What is the PRS Database (the landlord register)?

The PRS Database is the new national register of private landlords and the homes they rent out in England. The Renters’ Rights Act 2025 created it, and the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government runs it as a GOV.UK service called Register your rental property. You will also see it called the landlord register or the landlord database.

This guide explains who has to register, when, what it costs and what information you need. It is general information, not legal advice.

Who has to register?

If you are a private landlord renting out a property in England that is occupied by tenants on an assured or regulated tenancy, you must register. Most private tenancies in England are assured tenancies, so in practice this covers most residential landlords. Organisations that act as private landlords must register too, including companies, charities, trusts and limited liability partnerships.

There are two separate parts:

If you own a property jointly, each joint landlord must register. One of you registers the property and invites the others to it. GOV.UK says this also applies if you own part of a property and are entitled to possession, even if you are not named on the tenancy agreement.

GOV.UK lists one exception: tenancies that fall within “supported exempt accommodation” under section 12 of the Supported Housing (Regulatory Oversight) Act 2023 do not need to be registered.

When do I have to register?

The service is opening region by region. Each region has three months, and the deadline is before midnight on the end date. You can register properties in any region early, from 15 December 2026, so a landlord with properties in several regions can do them all at once.

Not sure which region a property is in? Use the deadline checker with its postcode.

What does it cost?

The government fee is £65 per property per year, and it is not subject to VAT. There is no charge to register yourself as a landlord or to update your records. During the rollout the fee is pro-rated so that nobody pays for days before 15 November 2027. Registering a property on 15 December 2026, for example, costs £5.34 for the first year.

All your properties share one renewal date, one year after you register your first property. The fees guide explains the formula and has a table by region.

What information does the register ask for?

You will sign in with GOV.UK One Login. If you do not have digital access, GOV.UK says a paper application will be available.

About you: your name, date of birth, home address, phone number and email address. Organisations give their details, a nominated contact and, where they have them, a Companies House or charity number.

About each property, in two parts:

1. Property details: the address, ownership type, dwelling type (such as a terraced house or flat), number of bedrooms, whether it is currently let, a correspondence address in England or Wales, and the names and email addresses of any freeholder, superior landlord and property manager. You then pay the fee and get your rental property number.
2. Tenancy and safety details: the number of occupants and households, whether it is furnished, the rent and how often it is paid, whether utilities are included, any HMO, additional or selective licence numbers, a copy of the gas safety record and its issue date, a copy of the EICR and its expiry date, a copy of the EPC, and any registered MEES exemption.

You can provide the second part at the same time, or within 28 days. If you do not, the property registration may be deactivated. Our free registration checklist lists every field and which document each one comes from.

What happens after I register?

You must keep your entry up to date. If something changes or expires (a new tenant, a rent change, a replaced gas safety record), you must update the register within 28 days. Updates are free. See the 28-day update rule.

You will also need to renew every year and pay the fee to keep your properties on the register.

What if I don’t register?

Councils enforce the register. GOV.UK says you can be fined up to £7,000 for failing to register, and up to £40,000 for knowingly or recklessly giving false or misleading information, or for continuing or repeated breaches. Tenants may be able to claim rent repayment orders in some cases. From winter 2027, a court will not be able to make a possession order unless the landlord and the property are registered. See penalties.

Can my letting agent do it for me?

Only partly. The landlord must start every property registration and pay the fee. You can then give your letting agent or property manager a link to fill in the tenancy and safety details. They get a separate link and password for each property. See using a letting agent.

Is there an API or bulk upload?

No, not at launch. There is no public search, no API and no bulk upload. Each property is entered by hand through the GOV.UK service, so a landlord with 20 properties makes 20 separate registrations. That is why it pays to have all the information ready before you start.

Where Register-Ready fits in

Register-Ready is an independent service, opening soon, and is not part of the government. We do not register you. We read your documents, prepare the answers for each property in the order the register asks for them, and flag anything missing or out of date. You copy the answers in, and we remind you when something needs updating. You can always register directly on GOV.UK without us.