It's the question filling landlord forums since the register's dates landed: "I already pay for a selective licence — am I now paying twice?" The government has confirmed the new Private Rented Sector Database does not replace council licensing. If your property is in a licensing area, you'll carry both. You can't cut the fees — but you can cut the admin to almost nothing.
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They get confused because both involve "registering" a rental and paying a fee. But they're run by different bodies, for different reasons, and one never cancels out the other.
| Selective / additional / HMO licensing | The landlord database | |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | A local council scheme covering a designated area (or licensable HMOs) | A single national register for the whole of England |
| Who runs it | Your local council | Central government |
| Who it covers | Only properties inside a designated area, or licensable HMOs | Every private landlord letting in England |
| The fee | Set by each council — varies widely, often several hundred to over £1,000 for a licence lasting up to 5 years | Expected £65 per property, per year (the government's fee) |
| Its purpose | Target specific local problems with proactive, area-based enforcement | National transparency — a record councils and tenants can check |
| Do you still need the other? | Yes — the database too | Yes — the licence too |
Fees, dates and requirements are set by government and local councils and can change. Licence fees vary by council and scheme — confirm yours with your local authority, and the database rules on GOV.UK. General guidance, not legal advice.
Two separate obligations, enforced separately. This is the overlap landlords are frustrated about — and the government has confirmed it's intentional.
The £65 fee is the government's, paid to the register — separate from any council licence fee and separate from LandlordProof. Figures can change; verify on GOV.UK and with your council.
A local tool. Councils designate an area where they judge there's a specific problem — poor conditions, anti-social behaviour, low demand — and use the licence conditions and inspections to enforce standards proactively in that patch.
A national record. Every landlord in England registers, giving councils and tenants a single place to see who's letting what and whether the basics are in order. It's about transparency across the whole market, not local enforcement.
Because they do different jobs, a landlord in a licensing area is expected to satisfy both — and each carries its own penalties for getting it wrong.
Penalty figures are set by government, framed here as maximums ("up to"), and can change — always verify the current position on GOV.UK. General guidance, not legal advice.
The £65 and any licence fee are out of our hands — those are the government's and your council's. What we remove is the double paperwork: two schemes both wanting your property details, certificates and dates, both with deadlines you can't afford to miss.
Landlord and property details, certificates and licence numbers held once — ready for the licence renewal and the database registration alike.
Licence expiry, gas, EICR and EPC renewals, all with reminders — so a lapse never holds up a licence or a clean database record.
See at a glance which properties are licence-current and register-ready before your region's database deadline arrives.
£39/year — first property free forever. No card to start. (Separate from the government's £65-per-property register fee and any council licence fee.)
Every region's registration deadline, the £65 fee and how to get register-ready.
Mandatory HMO vs additional vs selective licensing, and how to check your council.
Everything a UK landlord must keep in date in 2026, in one skimmable list.
Set up a free account for your first property in about a minute. Keep your licence and certificate dates in one place — no card, no trial countdown.
Start free →Free forever for one property · unlock everything for £39/year (about £3.25/month)