Landlords have faced a plethora of changes in recent years in order to make the rental process more efficient and fair for everyone involved. The most recent change requires landlords to register their rental homes officially. In this blog, we’re exploring what that means for landlords and how and when to do it.
What is the new rental property register?
The UK Government has recently published the details on the new register which is set to roll out in stages this winter.
The change is a result of the Renters’ Rights Act 2025, and essentially acts as a landlord database, containing information about landlords themselves and the properties they rent out in the private rented sector.
Propertymark is in continued conversation with the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) to address the roles of each party, and to help answer important questions about the changes.
Propertymark has long supported the principle of a national landlord and property register to help professional agents and responsible landlords demonstrate compliance and support councils to focus their resources on cases that present the greatest risk.
Landlords must operate within the law, and ensure full compliance at every stage. Local councils will be working hard to identify landlords who do not follow compliance regulations.
What do landlords need to do for the register?
Landlords will be required to pay an annual fee of £65 for each property, and they must renew their registration each year. Landlords who fail to complete this step will risk a financial penalty.
Landlords are expected to provide information about themselves and their properties, including:
- Property address, ownership type and number of bedrooms
- Landlord contact details and details of any superior landlord or property manager
- Information on whether the property is currently let, the number of occupants and households, and relevant HMO, additional or selective licence details
- How much rent is charged, payment frequency and whether utilities are included
- Evidence of compliance with key health and safety requirements, including gas safety, electrical safety and energy performance information
The official guidance confirms that landlords of supported exempt accommodation, as defined in the Supported Housing (Regulatory Oversight) Act 2023, will not need to register through the service.
At this stage, landlords are required to register properties that are already being let out, or those that become let during the roll-out period. They will not yet need to register empty properties that do not have assured or regulated tenancies.
When do you need to complete the registration process?
The timeline for registering your property depends on where it is located. It’s important to note that this deadline is based on where the property is, not where the landlord lives. Landlords with properties in multiple regions can register all of them from 15th December. However, this is not essential, as long as you meet the deadline for the specific region of all private rented sector properties.
Registration periods by region
- West Midlands: 15 December 2026 to 14 March 2027
- East of England: 15 January 2027 to 14 April 2027
- East Midlands: 15 February 2027 to 14 May 2027
- South East: 15 March 2027 to 14 June 2027
- Yorkshire and Humber: 15 April 2027 to 14 July 2027
- North West: 15 May 2027 to 14 August 2027
- North East: 15 June 2027 to 14 September 2027
- London: 15 July 2027 to 14 October 2027
- South West: 15 August 2027 to 14 November 2027
It’s crucial that landlords stick to these registration dates, as councils will be able to begin enforcement activity after these points. All private sector landlords actively letting properties must be fully registered by 14 November 2027.
How we can support you with our rental property service
As your dedicated letting agent, we are on hand to support you. All landlords are responsible for starting and completing their own registration, however, by renting your property through Intus Lettings, you can agree for us to provide certain information on your behalf for the national database.
What does the future of the register look like?
In the future, landlords will be required to register vacant properties before they can be marketed to let. Landlords and letting agents will need to include the property’s unique landlord and property identifiers in any advertising for the property. The Government is expected to publish further guidance on this before the requirements take effect.
Currently, the register gives local authorities a new source of information to support enforcement in the rental market. Over time, tenants will also be able to use it to check whether landlords are meeting their key legal requirements before choosing somewhere to rent.
We understand that changes to regulations can be challenging to manage, but we are on hand to support you as best as we can. Our friendly team is more than happy to answer any questions you have, so please feel free to contact us.
