from December 2026, with key dates per region set out on the GOV UK website as follows:-
Registration for the service will attract an initial annual fee of £65.00 per property, with these funds allocated both to improved monitoring and regulation of Landlords and to financial support of local councils to assist with enforcement of the regulations. Pro-rated fees will be available for those who register earlier than their regional deadline.
Once they register, Landlords will also receive guidance intended to assist with compliance of the legislation and evidence of the same. The service, which has been designed with feedback received from existing Landlords to make it as user-friendly as possible, aims to increase renters’ ability to make an informed decision about where, and from whom, people rent properties.
For Landlords, the registration is designed to make it more straightforward to evidence compliance with longstanding legal requirements of privately rented properties, with the hope that existing good practice will simply continue to be built upon by the launch of the Database.
Several aspects of the Database will be confirmed in due course, including what information will be publicly accessible and how lettings agents and management companies can assist Landlords with regularly maintaining the register. In addition, if you currently hold rental properties which are vacant (unoccupied), you are being asked to await further guidance before marketing or letting a property once the rollout period begins. If you have questions about the PRS Database or what the new requirements mean for you as a landlord, contact our Residential Property team.