The Private Rented Sector Database: What Landlords Must Register (2026)

Quick answer: The Renters' Rights Act 2025 creates a mandatory Private Rented Sector (PRS) Database for England. Landlords of assured and regulated tenancies must register themselves and each property, supplying contact details, property information and core safety records: gas, electrical and EPC. Registration is expected to open region by region from late 2026, completing during 2027. The teeth: once live, you cannot lawfully market or let an unregistered property, and a court will generally not grant a possession order to an unregistered landlord.

Most coverage of the Renters' Rights Act has focused on the end of section 21. The database is the quieter half of the reform, and for record-keeping it is the more consequential one: it converts a landlord's compliance file from something you produce when challenged into something you file with the state before you are allowed to trade.

Where the Act has got to

The first phase landed on 1 May 2026. Existing assured shorthold tenancies converted automatically to the new periodic system, fixed terms fell away, and section 21 no-fault possession ended. Possession now requires a stated ground. Landlords also had to give tenants the government's information leaflet explaining the reforms.

The database is phase two. Government has indicated a phased regional rollout from late 2026 with national coverage during 2027. Treat those as planning assumptions rather than fixed dates: the annual fee has not been set and the commencement regulations were not published at the time of writing. We track movement on this on our reform timeline.

What you have to register

Two things get registered: you, and each property. Expect to supply:

• Landlord identity and contact details, including a correspondence address
• Property details for every dwelling let under an assured or regulated tenancy
• Gas safety certificate, the annual CP12 (what a CP12 is)
• Electrical Installation Condition Report, the five-yearly EICR (EICR codes explained)
• Energy Performance Certificate (EPC reform 2026-27)

That list will look familiar. It is, almost exactly, the core of a landlord's property logbook. The database does not ask for anything a well-run landlord does not already hold. It asks you to prove you hold it, on demand, per property, before you let.

Why it bites harder than a fine

The enforcement design is what makes this different from previous registration schemes. Two consequences matter more than any penalty:

1. You cannot market or let. Once the duty is live in your region, advertising an unregistered property is itself the breach. The risk arrives before a tenant does.
2. You cannot get possession. A court will generally be unable to make a possession order where the landlord is not registered. With section 21 gone, possession already depends on establishing a ground; failing registration removes the route entirely until you fix it.

Late registration can normally remedy the possession problem, but the practical exposure in the meantime (a tenant you cannot remove, on a property you should not have let) is exactly the scenario that turns a paperwork lapse into a year of cost. This mirrors the long-standing trap where a missing gas certificate blocked a section 21; see gas safety and section 21.

What to do now

1. Inventory your portfolio properly. One row per dwelling, with the expiry date of each of the three certificates. Most landlords discover at this point that one property's EICR is older than they thought.
2. Close the gaps before registration opens, not after. Renewing an expired EICR under time pressure while a letting is on hold is the avoidable version of this.
3. Fix the renewal cycle. Annual gas, five-yearly electrical, ten-yearly EPC, all with reminders that fire early enough to book a contractor.
4. Decide who holds the file. If an agent manages the property, agree in writing who registers, who updates, and who is responsible when a certificate lapses.
5. If you let in Scotland, note the regime is separate and already registration-based. See our Scottish landlord records checklist.

Frequently asked questions

What is the Private Rented Sector Database?

A national register created by the Renters' Rights Act 2025. Landlords of assured and regulated tenancies in England must register themselves and each of their properties, along with core compliance information, before marketing or letting.

When does the PRS Database launch?

Registration is expected to open on a phased, region-by-region basis from late 2026, with nationwide coverage during 2027. Exact dates and the annual fee are still to be confirmed by government.

What happens if a landlord does not register on the PRS Database?

An unregistered landlord cannot lawfully market or let the property, and a court will generally be unable to grant a possession order. Late registration can usually remedy the position, but it is a serious operational risk.

What records do landlords need for the PRS Database?

Landlord and property details plus core safety records: the gas safety certificate, the electrical installation condition report (EICR) and the EPC. These are the same documents a property logbook already holds.

Primary sources

• Renters' Rights Act 2025 (c. 26)
• GOV.UK: Guide to the Renters' Rights Act

Reviewed by Jamie Dawson, Editor of Logbook.co.uk, the independent home of the UK logbook. Logbook.co.uk is not a logbook provider and has no commercial relationship with any provider. Corrections: corrections@logbook.co.uk