What will landlords have to register on the PRS database, and when?

Most landlords hear about the new national database as a form to fill in, and that undersells it. Registration asks you to upload the gas safety record, the electrical report and the energy certificate for every property, which means your compliance file stops being something you keep for yourself and becomes something a council can look at. The landlords who find it easy will be the ones who already know where each certificate is and when it expires.

What is the PRS database and who has to register?

The Private Rented Sector database is a national register of landlords and rented homes in England, created by the Renters' Rights Act and run by government, with local councils enforcing it. It applies to landlords letting homes in the private rented sector, whether they own one flat or forty, and whether they manage the homes themselves or use an agent. Some accommodation, such as university run halls and certain purpose built student blocks, sits outside it, but an ordinary shared student house generally does not.

Wales and Scotland have their own registration schemes, so this guide covers England only. The details below reflect the timetable and draft regulations published so far, and they can move, so check GOV.UK before you act on a specific date.

When does registration open, and what are the deadlines?

Registration opens on 15 December 2026, starting in the West Midlands, and becomes compulsory region by region over the following months, finishing with the South West in August 2027. Each landlord has three months from the date their region goes live, and every actively let property must be registered by 14 November 2027 at the latest. You can register at any point from 15 December as long as you finish before your own region's deadline.

What will it cost?

The fee is £65 per property, renewed every year, and it is expected to be pro rated during the rollout. For a landlord with four homes that is £260 a year, which is small next to the penalties for ignoring it, but it is a cost per property rather than per landlord, so it grows with a portfolio. How payment will work had not been published at the time of writing.

What information and documents do you have to provide?

There are two parts to the entry. The landlord entry covers your name, date of birth, address, telephone number and email, or the equivalent company details if you let through a limited company. The property entry covers the address and details of each home, plus copies of the safety documents that show it is fit to let.

1. The gas safety record, which has to be renewed every 12 months for any property with a gas appliance.
2. The electrical installation condition report, valid for five years unless it says sooner.
3. The energy performance certificate, with details of any exemption you rely on.
4. Licence details and numbers, where the property needs a selective, additional or mandatory licence.

Notice what that list is. It is the same paperwork we covered in our guides to EICR reports and EPC rules, now gathered into one place that the council can see. A certificate that has lapsed, or that nobody can find, becomes visible on the day you try to register.

What happens if you do not register?

A council can fine a landlord up to £7,000 for letting or marketing a property that is not registered. Repeating the breach within five years, carrying on after a penalty, or knowingly or recklessly giving false or misleading information can lead to prosecution, or a civil penalty of up to £40,000 instead. The Act also limits the grounds on which an unregistered landlord can seek possession, although that part is not yet in force.

The false information point deserves attention. If you tick a box saying a gas safety record is current and it has expired, the problem is no longer a missed renewal, it is a statement you cannot support. Registering honestly depends on knowing the true position of every certificate before you start.

Can a letting agent register for you?

An agent can upload some of the information on your behalf, but you start the registration yourself and, in the words of the guidance, you remain responsible for providing everything that is required. For a landlord that means asking your agent now which certificates they hold, where, and whether they are in date. For an agent it means being able to hand the landlord a clean, current set for every property on the books without a scramble.

How do you get ready before December?

The preparation is dull and quick, which is why it is worth doing early. For each property, write down the expiry date of the gas record, the EICR and the EPC, and note where the document is stored. Replace anything that has lapsed or will lapse before your region's deadline, because registering with an expired certificate is the awkward route. If you have a licence, find the number. If an agent manages the property, confirm who holds the originals.

This is the same idea we set out in how to prove landlord compliance. Doing the work is only half the job, and being able to show it, quickly and in date order, is what protects you. The database simply makes that test arrive on a schedule, with a council on the other side of it.

Where does Lodgic fit?

Lodgic does not register you and does not prepare the upload. Where it helps is the certificates: the gas record, EICR and EPC sit against each property with their dates, and you get a reminder before one runs out. Registering stays with you.

This guide is general information, not legal advice. The database rules, fees and dates are drawn from published government timetables and draft regulations and may change before they take effect, so check GOV.UK for the current position before you register.