The 28-day update rule, and what counts as a change
Updated · Information, not legal advice
Short answer
There are two 28-day rules. First, when you register a let property, you must add the tenancy and safety information (rent, occupants, licences, gas, electrical and EPC certificates) within 28 days, or the entry can become inactive. Second, once registered, you must update anything that changes or expires within 28 days. Updates are free.
Registering is not a one-off job. The register is meant to stay accurate, so the law requires landlords to keep it up to date. There are two separate 28-day rules, and this guide covers both. It is general information, not legal advice.
The two 28-day rules
| Rule | What you must do | 28 days from | If you don’t |
|---|---|---|---|
| Completing a new entry | Add the tenancy and safety information for a let property | The day the property entry is made | The entry can become inactive |
| Keeping it current | Update anything that changes or expires | The day the information became out of date | You are in breach, and repeated breaches can mean higher penalties |
Rule 1: completing a new property entry
Registering a property happens in two stages:
- Property details: the address, dwelling type, bedrooms, whether it is let, and contact details for any freeholder, superior landlord and property manager. You pay the fee and get a rental property number.
- Tenancy and safety information: occupants and households, furnishing, rent and utilities, licences, and the gas, electrical and EPC certificates.
You can do both at once, or submit the first stage and add the rest later. If the property is let, the draft regulations give you 28 days from the day the entry is made. If the information is not provided in time, the entry becomes inactive, and GOV.UK warns this may put you in breach of the requirement to have an active registration.
GOV.UK says landlords will get a reminder if information is missing. Even so, the responsibility is yours, even if you have asked a letting agent to fill it in.
Tip: If you have every document ready before you start, you can finish both stages in one sitting and never have an incomplete entry.
Properties registered before they are let
The draft regulations also cover entries for properties that are about to be let. The tenancy and safety information must be added within 28 days of the tenancy starting.
Rule 2: updating within 28 days of a change
GOV.UK says you must update any information that changes or expires within 28 days of that change or expiration. This applies to both your landlord record and your property records.
What counts as a change?
Anything held on the register that stops being accurate. Common examples:
| Change | Which part of the register |
|---|---|
| New gas safety record (the annual check) | Gas safety record copy and issue date |
| New EICR after the periodic inspection | EICR copy and expiry date |
| New EPC | EPC copy, and any MEES exemption |
| MEES exemption expires or is registered | MEES exemption information |
| New tenancy, or tenants move in or out | Occupants and households; whether the property is let |
| Rent increase or decrease | Rent amount |
| Rent payment frequency changes | Rent frequency |
| Bills added to or removed from the rent | Utilities included |
| Furnished to unfurnished, or the other way round | Furnishing |
| HMO, additional or selective licence granted, renewed or ended | Licence information and numbers |
| New freeholder, superior landlord or managing agent | Their names and emails |
| You move house or change phone or email | Landlord record |
| A company landlord changes its contact person | Landlord record |
GOV.UK’s agent guidance gives examples: “if the number of occupants or amount of rent changes, or if a certificate expires and is replaced”.
What about a certificate that expires but isn’t replaced?
The register records information, it does not decide whether you have complied with gas or electrical safety law. That law still applies separately. A gas safety record or EICR that lapses is a safety and compliance problem in its own right, quite apart from the register. Book renewals in good time so that you are updating the register with a new certificate, not reporting a gap.
Why landlords will miss this
The 28-day rule is easy to understand and easy to forget. A typical landlord with ten properties will have:
- ten gas safety records renewing each year, on ten different dates,
- EICRs renewing every five years (or sooner if the report says so),
- several tenancy changes and rent reviews a year.
That is roughly 15–25 register updates a year for ten properties, each with its own 28-day clock. Spreadsheets and calendar reminders work if you keep them up. Missing updates repeatedly is exactly the “continuing or repeated breaches” that can lead to penalties of up to £40,000.
How Register-Ready helps
When we open, after we prepare your registration sheets, we will track the expiry and renewal dates in your documents and remind you before they come up. When you send the new certificate, we will check it and tell you exactly which fields to update. We never log in to the register for you; you or your agent make the update.
Check your region’s registration dates with the deadline checker.
When is your deadline?
Enter a property postcode in the deadline checker to see its region, opening date and days left. Or get the free printable checklist.
Frequently asked questions
Does a gas safety check every year count as a change?
When does the 28 days start?
Can my letting agent make the updates?
Does it cost anything to update?
This guide is general information about the Register your rental property service, based on GOV.UK guidance and the draft regulations. It is not legal advice. Register-Ready is independent of GOV.UK. For your own situation, check the GOV.UK guidance or take professional advice.