The questions landlords ask most about Register your rental property. Each answer states what a linked official page says. Where GOV.UK has not published an answer yet, we say so.
Not legal advice. Every figure on this page states what the linked official source says.
No. Selective, additional and HMO licensing are run by your council. The register asks whether the property needs one of those licences and for the licence numbers. In an area with a licensing scheme you may need both.
Sources: legislation.gov.uk: Draft Private Rented Sector Database Regulations 2026, Schedule 3: dwelling entries, checked on 13 October 2026; GOV.UK housing hub: Get ready to register, checked on 13 October 2026.
No. The housing hub says landlords of assured or regulated tenancies must register themselves and each property. A licence does not do that for you.
Source: GOV.UK housing hub: Get ready to register, checked on 13 October 2026.
No. GOV.UK says the fee is pro-rated during the rollout so those who sign up first do not pay more.
Source: GOV.UK housing hub: Get ready to register, checked on 13 October 2026.
You can register all of them from 15 December 2026. Each property must be in by the deadline for its own region. The property's location sets the deadline, not where you live.
Source: GOV.UK housing hub: Get ready to register, checked on 13 October 2026.
The draft regulations set each region by its council areas as they existed on 15 December 2026. Enter the postcode in our free checker to see the council and the region.
Source: legislation.gov.uk: Draft Private Rented Sector Database Regulations 2026, Schedule 1: the regions, checked on 13 October 2026.
Not fully. You start the registration yourself. Under the draft regulations your letting agent or property manager may provide the tenancy and certificate details for you. GOV.UK says guidance for agents will come before launch.
Sources: GOV.UK housing hub: Get ready to register, checked on 13 October 2026; legislation.gov.uk: Draft Private Rented Sector Database Regulations 2026, checked on 13 October 2026.
The housing hub says you as the landlord remain responsible for providing all the required information.
Source: GOV.UK housing hub: Get ready to register, checked on 13 October 2026.
The housing hub says the duty is on landlords of assured or regulated tenancies. It has not published guidance on lodgers yet. If you are not sure what kind of letting you have, get advice before your deadline.
Source: GOV.UK housing hub: Get ready to register, checked on 13 October 2026.
Not yet. The housing hub says you only register properties that are let now or become let during the rollout. It says to wait for guidance before registering an empty property you plan to market.
Source: GOV.UK housing hub: Get ready to register, checked on 13 October 2026.
The draft regulations ask for the most recent EPC. If it has expired they ask for the date the current tenancy started. Our certificates guide covers when an EPC is needed.
Source: legislation.gov.uk: Draft Private Rented Sector Database Regulations 2026, Schedule 3: dwelling entries, checked on 13 October 2026.
Under the draft regulations, when a detail in a property entry goes out of date you update the entry within 28 days. Your letting agent or property manager may do this for the tenancy and certificate details.
Source: legislation.gov.uk: Draft Private Rented Sector Database Regulations 2026, checked on 13 October 2026.
After a region's deadline its councils can start enforcement. A council can give a civil penalty of up to £7,000 for a breach of section 82.
It can be up to £40,000 or a prosecution for giving false or misleading information, for a continuing breach or for a repeat breach within 5 years.
While you are in breach of the duty to have active landlord and property entries, the court may not make a possession order. The exceptions are Ground 7A and Ground 14 (anti-social behaviour).
Sources: GOV.UK housing hub: Get ready to register, checked on 13 October 2026; legislation.gov.uk: Renters' Rights Act 2025, Part 2 Chapter 3: the database, checked on 13 October 2026.
Councils will use the service for enforcement. GOV.UK says tenants will later be able to check whether a landlord is registered. It will publish the list of information the public can see at a later stage.
Sources: GOV.UK housing hub: Get ready to register, checked on 13 October 2026; GOV.UK: Stronger protections and greater confidence for renters, checked on 13 October 2026.
The housing hub says there will be offline ways to register for landlords who need them. A contact centre will help you register or renew once the service is running.
Source: GOV.UK housing hub: Get ready to register, checked on 13 October 2026.
The register is not the new landlord ombudsman. The government's roadmap expects landlord membership of the ombudsman to be required in 2028, after the register.
Source: GOV.UK: Implementing the Renters' Rights Act 2025: our roadmap, checked on 10 October 2026.
GOV.UK has not published guidance on these yet. We will add answers when it does. Until then check the housing hub page linked below.
Source: GOV.UK housing hub: Get ready to register, checked on 13 October 2026.
Enter the property's postcode to see its region, when the register opens there and the deadline. Free.
Open the free register checkEach source shows the date it was last checked. England only.