The private rented sector database is due to open on 15 December: what landlords must do and when

Private landlords in England will have to register themselves and every let property on the Private Rented Sector Database, due to open on 15 December 2026 under the published timetable, one region at a time. Here are the dates, what you register, the fee, the penalties, and what overseas landlords need to check, alongside our landlord compliance guide.

What the database is

The Private Rented Sector Database is a register of private landlords and their let properties in England, created by the Renters' Rights Act 2025, which the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government will oversee and operate as the "Register your rental property" service.

Under the published timetable you will have to register if you let a property in England on an assured or regulated tenancy, including as a company or other organisation. The Act creates the database and the draft regulations make provision for it; the regulations are still before Parliament, so the dates here come from MHCLG's guidance of 29 October 2026.

When it opens where

Registration is due to open in the West Midlands on 15 December 2026 and then in one further region each month, each with a three-month window, with a final deadline of 14 November 2027.

The deadline follows the property's location, not the landlord's. You can register early, including properties in several regions at once. During the rollout, 15 December 2026 to 14 November 2027, only properties that are let, or become let, must be registered.

What you register and what it costs

You register yourself once, then each let property with its documents, and pay the fee announced in the guidance of £65 per property a year.

You give your own details and contact information. Each property needs its address, number of bedrooms and rental status, a correspondence address in England or Wales, contact details for any managing agent, superior landlord and freeholder, plus safety certificates, the EPC, tenancy details and any licence. A property with an HMO licence (see our HMO investments guide) is one registration for the whole property, not one per room.

Outstanding information can follow within 28 days of registering, or the property registration may be deactivated; later changes must be updated within 28 days, and a late update is a breach but not a deactivation trigger.

The fee is £65 per property a year, not subject to VAT, and the guidance says it is tax-deductible. During the rollout it is pro-rated, with days before 15 November 2027 disregarded: the guidance's example is £5.34 for a property registered on 15 December 2026. All your properties renew on one date, a year after your first registration.

Organisations register as organisation landlords, and a part-owner entitled to possession must register as a joint landlord even if not named on the tenancy. Tenancies of supported exempt accommodation under section 12 of the Supported Housing (Regulatory Oversight) Act 2023 are excepted; whether an investor leasing to a provider is covered is not stated. Take professional advice on tax and structure.

What happens if you do not

Once your region's deadline has passed, letting an unregistered property can bring a penalty of up to £7,000, and while unregistered you cannot get a possession order except on the anti-social behaviour grounds.

The Act also bars marketing an unregistered property, but MHCLG says the advertising rules for unoccupied properties come "in the future", with no date set.

The higher penalty, up to £40,000, is for knowingly or recklessly giving false or misleading information or for continuing or repeated breaches, which the Guide says can also bring criminal prosecution. From 15 December 2026 the same conduct lets tenants apply for a rent repayment order, but only once the registration period for the property's region has opened, and not for plain late registration. Take advice from a solicitor on your own position.

What it means for an overseas landlord and for a Quartico managed client

An overseas landlord has the same regional deadline, needs a correspondence address in England or Wales and must start the registration personally; a managed client's agent can add tenancy and safety information but cannot register for them.

The address is the open question: the guidance asks for "a correspondence address in England or Wales", the draft regulations say "in England and Wales" and bar a PO Box, and no government page says how a landlord with no such address registers.

The landlord starts each property registration and pays the fee; once you have the property registration number and the property is occupied, you can ask a letting or property manager to add the tenancy and health and safety information, but you remain responsible for completing the record within 28 days.

Quartico's lettings page states "Support for Non-Resident Investors" but does not say how registration will be handled, and the property management partner is not named on the site; how managed and overseas clients will be handled is not published. Take professional advice.

What to do and by when

Register before your region's deadline and complete each record within 28 days.

• By your region's deadline (14 March 2027 for Birmingham; 14 November 2027 at the latest): register every let property
• Now: set up GOV.UK One Login, or request the paper route
• Before your region opens: gather safety certificates, EPC, tenancy and rent details and licence numbers
• Before your region opens: confirm an England or Wales correspondence address and what your agent will add
• Within 28 days of registering each property: complete the record; update any later change within 28 days
• One year after your first registration: renew every property on the shared date

All government pages accessed 7 November 2026. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.

By Paul Wyatt · Reviewed by David Jacobs · Published 7 November 2026