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Renters’ Rights Act 2025- Update on The Private Rented Sector Database

1 Oct 2026 | 1 minute read

New build houses with newly planted trees.

The introduction of the Renters' Rights Act 2025 ("Act") from October 2025 has brought a myriad of changes for tenants and landlords, including a new mandatory requirement for private sector landlords to register their properties on a national database (read our other articles on the Act below). Referred to as the ‘Register your rental property’ service, this database will be launched from 15 December 2026 and rolled out across England in regions.

On 9 September 2026, the Government published draft Private Rented Sector Database Regulations 2026, which provides landlords with some guidance on this registration system. The key points in these draft regulations are summarised in the table below.

Question	Answer
When will the database be rolled out for each region?	West Midlands – 15 December 2026 East of England- 15 January 2027 East Midlands- 15 February 2027 South East- 15 March 2027 Yorkshire and Humber- 15 April 2027 North West- 15 May 2027 North East- 15 June 2027 London- 15 July 2027 South West- 15 August 2027 The extent of each region is specified in Schedule 1 of the draft regulations.
What must be done?	Landlords or persons intending to become residential landlords must register themselves (either online or by using a form) with a landlord entry. Once an active landlord entry is made, a dwelling entry should be registered for each property. Landlords will have a three-month registration window once the roll out for their region has taken place. As such, all rental properties must be registered by 14 November 2027.
What information is required to make a landlord entry?	Please see regulation 5 and schedule 2 of the draft regulations for full details. Landlord’s identity: For an individual, identity information such as the landlord’s name, date of birth, residential address, telephone number and email address is required. For an organisation, additional information including the name of the organisation, the type of legal entity, address and company or charity number is required. Evidence of capacity: If, for example, a personal representative of a deceased person’s estate is making the landlord entry, a copy of the grant of probate is required as well as details of the name, address, telephone number and email address of the personal representative.
What information is required to make a dwelling entry?	Please see regulation 6 and parts 1 and 2 of Schedule 3 of the draft regulations for full details. Information relating to the dwelling: For example, its address, ownership type, dwelling type, number of bedrooms as well as names and contact details of freehold owners, superior landlords and property managers (if relevant). Relevant documents: Where applicable, HMO licence, gas safety record, EICR and EPC (this includes information as to whether an EPC is required for the tenant). Other details: For example, how the dwelling is furnished and whether rent is inclusive of utilities.
Who can make the relevant entries?	This requirement applies to assured or regulated tenancies and does not include supported exempt accommodation as defined by the Supported Housing (Regulatory Oversight) Act 2023. The residential landlord a donee of a power of attorney a personal representative of a deceased person’s estate a court appointed deputy a guardian a receiver a trustee in bankruptcy a liquidator or provisional liquidator an administrator an administrative receiver a person acting in a similar capacity of roles referred to above Please see the exceptions under paragraphs (3) to (5) in regulation 4. A letting agent or property manager can be appointed to provide the information and documents required to make dwelling entries.
What fees are payable?	Landlord registration is free. £65 to register each rental property. £65 annual renewal fee per property.
When should entries be renewed?	Active entries must be renewed every 12 months and landlords will need to pay the relevant fee for doing so, being £65. If landlords fail to do so, the entries will become inactive. If there are already active dwelling entries on the database connected to a landlord, any new dwelling entries will have the same renewal date as the existing entries.
What are the requirements for keeping entries up-to-date?	Active dwelling entries must be updated with relevant information and documents within 28 days of the start of the tenancy when: The dwelling entry was made at a time the dwelling was not occupied. Active dwelling entries must be updated with relevant information and documents within 28 days of the entry being made when: The dwelling was occupied but the dwelling entry was incomplete. If the information and documents relating to an active landlord entry or active dwelling entry is out of date, the entry must be updated within 28 days of it becoming out of date. Please see regulations 7,8 and 9 in the draft Private Rented Sector Database Regulations 2026 for more information.
What are the consequences of not complying with these requirements?	Landlords can be fined up to £7,000 for a single ordinary breach if they do not follow these requirements. The penalty could increase to £40,000 for serious or repeated conduct, such as knowingly submitting false or misleading information, and can amount to a criminal offence. Section 82 of the Act specifies that a rental property cannot be let or marketed for letting if the landlord or dwelling entry is inactive. A failure to maintain required active entries can also prevent landlords from obtaining possession orders based on most of the Section 8 grounds.

Conclusion

Charities that are currently landlords or have been gifted land with tenants in situ should start preparing for the ‘Register your rental property’ service by conducting the following checks:

The location of the rental properties and corresponding database rollout dates;
Accuracy of landlord and property information (a personal representative will be able to make the relevant landlord and dwelling entries);
Availability of compliance documents such as EICR, EPC and gas safety records; and
Existing or future possession proceedings (the database requirements should be complied with prior to the relevant possession hearings).

For more information, please contact Anna Phillips and Arani Arunan.