Nottingham Landlords: PRS Database Duty Starts 15 February 2027

If you let in Nottingham, your rental sits in the East Midlands cohort for the PRS database (the private rented sector database under the Renters' Rights Act). Under the government's published timetable, the requirement for East Midlands properties, including Nottingham, starts on 15 February 2027, and you have three months to register, by 14 May 2027. The service is currently scheduled to open to all landlords on 15 December 2026, so you can register voluntarily before the East Midlands requirement starts. The regulations are still in draft, so these dates can still shift. Check GOV.UK before you register.

Why Nottingham is in the East Midlands window

The PRS database rolls out by English region, not by city. Nottingham sits in the East Midlands schedule, so a student house in Lenton, a flat in the city centre, or a family terrace in Sneinton all share the same February 2027 start and May 2027 register-by date. Your clock follows where the property is, not where you live or where your agent is based.

Check the council, not just the postcode. NG postcodes run well beyond the city boundary. Beeston, West Bridgford, Arnold and Carlton have NG postcodes but sit under neighbouring Nottinghamshire district councils (Broxtowe, Rushcliffe and Gedling), not Nottingham City Council. They are still in the East Midlands, so the PRS database dates are the same, but Nottingham City Council's licensing schemes and its planning rule below only apply inside the city. Confirm which council covers each address before you work out which licence you need.

For the full England timetable see our guide to PRS database registration deadlines. For the wider picture, start with the PRS national database overview. Letting elsewhere in the East Midlands too? See the companion guide for Leicester landlords.

Nottingham City Council and local licensing

The local housing authority for properties in the city is Nottingham City Council. The PRS database is a national government register. It sits alongside, not instead of, Nottingham's local licensing, and Nottingham's licensing covers a large share of the city's private lets.

Selective licensing in its second scheme came into force on 1 December 2023 and the council's designation says it runs until 30 November 2028. It covers a large designated area rather than the whole city, and inside that area most private lets need a licence, including homes let to one person, one family, or two unrelated people. Use the council's MyProperty checker to see whether your address is in the designated area.

Additional HMO licensing has applied city-wide since 1 January 2024 and the council's designation says it runs until 31 December 2028. It covers HMOs with three or more people forming two or more households who share a kitchen, bathroom or toilet, including some flats, where the HMO does not already need a mandatory licence. Mandatory HMO licensing continues to apply to larger HMOs with five or more people. A property needs only one of these licences, the right one for its type and occupancy.

The council charges lower licence fees to landlords accredited with DASH, Unipol or ANUK, and its HMO licence application asks for evidence of landlord training. If you cannot show training, the council says the licence will carry a condition to complete an approved course within 12 months.

Planning is separate, and strict. A city-wide Article 4 Direction has applied since 11 March 2012, so turning a family house into a small HMO for three to six unrelated people needs planning permission anywhere in the city. Larger HMOs for seven or more people have always needed it. The council says permission for these changes is highly unlikely to be granted, and that an HMO without the right planning permission may only be given a 12-month licence. If you are buying a shared house, check its planning history before you exchange.

Student, shared and city-centre lets

Nottingham has two large universities, the University of Nottingham and Nottingham Trent University, so student houses and shared lets are a big part of the local market, especially in areas such as Lenton, Dunkirk, Radford and the Arboretum. Alongside them sit city-centre flats, older terraces across the inner wards, and family homes further out. Most shared houses in the city now fall under additional or mandatory HMO licensing, while many single-household lets fall under selective licensing.

Student lets bring a timing problem. Many tenancies change over in the summer, and viewings for the next academic year often start in the autumn and winter. Registration under the published timetable falls between February and May 2027, right in the middle of that cycle, so get certificates and paperwork sorted before the next round of viewings rather than after. The PRS database is a different, national register with its own entries and fee, so a local licence does not count as registration.

Nottingham prep checklist before 15 February 2027

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

• 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 student and shared houses).
• 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.
• Nottingham licence details for each address: selective, additional HMO, mandatory HMO, or none, with the licence reference and expiry date. Licensing sits alongside the PRS database, not instead of it.
• HMO extras where they apply: fire alarm test records, emergency lighting test records, fire risk assessment, and planning consent or evidence of lawful HMO use.
• 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 HMO management duties that sit beside licensing, see our guide to running an HMO.

What to do between now and May 2027

1. List every property you let with an NG postcode, including those managed by an agent, and confirm whether each sits under Nottingham City Council or a neighbouring district council.
2. Check each city address on MyProperty: whether it is in the selective area, how many people and households live there, and whether the right licence is already in place.
3. Audit certificates this autumn and winter: gas, EICR and EPC, plus fire safety records for HMOs. Book renewals before the student viewing season so you are not chasing contractors at the same time as finding tenants.
4. Bundle documents per property so the documents you gathered for a Nottingham licence also serve the database registration.
5. Diary the currently scheduled dates: requirement from 15 February 2027; register by 14 May 2027. Voluntary registration is currently scheduled to open on 15 December 2026. Aim to complete registration well before mid-May, not on the last weekend before the deadline.
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 Nottingham City Council's licensing and planning pages for any scheme changes.

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.

Local licence fees and the announced PRS database fee

Most Nottingham landlords already pay for a selective or HMO licence, so the announced PRS database fee will feel like another charge on top. They are separate schemes: holding a Nottingham 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 the 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 Nottingham City Council (or, outside the city, by the relevant district council) and can change too. Always confirm the current East Midlands dates, fee and process on GOV.UK, check licensing on the council site for your exact address, and take professional advice for your situation. LandlordProof helps you organise compliance documents and reminders; it does not make you legally compliant on its own, 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.