The short answer. Each region gets a 3-month window, starting with the West Midlands on 15 December 2026 and ending with the South West on 14 November 2027. Register yourself (free) and each let property (£65 a year per property, no VAT) before your region's window closes. During the roll-out the first fee is reduced, because no days before 15 November 2027 are charged: registering on 15 December 2026 costs £5.34.
You'll need a GOV.UK One Login and, for each property, its gas safety record, electrical safety report and EPC. Missing details can be added within 28 days. Source: gov.uk, Register your rental property service: guidance for landlords (29 October 2026).
Registration windows by region
The window depends on where the property is, not where you live. Register before midnight on the end date. The fee columns are for one property registered on that day (worked out with the formula below); after that, it's £65 a year.
| Region | Window opens | Window closes | First fee if you register on the first day | … on the last day |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| West Midlands | 15 December 2026 | 14 March 2027 | £5.34 | £21.31 |
| East of England | 15 January 2027 | 14 April 2027 | £10.86 | £26.81 |
| East Midlands | 15 February 2027 | 14 May 2027 | £16.38 | £32.14 |
| South East | 15 March 2027 | 14 June 2027 | £21.48 | £37.65 |
| Yorkshire and the Humber | 15 April 2027 | 14 July 2027 | £26.99 | £42.97 |
| North West | 15 May 2027 | 14 August 2027 | £32.32 | £48.48 |
| North East | 15 June 2027 | 14 September 2027 | £37.82 | £53.98 |
| London | 15 July 2027 | 14 October 2027 | £43.15 | £59.31 |
| South West | 15 August 2027 | 14 November 2027 | £48.66 | £64.82 |
You can register before your region opens (from 15 December 2026), so landlords with homes in several regions can do them all at once, as long as none is registered after its own region's end date. Not sure of your region? Type your council into the planner, or check gov.uk's regions and councils list (PDF).
Free planner: your window, fee and checklist
Add each property and the day you plan to register. It stays in your browser: nothing is sent or saved.
How the fee works
- £65 per property per year, not subject to VAT. Registering yourself as a landlord and updating your records are free.
- One renewal date for everything: a year from the day you register your first property. A second property added two months later renews on the same date, and its first fee only covers the days up to it.
- The roll-out discount: the service doesn't charge for any days before 15 November 2027, the date by which every landlord must be registered. Its formula is (£65 ÷ days in the year) × (days to your renewal date − days before 15 November 2027), rounded down to the penny.
- gov.uk's examples: register on 15 December 2026 and you pay £5.34 (30 charged days of 365); register on 25 June 2027 and you pay £39.60 (223 of 366). The planner gives the same answers.
- Early doesn't save money over time. Whenever you register, you pay for the days from 15 November 2027 onwards. Registering early just means a smaller first bill and an earlier renewal date. The real cost is missing your window.
- It's tax-deductible: gov.uk says to check HMRC's guidance when you do your tax return. Keep the receipt with your property expenses.
What to have ready
To register a property you give its details, pay, and get a property registration number. Then you add the safety and tenancy information, at the same time or within 28 days.
| Item | What you need | Check before your window |
|---|---|---|
| Your account | A GOV.UK One Login (you can choose to verify your identity). No digital access? There's a paper application. | Set it up early |
| Your details | Contact details and a correspondence address in England or Wales | |
| The property | Address, number of bedrooms, current rental status | |
| Other people involved | Contact details for any managing agent, superior landlord or freeholder | |
| Gas safety certificate | If the property has a gas supply | Done in the last 12 months (check the next due date) |
| Electrical safety certificate (EICR) | Every property | Within 5 years, or the sooner date the report gives, with any remedial work done |
| Energy Performance Certificate | Every property | In date (they last 10 years) and rated E or above to let |
| The tenancy | Information about the tenancy, including the rent | Rent matches any recent Section 13 increase |
| Licences | HMO, additional or selective licence, if the property has one | Number and expiry date to hand |
If a certificate has lapsed, book the engineer or assessor now: an out-of-date gas or electrical certificate is a problem in its own right, whatever the database says.
Who has to register
- Private landlords renting a property in England to tenants on an assured or regulated tenancy: individuals, sole traders, partnerships, and organisations (companies, charities, trusts, LLPs).
- Joint landlords each register. One adds the property and invites the others. If you own part of a let property and are entitled to possession, you register as a joint landlord even if you're not named on the tenancy agreement.
- HMOs: one registration for the whole property, not one per room.
- Letting agents can't do it for you. You start the registration and pay; once you have the registration number and the home is let, your agent can add the tenancy and safety information. You're still responsible for the record being complete within 28 days.
- Empty homes: during the roll-out (15 December 2026 to 14 November 2027) you only have to register properties that are let or become let. Later, empty homes will have to be registered before they're advertised, and adverts will need the landlord and property numbers. gov.uk will update its guidance before those rules start.
- Not covered: supported exempt accommodation (Section 12 of the Supported Housing (Regulatory Oversight) Act 2023). Lodgers in your own home aren't assured tenants.
After you register: the 28-day rules
- Anything you skipped at registration must be added within 28 days, or the property registration may be deactivated. If the home is let, that puts you in breach. Your landlord registration is deactivated too if you have no active properties.
- Any change or expiry must be updated within 28 days: a new tenancy, a rent change, a renewed gas certificate, a new EICR, a new agent, your own new address. Updates are free.
- A simple habit: whenever a certificate is renewed or the rent changes, update the database the same week.
What happens if you don't
Not registering yourself or a property can mean a penalty of up to £7,000. Knowingly or recklessly giving false or misleading information, or continuing or repeated breaches, can mean up to £40,000, and your council can take enforcement action. Once a region's window opens, tenants there can also apply for a rent repayment order for those false-information and repeated-breach cases. Landlords with a live banning order may not be allowed to register.
For now your details aren't shown publicly, but gov.uk says some information about you and your property may be viewable in future.
What this doesn't cover
- Wales has Rent Smart Wales, Scotland has the Scottish landlord register and Northern Ireland has the landlord registration scheme, each with its own fees and rules.
- Social housing and supported exempt accommodation.
- Council licensing (HMO, additional and selective licences) is separate and still applies: the database just records your licence.
A prompt to get your papers in order
Paste this into ChatGPT, Gemini or Claude and fill in the brackets. Leave out tenants' names and anything personal.
I'm a private landlord in England getting ready for the government's Register your rental property service. My properties: [1. 2-bed flat, Coventry, let, gas: yes, gas safety record dated [date], EICR dated [date] (next due [date]), EPC rated [C] dated [date], no licence] [2. ...] Please: 1. Make a table of each certificate's next due date, and flag anything already expired or due before [my region's window end date]. 2. List what I still need to find or book before I register, property by property. 3. Write me a short reminder list for the 28-day update rule (what to update and when). Don't give legal advice; tell me if anything should be checked with my council or a housing adviser.
Made by Polytheseus. We make AI skills, prompt packs and free tools for people with repetitive paperwork. This page and its planner are free, with no sign-up.
More for landlords: Section 13 rent increase date calculator, Making Tax Digital for landlords: the £30,000 test, gas safety certificate renewal dates, and all our free tools. For letters and tenant messages, the free Landlord Skills add rent-increase, repair and tenant-message help to ChatGPT, Gemini or Claude. Landlord Skills Pro (£19, paid once) adds six more, including a database-ready skill that turns your notes into this checklist with every gap marked, plus arrears letters, deposit deductions and a compliance calendar.
FAQ
When do I have to register on the landlord database?
By the end of your property's regional window: 14 March 2027 for the West Midlands, then a month later for each region in turn, ending with the South West on 14 November 2027. See the table above.
How much does it cost to register a rental property?
£65 per property per year, with no VAT. Your landlord registration is free. During the roll-out the first fee is reduced because days before 15 November 2027 aren't charged.
Do I need to register an empty property?
Not during the roll-out, unless it becomes let. Later, empty properties will have to be registered before they're advertised.
Can my letting agent register for me?
No. You start each property registration and pay. Your agent can then add tenancy and safety information, but you're responsible for the record being complete within 28 days.
We own the property jointly. Do we both register?
Yes, each joint landlord registers. One of you registers the property and invites the others.
What happens if I miss my window?
Not registering can mean a penalty of up to £7,000 from your council. If you've missed it, register as soon as you can rather than waiting.
This page explains gov.uk's "Register your rental property service: guidance for landlords" (first published 29 October 2026) and its regions list in plain English. It's general information, not legal advice. The service is new and gov.uk says it will update the guidance as features are added, so check it before you register. Fees in the table and planner use the formula and examples gov.uk publishes; the service shows the exact amount when you pay. Last checked on 30 October 2026.