London Landlords: PRS Database Duty Starts 15 July 2027

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

Why London is different: one register, 33 sets of local rules

For the PRS database, London is one region with one set of dates. For licensing and planning, it is 33 separate councils: the 32 London boroughs and the City of London. Each sets its own property licensing schemes and its own HMO planning rules, and those rules can change from one side of a street to the other where it marks a borough boundary.

Two central London examples show how much the local picture can differ, even between neighbouring boroughs:

• Camden: when we checked on 22 October 2026, Camden Council's public notice said its borough-wide additional HMO licensing scheme came into force on 8 December 2025 and runs to 8 December 2030. It covers HMOs occupied by three or more people forming two or more households, and some converted buildings of flats, across the whole borough.
• Westminster: Westminster City Council says its selective licensing scheme, which started on 24 November 2025, covers 15 of the city's 18 wards and applies to privately rented homes other than HMOs already covered by HMO licensing. Its renewed borough-wide additional HMO licensing scheme came into effect on 31 August 2026 and runs until 30 August 2031, according to the council.

Other boroughs run different mixes of mandatory, additional and selective licensing, or none beyond mandatory HMO licensing. We have not listed all 33 here because the details change often. Check your own borough's private housing or property licensing page for the exact address.

First check: Greater London is not the same as a London postcode

The draft regulations define the London region by council area, not by postcode. That catches people out in both directions.

Many addresses inside Greater London do not have a London postcode. Homes in Croydon (CR), Bromley (BR), Kingston upon Thames (KT), Harrow (HA), Romford (RM), Ilford (IG), Enfield (EN), Sutton (SM), Twickenham (TW) and Uxbridge (UB) are all in London boroughs, so they follow the London dates.

It works the other way too. Several of those postcode areas also cover towns outside Greater London. KT and TW postcodes cover parts of Surrey, which is in the South East, where the requirement is currently scheduled to start on 15 March 2027, with registration by 14 June 2027. EN, RM and IG postcodes cover parts of Hertfordshire and Essex, which are in the East of England, currently scheduled to start on 15 January 2027, with registration by 14 April 2027. DA postcodes cover Bexley in London as well as Dartford and other Kent towns, and some CR addresses, such as Caterham, are in Surrey. Kent and Surrey are both in the South East. If you let a home just outside the London boundary, your deadline may be months earlier than you expect. 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. For properties in Hertfordshire or Essex, see our East of England PRS database guide. There is no separate London regional blog page yet.

Portfolios across regions: register early, not last

Many London landlords also let outside the capital. Because London comes so late in the calendar, a landlord with one flat in London and one house in the Midlands or the South East will face the other region's deadline 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. If you own in more than one region, it is usually simpler to gather every property's documents once and register them together, rather than working to the London date and missing an earlier one.

Licensing and the PRS database are separate

A council licence does not replace registration on the national database once the London 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 London address. Mandatory HMO licensing applies in every borough for larger HMOs occupied by five or more people forming two or more households. 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.

HMO planning: check your borough's Article 4 position

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. Many London boroughs have done so for all or part of their area. Newham, Barking and Dagenham and Lewisham, for example, have Article 4 Directions for small HMOs, while Haringey's covers only part of the borough. Before you let a house as a shared home, check your borough's planning pages and Article 4 map for the exact address. Holding an HMO licence does not give you planning permission, and planning permission does not remove the need for a licence. Keep evidence of planning permission or lawful use in the same file as any licence. For HMO planning in general, see our guide to HMO planning and Article 4.

London prep checklist before 15 July 2027

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

• Council check: confirm which London borough, or the City of London, covers the address, and whether any home with a KT, TW, EN, RM, IG, DA or CR postcode is actually outside Greater London with an earlier deadline.
• 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 (especially important for flat shares, which may need an additional HMO licence in some boroughs).
• 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.
• Licence details for each address: selective, additional or mandatory HMO licence, or none, with the licence reference and expiry date.
• Planning evidence for shared houses: planning permission or proof of lawful HMO use where your borough has an Article 4 Direction.
• 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 October 2027

1. List every property you let, in London 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. Close any licensing gap now: check your borough's current schemes, because several London councils have started or renewed schemes since 2025.
3. Audit certificates this winter: gas, EICR and EPC. Book renewals that would otherwise land inside the July to October 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 July 2027; register by 14 October 2027. Voluntary registration is currently scheduled to open on 15 December 2026. Aim to complete registration well before mid-October, 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 your borough'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.

The announced PRS database fee

For many London landlords, the announced PRS database fee will sit on top of a council licence fee for the same property. That frustration is understandable. The practical response is still the same: holding a council licence does not register you on the national database, and registering does not replace a licence. A missed gas or electrical renewal can cost far more than either. Keep one clean compliance file per property so any council licence and the national register draw on the same documents.

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 each London borough and the City of London (or by the relevant council for addresses outside Greater London) and can change too. Always confirm the current London 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.