Exeter Landlords: PRS Database Duty Starts 15 August 2027

If you let in Exeter, your rental sits in the South West cohort for the PRS database (the private rented sector database under the Renters' Rights Act). Under the government's published timetable, the requirement for South West properties starts on 15 August 2027, and you then have three months to register, by 14 November 2027. The South West is the last of the nine English regions. The service is currently scheduled to open to all landlords on 15 December 2026, so you can register voluntarily long before the South West requirement starts. The regulations are still in draft, so these dates can still shift. Check GOV.UK before you register.

Exeter's additional HMO scheme has ended, so many lets have no council file

Exeter City Council used to run an additional HMO licensing scheme. When we checked the council's HMO licensing page on 26 October 2026, it said that scheme ran until February 2020 and has expired, and that no renewal is needed when an additional licence runs out. What remains is mandatory HMO licensing, for shared homes where at least 5 people from 2 or more households share a kitchen, bathroom or toilet, including some flats above shops. We found no selective licensing scheme in Exeter.

So a family home, a flat let to a couple, or a house shared by 3 or 4 people usually needs no council licence in the city today. If you held an additional licence under the old scheme, do not assume the council still holds current details for that property. For most Exeter lets, the PRS database is likely to be the first council or government register the property has had to join since that scheme ended, and the details and certificates need gathering fresh.

Student lets: the 2023 Article 4 Direction

Planning is separate from licensing. Nationally, turning a family home into a small HMO for three to six people can be permitted development, but councils can remove that right with an Article 4 Direction. Exeter City Council's planning pages say its 2023 Article 4 Direction came into force on 23 December 2024, replacing the earlier direction made in 2010 and updated in 2014. Inside the area it covers, you need planning permission to change a house into a small HMO. The council says it is there to manage the number of students living in parts of the city close to the university campuses and the city centre.

The boundary was enlarged in 2023, so a street that was outside the old area may now be inside it. Check the council's Article 4 map for the exact address before buying or converting. The council's HMO supplementary planning document (2023) sets out how new small HMO applications in that area are assessed. The council also says that a licence does not give planning permission, and planning permission does not guarantee a licence. Keep evidence of planning permission or lawful HMO use in the property's file. For HMO planning in general, see our guide to HMO planning and Article 4.

First check: an EX postcode is not always Exeter City Council

Many EX addresses are outside the city. Exmouth, Cranbrook and Honiton are in East Devon. Crediton and Tiverton are in Mid Devon. Dawlish is in Teignbridge. All of those are in the South West, so the PRS database dates are the same. But Exeter's HMO licensing and Article 4 rules do not apply there, and those councils set their own. A quick first check for any address is which council sends the council tax bill.

For the full England timetable see our guide to PRS database registration deadlines. For the wider picture, start with the PRS national database overview. There is no separate South West regional blog page yet. For nearby South West cities, see our Plymouth PRS database guide and our Bristol PRS database guide.

Portfolios across regions: the South West comes last

The South West is the ninth and last English region in the timetable, so if you also let anywhere else in England, that other region's deadline comes first. Under the government's current plans, the service is due to open on 15 December 2026, and from then you can register homes in any region voluntarily, before each region's requirement starts. Nothing needs registering today, but getting your documents ready now means you can register everything in one go.

Licensing and the PRS database are separate

A council licence does not replace registration on the national database once the South West window is live, and registering does not replace a licence. GOV.UK's guidance says the registration form asks whether the property needs an HMO, additional or selective licence, so have the answer and any licence number ready for each address. For most Exeter lets the answer will be no licence, but shared houses with 5 or more people from two or more households need a mandatory HMO licence, so have the licence reference and expiry date ready for those. For how the two fit together, see the PRS database versus selective licensing, and for licensing in general, landlord licensing explained and how to check if your property needs a licence.

Exeter prep checklist before 15 August 2027

Use this as a working list for every Exeter let you own or manage:

• Council check: confirm whether the address is in Exeter City Council's area or in East Devon, Mid Devon or Teignbridge.
• Gas safety (CP12): annual check where gas appliances are present, with the certificate in date, filed, and the renewal date noted.
• EICR satisfactory and still within its validity period for the electrical installation (at most five years).
• EPC valid and meeting the minimum rating the rules require for your let.
• Landlord and property details ready: your name and contact details, the property address, the type of property, the number of bedrooms, how many people and households live there, and the type of tenancy.
• Tenancy paperwork to hand: written agreement, how rent is paid, and who occupies the property (for student and shared houses, note how many people and households live there).
• Licence details for any HMO with 5 or more people: the mandatory licence reference and expiry date. For other lets, note that no licence is needed, so you can answer the registration question quickly.
• Planning evidence for shared houses inside the Article 4 area: planning permission, or proof the property was lawfully used as an HMO before the direction covering that street came into force.
• Deposit protection and prescribed information completed correctly if you took a deposit. This is a general landlord duty rather than a database field, but keep the scheme details in the same file.
• Fire safety records: smoke and carbon monoxide alarms tested, and for any HMO, fire alarm test records and any other fire safety records kept with the certificates.
• Government sign-in: watch GOV.UK for the service link and how to sign in. The service is currently scheduled to open on 15 December 2026.

None of that is new law invented for the database. It is the compliance you should already hold. The PRS database makes that compliance visible. Over time, the Renters' Rights Act also links being registered to advertising a property and to most possession claims. See why that matters in PRS database as eviction gatekeeper, and the early readiness message in when the PRS database goes live. For the wider ombudsman picture, see the PRS landlord ombudsman. For HMO duties that sit beside licensing, see our guide to running an HMO.

What to do between now and November 2027

1. List every property you let, in Exeter and elsewhere, including those managed by an agent, and note the council and region for each. The earliest deadline in your portfolio is the one to plan for.
2. Plan around the student year: the South West registration window runs from mid-August to mid-November, across the start of the academic year. For student houses, have certificates renewed and occupancy details settled before tenants move in, not during changeover.
3. Audit certificates this winter: gas, EICR and EPC. Book renewals that would otherwise land inside the August to November registration window.
4. Bundle documents per property as digital files so registration is copy-and-paste, not a hunt across email and drawers.
5. Diary the currently scheduled dates: requirement from 15 August 2027; register by 14 November 2027. Voluntary registration is currently scheduled to open on 15 December 2026. Aim to complete registration well before mid-November, not on the last weekend.
6. Re-check GOV.UK nearer the time for the live link to the "Register your rental property" service, the fee, and any adjustment to the regional calendar, and re-check Exeter City Council's licensing and planning pages for any change.

A letting agent cannot register for you. The landlord makes the landlord and property entries and pays the fee (a small number of others, such as an attorney or personal representative, can act instead). An agent or property manager can supply some of the tenancy and safety details. Agree now who will provide which documents and where the certificates live.

General guidance for landlords in England, not legal advice. PRS database start dates, registration deadlines, fees, who must register, and how the service works are set by government and can change. The Private Rented Sector Database Regulations 2026 are still a draft statutory instrument, so dates can still shift. Local licensing schemes and planning rules are set by Exeter City Council (or by the relevant Devon district council for addresses outside the city) and can change too. Always confirm the current South West dates, fee and process on GOV.UK, check licensing and planning on the council site for your exact address, and take professional advice for your situation. LandlordProof helps you organise your certificates, documents and reminders. Using it does not by itself meet your legal duties as a landlord, and it does not register you on the PRS database. You remain responsible for your legal duties as a landlord, so check GOV.UK or your council if you are unsure.