How to Register as a Landlord
in England in 2026

From 15 December 2026, private landlords in England will start registering themselves, and every property they let, on a new national database. It costs £65 per property per year, it rolls out region by region, and letting a property that is not registered will be an offence.

For most landlords, the form will be the easy part. The hard part is finding everything it asks for. That is exactly what two new features in PROXERA are built to fix.

Who needs to register as a landlord in England

Every private landlord letting residential property in England will need to register on the Private Rented Sector Database. The government service is called Register your rental property and runs on GOV.UK, using GOV.UK One Login.

You register yourself as the landlord, then add each property you let. If you own more than one property, each one needs its own entry and its own fee.

This applies to England only. Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland run their own landlord registration schemes, so check the rules where each property sits.

When you need to register

Registration opens in stages:

• The West Midlands opens first, on 15 December 2026.
• Every other English region follows month by month through 2027.
• Once your region opens, you have three months to register.

Your deadline depends on where each property is, not where you live. If you own homes in more than one region, you may have more than one deadline. You can check yours in seconds with our free landlord database deadline checker.

What landlord registration costs

Registration costs £65 per property, per year. A landlord with five properties should budget £325 a year.

What information you will need

The registration asks for details about you, each property and each tenancy, plus evidence that the property is safe to let. Have these ready for every property:

• your full name, contact details and address
• the property address
• the tenancy type, start date and rent
• your current gas safety certificate
• your electrical safety report (EICR)
• your Energy Performance Certificate (EPC)

Missing, expired or hard-to-find documents are what slow most landlords down. For a step by step walkthrough of the form itself, see our guide to registering your rental property.

The form will be the easy part. Finding everything it asks for is the hard part.

New in PROXERA: landlord registration, ready to copy and paste

New in PROXERA: set up in minutes, your way

Getting your portfolio into any new system has always been the barrier. So we have made it as hands-off as possible, with two options.

Option 1: drag and drop your spreadsheet

Already track your properties in a spreadsheet? Drag it into PROXERA. Your properties, rents and key dates are pulled in for you, ready to review. No retyping.

Option 2: let a property adviser set it up for you

Prefer not to do it yourself? A real person, one of our property advisers, can set up your account for you. You spend around two minutes on the essentials, and they handle the rest. Book a call with a property adviser.

Either way, your portfolio is organised, your documents have a home, and your registration details are ready before your region opens.

Your landlord set-up checklist for 2026

Registering is one part of letting legally in England. If you are setting up as a landlord, or checking you are covered, work through this list:

1. Register on the landlord database once your region opens, and pay £65 per property.
2. Protect the deposit in a government-approved scheme within 30 days of receiving it, and give your tenant the prescribed information.
3. Gas safety: have a Gas Safe registered engineer check every gas appliance every year.
4. Electrical safety: get an EICR at least every five years, and give a copy to your tenant.
5. EPC: make sure each property has a valid Energy Performance Certificate.
6. Smoke and carbon monoxide alarms: fit and test them as required.
7. Right to Rent checks: check every adult tenant’s right to rent in the UK before the tenancy starts.
8. Licensing: check whether your council requires a licence. HMOs and selective licensing areas have extra rules. Our guide to Liverpool HMO rules shows how quickly these can change.
9. Tax: tell HMRC about your rental income. If your qualifying income is over £50,000, Making Tax Digital for Income Tax applies from April 2026. See how PROXERA helps with MTD preparation.
10. Ombudsman: be ready to join the new Private Rented Sector Landlord Ombudsman when it launches.

Why being one step ahead matters

The landlords who will find registration painless are the ones whose information is already organised. The ones who will struggle are those working from scattered emails, old spreadsheets and paper certificates in a drawer.

PROXERA keeps every property, document and deadline in one place, prepares your registration in a format you can copy straight into GOV.UK, and reminds you before anything is due. Whether you drag in a spreadsheet or let an adviser set it up, you can be ready in minutes.

Frequently asked questions

How do I register as a landlord in England?

Use the government’s Register your rental property service on GOV.UK, signing in with GOV.UK One Login. You register yourself as the landlord, then add each property with its tenancy details and safety certificates. Registration opens region by region from 15 December 2026.

How much does landlord registration cost?

Registration costs £65 per property, per year. Each property you let needs its own entry and its own fee.

When do I need to register as a landlord?

The West Midlands opens first on 15 December 2026 and other regions follow month by month through 2027. Once your region opens, you have three months to register. Your deadline depends on where each property is, not where you live.

Can PROXERA register me as a landlord?

No. You complete the registration yourself on GOV.UK. PROXERA gathers every detail the form asks for, flags missing or expiring certificates, reminds you before your deadline and lays out each answer ready to copy and paste.

Sources

• GOV.UK, “Register your rental property” service announcement, 9 September 2026 (as reported by Goodlord and others)
• Renters’ Rights Act 2025, sections 75 and 76 (Private Rented Sector Database)
• PROXERA, England’s Landlord Database: What Landlords Need to Know, last reviewed 9 September 2026

This article is general information, not legal advice. Dates and requirements are set by the government and can change. Always check the official GOV.UK guidance before you register.