The New Landlord Database for England: What Landlords Need to Know (2026 Guide)

The PRS Database is the new landlord database for England, and private rented sector landlords will need to use it as it rolls out from late 2026. This guide explains what is confirmed, what is still subject to regulations, and which records landlords should gather now so registration is quicker later.

A landlord with four rental properties might not find the new PRS Database difficult because of one form. The difficulty is usually everything around it: old certificates in email threads, an EPC in an agent portal, missing EICR remedial evidence, and no single view of what is current for each property.

The Renters’ Rights Act 2025 received Royal Assent on 27 October 2025, but the PRS Database provisions are not yet fully operational for landlord registration and will depend on commencement and supporting regulations.

Some details are confirmed. Others, including the exact launch date, exact fee and final document requirements, are still subject to regulations. This guide explains what we know, what is still being decided, and what landlords can do now to prepare without panic.

What is the PRS Database for landlords in England?

The Private Rented Sector Database is part of the Renters’ Rights Act 2025. GOV.UK describes it as a way to bring together key information for landlords, tenants and councils, helping landlords understand their obligations and demonstrate compliance while helping councils target enforcement.

You may see it described as:

• the PRS Database
• the private rented sector database
• the landlord database
• the landlord registration database
• the property portal

For most landlords, those terms point to the same broad change: England is moving towards a national digital record of private rented sector landlords and properties.

Based on the government’s implementation roadmap, Phase 2 starts from late 2026. Stage 1 is a regional rollout of the database for landlords and local councils. Stage 2 enables wider public access and data sharing, followed by the PRS Landlord Ombudsman.

This article focuses on standard private buy-to-let properties in England. Scotland already has a Scottish Landlord Register, Wales has Rent Smart Wales, and Northern Ireland has its own rules. Do not assume that the English PRS Database will work in the same way as those systems.

For wider Renters’ Rights Act context, see CertNudge’s guide to the Section 21 ban for landlords.

Confirmed vs still subject to regulations

The safest way to understand the PRS Database is to separate the framework already confirmed from the operational detail still waiting for secondary legislation.

Confirmed framework: the legal basis explained

The detail below sets out each confirmed framework point with the current source position.

Confirmed: the database is coming

The Renters’ Rights Act 2025 creates the legal framework for the Private Rented Sector Database. The Act says the database operator will be either the Secretary of State or a person arranged by the Secretary of State to operate it.

The Act also allows regulations to set out how landlord and dwelling entries are made, who can make them, what information or documents must be provided, and what fees must be paid.

GOV.UK’s current landlord guidance says all landlords of assured and regulated tenancies will be legally required to register themselves and their properties on the database. In practical terms, most standard BTL landlords will be dealing with assured tenancies; regulated tenancies are a much smaller category covering tenancies that pre-date January 1989.

GOV.UK also says landlords may be penalised if they market or let a property without registering and providing the required information.

Confirmed: the database is tied to property compliance evidence

At minimum, regulations are expected to require landlord contact details, property details and core safety information for gas, electrical and EPC compliance. Based on the November 2025 implementation roadmap, the expected minimum information is:

This is still subject to the final regulations, but it is enough to show the direction of travel: the database is not just a name-and-address register. It is intended to connect landlord and property records with compliance information.

Confirmed: non-registration can affect possession and enforcement

Can a landlord get possession if they are not registered on the PRS Database? Once the relevant provisions are in force, a landlord in breach of the database duty may be blocked from obtaining a possession order in most cases. The stated exceptions are where possession is sought under Ground 7A or Ground 14, both linked to serious anti-social behaviour.

The current GOV.UK guide says landlords in breach of the duty to register will not be able to get a possession order except where those exceptions apply. The Act itself says the court may not make a possession order while the landlord is in breach of the database duty, subject to the statutory exceptions.

Local councils will also be able to take enforcement action. GOV.UK says a landlord who lets or advertises a property without registering it first can face a civil penalty of up to £7,000. Repeated breaches or serious offences, such as fraudulent information, may lead to a civil penalty of up to £40,000 or criminal proceedings. These are the current statutory caps, although the Act allows the Secretary of State to amend the amounts to reflect changes in the value of money.

Still being decided: exact launch date, fees and visibility

The exact launch date has not been confirmed. The official wording is from late 2026, with regional rollout. The exact annual fee has also not been confirmed. GOV.UK says the fee will be confirmed closer to launch.

The final public visibility rules are also still being decided. GOV.UK says the exact information available to the public will be set out in regulations, and that the government is balancing tenant transparency with landlord privacy.

For the separate existing-tenant information sheet deadline, see CertNudge’s guide to the Renters’ Rights Act Information Sheet 2026.

How to prepare in 2026

The best preparation is not to guess the final form. It is to get your property records into a state where registration becomes a short admin task, not a document hunt.

Now: May to October 2026

Start with the records that are already likely to matter because GOV.UK has signalled that gas, electrical and EPC information are expected to be included.

For each property, gather:

• current gas safety certificate, where gas is present
• current EICR and any remedial work evidence
• current EPC
• property address details exactly as used in official records
• property type, bedroom count and occupancy details
• landlord contact details and joint landlord details
• current agent details, if managed
• licensing details, if the property is subject to HMO or selective licensing
• deposit protection records and prescribed information
• smoke and carbon monoxide alarm records
• any council correspondence, improvement notices or penalty records

That is partly legal requirement and partly best practice. The certificates and licence duties already exist where they apply. The single, organised evidence pack is the preparation layer.

As launch approaches: late 2026

As the regional rollout approaches, check GOV.UK for updated guidance and regulations. Do not rely on a blog article, Facebook post or agent email as the final authority.

Landlords with long-running existing tenancies should also watch for transition rules. The current roadmap confirms a phased rollout from late 2026, but it does not yet confirm exactly how quickly existing tenancies and already-let properties must be registered once the database opens in a particular area.

Before launch, landlords should:

• check whether their region is included in the first rollout
• budget for annual registration fees once confirmed
• make sure each property has a clear owner and contact record
• check whether a managing agent can help with registration once the regulations confirm who may make entries
• prepare payment details
• decide who in the business is responsible for keeping entries updated

The Act allows regulations to require active landlord and dwelling entries to be kept up to date. That means this is unlikely to be a one-off registration job. It will probably become an ongoing record-maintenance duty, with exact rules to follow in secondary legislation.

After launch: 2027 and beyond

Once the database is live in your area, expect the process to become part of your annual compliance rhythm.

The likely workflow is:

1. register the landlord entry
2. register each property entry
3. provide the required property and safety information
4. pay any required fee
5. update entries when circumstances change
6. renew or reactivate entries as required by the final rules

The Act allows the database operator to allocate unique identifiers to landlord and dwelling entries. It also restricts marketing a dwelling unless there are active landlord and dwelling entries, and written adverts must include the allocated unique identifiers once the provisions are in force.

For a landlord with eight or ten properties, the important shift is rhythm. Certificate expiry dates, database renewal dates, licence renewal dates and tenant information duties all need to sit in one practical operating calendar.

What documents to gather now

Identity and ownership records

Keep:

• landlord identity details
• company details, if held through a limited company
• joint landlord names and contact details
• correspondence address
• proof of authority for anyone managing records on behalf of the landlord
• letting agent details, if applicable

If the landlord is a limited company, keep company details and relevant officer details together. The final rules may require different information for corporate landlords than for individual landlords, so directors or company secretaries should watch the regulations carefully before launch.

The Act leaves room for regulations to decide exactly how and by whom entries are made. Until that is confirmed, do not assume an agent can complete everything for you without landlord oversight. If your properties are managed, ask your agent whether they expect to offer PRS Database registration support, what records they already hold, and what they will still need from you.

Property records

For each property, keep:

• full postal address
• UPRN, if you can confirm it
• property type, such as flat or house
• number of bedrooms
• occupied or vacant status
• furnished or unfurnished status
• tenancy start date and current tenancy status
• licence details, if HMO or selective licensing applies

A UPRN is a unique property reference number used to identify a specific addressable location. It is worth confirming now rather than trying to find it during a time-pressured registration process. Landlords can usually check official address and UPRN details through FindMyAddress or relevant local authority records.

A landlord with six properties in two council areas should not wait for registration to discover whether one property is under selective licensing. If a licence applies, that evidence belongs in the same property file as the certificates.

For HMO landlords, the database is likely to sit alongside existing HMO licensing rather than replace it. The exact interaction between HMO licence records and PRS Database entries has not yet been fully confirmed, so HMO landlords should watch for specific guidance from GOV.UK and their local council.

Certificate and safety evidence

For each property, keep:

• gas safety certificate, where required
• EICR
• EICR remedial work evidence, if the report was unsatisfactory
• EPC
• smoke alarm and carbon monoxide alarm test records
• PAT testing records, where carried out
• fire safety or communal-area records where relevant
• contractor invoices or engineer notes linked to safety work

The government’s roadmap specifically names gas, electric and Energy Performance Certificates as expected safety information for the database, subject to regulations.

For EPC planning, see CertNudge’s EPC C 2030 guide. For retention periods, see How Long Should Landlords Keep Records in the UK?.

Tenancy and compliance history

Keep:

• deposit protection certificate
• prescribed information and proof it was given
• Right to Rent check records
• How to Rent guide or historic tenant document evidence where relevant
• Renters’ Rights Act Information Sheet evidence, where relevant
• complaints and repair correspondence
• council letters, notices and responses
• penalty notices, if any
• proof of document service or sharing

Some of these records may not be database-upload requirements. They are still useful because the Renters’ Rights Act reforms are moving the sector towards evidence-led compliance, not memory-based compliance.

If you have recently switched agent or taken management back in-house, use CertNudge’s letting agent handover checklist before portal access disappears.

Common mistakes landlords should avoid

The landlord database is not live nationally yet. That makes it easy to push the task aside. The risk is that landlords wait for the final announcement and then discover the missing evidence takes weeks to find.

Mistake 1: waiting for the launch announcement

The confirmed launch wording is from late 2026, with details still to follow. That is not a reason to wait. It is a reason to prepare the records that are already relevant.

A landlord with three properties can usually organise the core records in a weekend if the evidence exists. If certificates are missing, licences are unclear or agent handover records are incomplete, the work takes longer.

Mistake 2: assuming the letting agent has everything

Many agents hold only the records they needed during their management period. If there has been a change of agent, a portfolio sale, a long-term tenancy or a missed handover, the file may be incomplete.

That is a business-process failure, not just an admin nuisance.

Mistake 3: confusing the PRS Database with the PRS Landlord Ombudsman

They are separate reforms.

The PRS Database is about landlord and property information. The PRS Landlord Ombudsman is a redress service for tenant complaints. GOV.UK’s roadmap says both sit in Phase 2, but the Ombudsman follows the database. The roadmap says the government expects mandatory Ombudsman membership to be in 2028, when the Secretary of State is confident the service is ready, but the detailed rules still need to be confirmed.

Mistake 4: treating England, Scotland and Wales as the same

Do not use the Scottish Landlord Register or Rent Smart Wales as a direct template for the English PRS Database. They are useful comparisons, but the English system is being created under its own legislation and regulations.

This matters for landlords with cross-border portfolios. A landlord with properties in Bristol and Cardiff will need to follow separate English and Welsh regimes.

Mistake 5: underestimating possession consequences

The database is not just an information portal. Once the relevant provisions are in force, failing to maintain active database entries can affect a landlord’s ability to obtain a possession order in most cases, except the stated anti-social behaviour grounds.

For landlords, the practical lesson is simple: possession-readiness is no longer only about the tenancy agreement and the ground for possession. It also includes the wider compliance file.

For landlords still using spreadsheets, CertNudge’s landlord compliance spreadsheet template explains what to track and where spreadsheets usually start to break down.

FAQs about the landlord database

When does the PRS Database open for registration?

The government says Phase 2 begins from late 2026 and that rollout of the database will start from late 2026. The exact opening date has not been confirmed and should be checked against GOV.UK when secondary legislation and launch guidance are published.

For example, a landlord in Birmingham may not be included on the same date as a landlord in another region if the rollout is phased regionally.

How much will it cost to register a property on the PRS Database?

The exact fee has not been confirmed. GOV.UK says signing up will be mandatory and landlords will need to pay an annual fee, with the amount confirmed closer to launch.

Best practice is to budget for a per-property recurring cost, but not to publish or rely on a specific number until the fee is formally confirmed.

Do I need to register every property separately?

Yes. Based on the current framework, landlords should expect to register one landlord entry and a separate dwelling entry for each rental property.

The Act refers to both landlord entries and dwelling entries, and GOV.UK says landlords will be required to register themselves and their properties. The Act also provides for unique identifiers to be allocated to each person and dwelling entered on the database.

How do I register as a landlord in England?

There is no single national mandatory landlord registration database open for standard private landlords in England today. The PRS Database, expected to begin rolling out from late 2026, will create that national registration route once the relevant provisions are in force.

Until then, registration duties are local rather than national. Some landlords may already need HMO licensing, selective licensing or additional licensing from their local council, depending on the property and area. Once the PRS Database opens in your region, landlords will need to create a landlord entry and then a separate dwelling entry for each rental property, following the official process confirmed by the database operator.

What happens if I do not register?

Once the relevant provisions are in force, a landlord who lets or advertises a property without it first being registered may face a civil penalty of up to £7,000. Repeated breaches or serious offences, including fraudulent information, may lead to a civil penalty of up to £40,000 or criminal proceedings. These are the current statutory caps, although the Act allows the Secretary of State to amend the amounts to reflect changes in the value of money.

Once the relevant provisions are commenced, failure to comply can also affect possession. The Act prevents the court from making a possession order while the landlord is in breach of the active-entry requirement, except for Ground 7A or Ground 14 anti-social behaviour cases.

Will my information on the database be visible to tenants?

Partially. Some information is expected to be visible to tenants, councils or prospective tenants, but the exact public visibility rules have not been finalised.

GOV.UK says the exact information available to the public will be set out in regulations, and that it does not expect all data to be publicly accessible. A sensible preparation step is to assume selected property and compliance information may be visible, while private or restricted data will be governed by the final regulations.

Preparation now beats panic later

The landlord database is part of a wider shift in England’s private rented sector: Section 21 abolition, stronger Section 8 evidence requirements, the PRS Database, the PRS Landlord Ombudsman, Decent Homes reforms, Awaab’s Law for serious hazards such as damp and mould, and stronger council enforcement all point in the same direction.

Landlords will increasingly need to show what is compliant, what has been renewed, what has been served and what evidence sits behind each property.

A landlord who starts with organised records will treat database registration as an admin task. A landlord who starts with scattered inboxes, missing certificates and unclear agent files will experience it as a scramble.

Last reviewed: 20 May 2026

Next review recommended: 20 July 2026