News & policy

The Landlord Register Deadlines Are Set — Find Your Region's Date

Renters' Rights Act · 6 min read

For over a year the Private Rented Sector Database has been the reform landlords could file under "someday." That's over: the government has published a region-by-region rollout calendar, so for the first time you can look up your own registration deadline. Registration is set to open in December 2026, roll out region by region through 2027, and carry a confirmed fee of £65 per property per year. This post lays out the timetable, what you'll need, and how to be ready — because the one thing that turns registration from a five-minute job into a fortnight of chasing tradespeople is your certificates not being in date. These are the announced dates; they're set by regulations and could still be adjusted, so confirm your region's deadline and the current fee on GOV.UK.

The rollout calendar

Registration is expected to open on 15 December 2026 (the West Midlands first), and the registration deadlines then fall region by region across 2027. As published, they are:

West Midlands — by 14 March 2027
East of England — by 14 April 2027
East Midlands — by 14 May 2027
South East — by 14 June 2027
Yorkshire & the Humber — by 14 July 2027
North West — by 14 August 2027
North East — by 14 September 2027
London — by 14 October 2027
South West — by 14 November 2027

In other words, every in-scope rental in England is expected to need to be registered by 14 November 2027 at the latest — but most regions bite well before then, and your clock is set by where your property is, not where you live.

The catch that decides how painful this is: the fee (a confirmed £65 per property, per year, renewed annually) is the easy part. The hard part is that you can't register a property cleanly unless its compliance is in order — registration asks for your gas, electrical (EICR) and EPC details, so a lapsed certificate turns a quick form into a scramble. Get those in date now and registration is minutes. Confirm your region's deadline and the current fee on GOV.UK.

What you'll need to register

Registration is expected to cover landlords of assured and regulated tenancies, who register themselves and each property. Based on how the service has been described, you'll need:

Your own details as landlord, via a government sign-in.
Each property's details and the tenancy information.
A current Gas Safety Certificate where gas is present.
A satisfactory EICR for the electrical installation.
A valid EPC at the required rating.

None of that is new paperwork — it's the compliance you should already hold. The database just makes holding it non-negotiable and visible, and ties your ability to register to having it current.

"Why am I paying twice?" — the fee frustration

It's worth acknowledging the reaction, because it's loud and fair to raise: many landlords already hand much of this same data to selective-licensing schemes, and a further annual per-property charge feels like paying twice, with no refund for void periods. Whether the fee is reasonable isn't ours to judge — that's a policy debate. What we'd say is narrower and practical: you can't avoid the charge, but you can avoid the far bigger cost, which is the admin and the risk. A landlord whose certificates are scattered and out of date will spend hours per property and risk registering late; one whose compliance is already organised registers in minutes and moves on. The fee is fixed; the hassle is optional.

What landlords should do now

Find your region's deadline from the list above, and treat it as your real date — not the final November 2027 backstop.
Get every certificate in date — gas, EICR and EPC — so nothing blocks registration when your window opens.
Gather your details in one place — landlord, property and tenancy information, ready to enter.
Set a government sign-in up ahead of time if you don't have one.
Verify on GOV.UK nearer the time — the dates are set by regulations and the government has promised notice, so confirm your exact deadline before relying on it.

This is the same message we've given since the database was only being tested — get register-ready early — but now it comes with a date attached to your region. For the wider stakes (being unregistered is set to block possession, advertising and HMO-licence renewal) see why the database is your eviction gatekeeper, and for the fuller picture our guide to the PRS national database. Get your certificates green, and your region's deadline becomes a formality rather than a fire drill.

Be register-ready before your region's date

LandlordProof keeps each property's gas, electrical and EPC certificates and their renewal dates in one place, with reminders before anything lapses — so when your region's registration window opens, everything the database asks for is current and to hand, and registering takes minutes. Free for your first property.

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General guidance for UK landlords, not legal advice. The PRS Database rollout dates, the registration process, the fee and exactly who is in scope are set by government and can change; the regional deadlines here are the published schedule at the time of writing — always confirm your region's current deadline, the fee and how to register at GOV.UK.