The Government has published detailed guidance explaining how UK’s new national landlord registration service will operate, confirming a £65 annual fee for each rental property, regional registration deadlines and penalties of up to £40,000 for serious breaches.
Private landlords in United Kingdom will have to register themselves and their rental properties under a new national service being introduced as part of the Renters’ Rights Act 2025.
The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government published the guidance on 29 October 2026, setting out what landlords and letting agents must do before the registration system begins its regional rollout on 15 December.
The service, called Register your rental property, is intended to give local authorities better information about landlords and privately rented homes, helping them identify non-compliance and enforce housing regulations.
The new requirements will apply to private landlords letting properties under qualifying assured or regulated tenancies in United Kingdom.
Landlords responsible for registering themselves and their properties
Under the new arrangements, landlords will be responsible for registering themselves and each property they rent out.
Landlord registration will be free, but each property will carry an annual service fee of £65. The Government has confirmed that the fee will not be subject to VAT and will be tax-deductible.
Landlords will need to use GOV.UK One Login to access the registration service. Those without digital access will be able to apply through a paper-based process.
Where a property has more than one landlord, each joint landlord must register individually. One landlord will be responsible for registering the property and inviting the other joint landlords to be associated with its registration.
Landlords will receive separate registration numbers for themselves and their registered properties.
The property information required will include:
- The property’s address and number of bedrooms.
- Its current rental and occupancy status.
- A correspondence address in England or Wales.
- Contact details for managing agents, superior landlords and freeholders.
- Relevant property licensing information.
- Gas and electrical safety information, where applicable.
- Energy Performance Certificate details.
- Tenancy information, including rent.
Landlords can provide all the required information when registering or submit outstanding details within 28 days.
If the required information is not supplied within that period, the property’s registration may be deactivated.
Regional registration begins in December 2026
The national service will not require every landlord in England to register on the same date.
Instead, the Government will introduce the requirements region by region, giving landlords three months to complete registration once their region’s registration period begins.
The West Midlands will be the first region to enter the scheme on 15 December 2026.
The published timetable is:
| Region | Registration opens | Deadline |
|---|---|---|
| West Midlands | 15 Dec 2026 | 14 Mar 2027 |
| East of England | 15 Jan 2027 | 14 Apr 2027 |
| East Midlands | 15 Feb 2027 | 14 May 2027 |
| South-East | 15 Mar 2027 | 14 Jun 2027 |
| Yorkshire and Humber | 15 Apr 2027 | 14 Jul 2027 |
| North-West | 15 May 2027 | 14 Aug 2027 |
| North-East | 15 Jun 2027 | 14 Sep 2027 |
| London | 15 Jul 2027 | 14 Oct 2027 |
| South-West | 15 Aug 2027 | 14 Nov 2027 |
All landlords covered by the initial rollout will be expected to have completed the required registration by 14 November 2027.
For landlords with properties in more than one region, registration will need to be completed within the relevant registration period for each property’s location.
What letting agents will be responsible for
Although landlords must begin the registration process, they will be able to delegate certain tasks to letting agents and property managers.
Agents can help provide and update information about individual properties, including tenancy details, the number of tenants, rent, included bills, licensing information and relevant compliance certificates.
However, the landlord remains legally responsible for ensuring that the property is correctly registered and that the required information is provided.
The Government’s separate guidance for letting agents and property managers makes clear that agents who submit property information must ensure its accuracy.
Landlords and agents will therefore need to agree how information is collected, checked and updated before the regional registration deadlines.
What happens to vacant rental properties?
During the initial regional rollout, landlords will generally only need to register properties that are already occupied under qualifying tenancies or become occupied during the relevant registration period.
Unoccupied properties will not initially have to be registered simply because they are available for future letting.
However, the Government intends to introduce a further requirement under which vacant properties must be registered before they are marketed or advertised for rent.
Registration numbers will also eventually have to be included in rental property advertisements.
These additional requirements form part of the planned development of the service and should be distinguished from the initial registration obligations.
Landlords could face penalties of up to £40,000
The new system will carry financial penalties for landlords who fail to meet their registration responsibilities.
Under the Government’s guidance, landlords could face penalties of up to £7,000 for failing to register themselves and their properties.
More serious breaches could attract penalties of up to £40,000.
These higher penalties may apply where landlords knowingly or recklessly provide false or misleading information or commit continuing or repeated breaches of certain requirements.
Local authorities will be responsible for enforcement, using the information available through the registration service to identify landlords and properties that may not be complying with the rules.
The Government has also confirmed that tenants will be able to apply for Rent Repayment Orders in certain circumstances involving serious or repeated breaches of the registration requirements.
What the new register means for England’s rental market
The introduction of the national landlord registration service represents another significant change for England’s private rented sector under the Renters’ Rights Act.
By requiring landlords and rental properties to be recorded on a central system, the Government aims to improve transparency and give councils better information about the private rental market.
For landlords, the new requirements mean additional administrative responsibilities, an annual property registration fee and the need to maintain accurate information about their rental properties.
Letting agents will also have a role in helping landlords meet their obligations, although responsibility for registration will remain with the landlord.
The phased rollout gives landlords time to prepare, but the deadlines will vary depending on where their properties are located.
With the first registration period beginning in the West Midlands on 15 December 2026, landlords will need to understand the requirements and prepare the relevant property and compliance information before their regional deadline.
