In this blog:
- What is the new private rented sector database?
- When do London owners need to register, and what will it cost?
- What information will you need to provide?
- What else changes for owners in 2027, and how should you prepare?
The Renters’ Rights Act came into force in May. What followed in May was the first stage of several. The next stage is a national register of every owner and every rented property in England. For owners with gaps in their paperwork, it is the point at which those gaps become visible.
What the private rented sector database is
The private rented sector database is a new online register created by the Renters' Rights Act. Every owner with an assured or regulated tenancy will need to register themselves and each property they let. Councils will be able to use it to see who owns what, and whether each property meets the required standards.
It sits alongside a new Private Rented Sector Ombudsman, an independent service that residents will be able to use free of charge if they have a complaint about their owner. Membership will be compulsory for owners.
When London owners need to register, and what it costs
The government's new Register your rental property service opens on 15 December 2026, starting in the West Midlands, and then rolls out region by region. London owners will be required to register from 15 July 2027, with a deadline of 14 October 2027.
The fee is £65 per property, paid again each year. Owners who do not register risk a fine, and once London's deadline has passed, councils can begin enforcement (GOV.UK Housing Hub, 2026).
What you will need to provide
Registration asks for your personal details, details of each property and its tenancy, and health and safety information, including your gas safety record, your electrical safety certificate and its expiry date, and your Energy Performance Certificate details (GOV.UK Housing Hub, 2026). You will also need to say whether the property needs an HMO, additional or selective licence.
That is where many owners will find things need attention. A gas safety certificate that expired over the summer. An electrical report that was never renewed. An Energy Performance Certificate that has lapsed or shows a rating that needs updating. Documents held by a previous agent, or split across more than one agent for different properties. Each of those is manageable on its own. Discovered in a rush ahead of a deadline, they become a real risk.
Why 2027 is a year to get ahead of
The register is not the only change on the way. Income tax rates on property income rise by two percentage points from April 2027. With margins tighter, the cost of a void, an expensive emergency repair or a compliance issue matters more than before.
The owners who will find 2027 straightforward are the ones who know today that every certificate is current, every record is complete, and every property is let and managed to the standard the rules now expect.
What to do now
- Check that the gas safety certificate, electrical safety report and Energy Performance Certificate for every property are current, and note when each expires.
- Gather your tenancy details in one place, especially if you have used more than one agent.
- Deal with any property that would not pass a compliance check today, rather than waiting for the deadline.
- Decide who will prepare your registration, and when.
You will remain responsible for registering, even if an agent manages your property. But an agent who already holds your compliance records should be able to prepare everything for you, accurately, well ahead of the deadline. If you would like to understand what that looks like in practice, our guide to what your letting agent should be doing for you is a good place to start.
Three questions worth asking your agent
- Do you hold a current gas, electrical and Energy Performance Certificate for every one of my properties, and when does each expire?
- Will you prepare my registration for the new database, and when do you plan to do it?
- Is there any property in my portfolio that would need attention before a compliance check today?
If you are on a rent collection only arrangement, these records may not be held by your agent at all. Under full management, keeping every certificate current, checked and renewed on time is part of the service, as is handling the HMO licensing requirements in each borough where they apply.
What this means for your properties
The register is designed to make compliance visible. For owners whose properties are already well managed, registration will be straightforward. For owners who are not sure where their records stand, now is the right time to find out, well before the deadline arrives.
We do not think the best evidence of how we work comes from us describing it. It comes from 1,500+ people who left a review after trusting us with their homes and investment properties across West Hampstead, Kilburn and North West London. Those reviews placed us in the top 2% of estate agents nationally, ranked number 10 out of more than 20,000 agencies, as a Trusted Agent 2026 Platinum winner.
If you would like a clear picture of where your properties stand before London registration opens in July 2027, an owner review call is the most useful place to start. We will go through the compliance position of every property you own and what registration will involve for you.
Book an owner review call with us today.
