Phase one of the Renters’ Rights Act took away Section 21. Phase two is quieter but arguably bigger: a national register of every private landlord and every rental property in England, known as the Private Rented Sector Database. The rollout begins regionally from late 2026 and is expected to extend across the country through 2027. If you own rental property, you will be on it, and the sensible move is to be ready before your region is called.
What the database actually is
Think of it as an MOT record for renting. Landlords will register themselves and each of their properties, pay an annual fee that has not yet been confirmed, and upload core information. The published expectation is that this will include contact details, property details and key safety records: the gas safety certificate, the electrical installation report and the energy performance certificate. Councils will use it to see who owns what, and tenants will be able to check that a landlord is registered before handing over a deposit.
The exact requirements and dates will be set through secondary legislation, and the government has said landlords will get sufficient notice before registration becomes compulsory in their area. So nothing is due tomorrow. But the direction of travel is completely clear, and the scheme has real teeth.
The teeth
Once registration is mandatory in your area, letting or marketing a property without registering is expected to carry civil penalties of up to £7,000, rising to as much as £40,000 or prosecution for continuing or repeat breaches. The sharper consequence for most landlords is procedural: an unregistered landlord is expected to lose access to the possession grounds under Section 8. Registration therefore affects your ability to recover a property, including when a tenant has stopped paying rent.
We covered what those Section 8 grounds now look like after the July deadline passed. The short version is that possession already depends on clean paperwork. The database simply turns that dependency into a formal gate.
Five things to do before your region is called
First, gather your documents. Gas safety certificate, electrical installation condition report, energy performance certificate, deposit protection details, licence details if your property is licensed. If any of them are expired or missing, fix that now rather than in a registration deadline panic.
Second, digitise everything. A shoebox of paper will not upload itself. Third, check your EPC rating, because a poor rating on a public register is also a poor advert to prospective tenants. Fourth, if you own through a company or with others, work out now who the registered landlord will be, because joint ownership questions are easier over coffee than against a deadline. And fifth, watch for announcements about the pilot regions so you know when your area is coming up.
Our honest read
Professional landlords have little to fear here. If your compliance is in order, registration should be an afternoon of admin and a modest fee. The landlords with a problem are the ones who do not know where their certificates are, and the register is designed, quite deliberately, to find them. The gap between organised and disorganised landlords has been widening all year, and the database will make it visible to everyone, including tenants choosing where to live.
Getting organised is precisely the job our property management arm Upgraded PM does for owners every day, from compliance tracking to the paperwork that wins possession claims. If the register is the nudge that finally makes you professionalise your portfolio, it will have done you a favour.
This article is general information and not legal advice. The database requirements described are the published expectations as of 1 August 2026 and the final details will be set by secondary legislation, so check the latest government guidance or speak to a qualified property solicitor before acting on anything here.