West Midlands landlords go first on 15 December as the national rollout runs to November 2027
England’s mandatory landlord registration service now has a price and a timetable. It will open on 15 December 2026, beginning in the West Midlands, and cost £65 a year for each property registered.
For a landlord with ten properties, that means £650 annually; a 15-property portfolio would cost £975. Those sums are separate from any selective, additional or HMO licensing fees. The new announcement therefore turns a long-promised database into a defined operational cost and deadline.
Who must register—and when
The Government says landlords of assured or regulated tenancies must register themselves and each property they let. Supported exempt accommodation, as defined in the Supported Housing (Regulatory Oversight) Act 2023, is excluded from this initial requirement. Offline registration will be available for landlords who need it.
The legal start and deadline depend on the property’s location, not the landlord’s home or business address. Each region receives a three-month window. After its deadline, councils in that region will be able to begin enforcement activity, and failure to register risks a financial penalty.
The service will be open nationally from 15 December, so landlords with properties in several regions can register them together before their individual deadlines. Early registration is optional; meeting the applicable deadline is not.
The confirmed regional schedule
| Region | Duty starts | 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 |
A substantial information exercise
Registration goes well beyond entering a name and address. Individual and organisational landlords will provide identity and contact details. Each property record will include its address, ownership and dwelling type, bedrooms, number of occupants and households, furnishing status, rent, payment frequency and any utilities included.
Landlords will also be asked about the freeholder, any superior landlord or property manager, and whether the home requires an HMO, additional or selective licence. Health and safety information includes gas-safety records where applicable, electrical reports or certificates, the latest EPC and any relevant Minimum Energy Efficiency Standards exemption.
A letting agent will not be able to take over the whole process. The landlord must start and finish registration, although an agent or property manager may be authorised to upload certain information. The Government has promised separate guidance before launch; the exact division of tasks is therefore not yet complete.
December is only the first stage
The initial duty applies to properties already let or becoming occupied during the rollout. Unoccupied properties do not yet have to be registered. The Government says future legislation will require registration before an empty property is marketed, with unique landlord and property identifiers placed in advertisements.
Tenant access is also a later stage. Renters are expected eventually to see whether a landlord is registered and complying with key requirements, but the Government has not yet published the full list of information that will be public or the date that access will begin. It says privacy will be balanced against useful transparency.
These are important distinctions. The register starts in December, but the complete public-facing database and pre-marketing rules do not start automatically on that date.
A compliance tool or another layer of cost?
For tenants, a reliable national record could make it easier to identify a genuine landlord, check key property information and help councils target unsafe or unlawfully managed homes. Responsible landlords could benefit if verified records distinguish them from operators who avoid basic standards.
The test will be whether the system verifies and updates information rather than simply collecting uploads. The National Residential Landlords Association has warned that the database could become little more than a national directory and has raised the risk of duplication where councils already collect similar information through licensing.
The Government says the £65 fee will fund the service and help councils identify and tackle non-compliance. Registration will not replace a local property licence, however, so landlords in licensed areas may pay for both systems and supply overlapping information unless they are integrated effectively.
Preparation needs to start before the portal opens
Portfolio landlords can now map each property to its regional deadline and assemble the ownership, tenancy, rent, licensing and safety records the service will request. They should also decide who will maintain the information annually and how agents will support the process once final guidance is available.
The national register could improve confidence for tenants and make enforcement fairer for landlords who maintain good standards. At £65 per property every year, it also needs to deliver more than another list. The timetable is now confirmed; the remaining challenge is to make the database accurate, joined-up and genuinely useful.
NetRent does not provide legal advice. This article represents our understanding of rental property law and is provided for general information only. Landlords should obtain independent legal or professional advice where appropriate.
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