The Government has confirmed further details of its new ‘Register your rental property’ service, which is being introduced as part of the next phase of the Renters’ Rights Act reforms.

For landlords, this will create a new annual registration requirement. If you are a landlord of an assured or regulated tenancy, you will need to register yourself and each property you let through the new service.

With the Government now confirming how the system will work, landlords should start preparing for the changes.

What is the ‘Register your rental property’ service?

The new service will create a central record of landlords and privately rented properties in England.

Landlords will be required to register each relevant rental property and provide information about themselves, the property, the tenancy and its compliance with key legal requirements.

Registration will cost £65 per property each year, with registrations needing to be renewed annually.

Failure to register when required could result in enforcement action and financial penalties.

When do landlords need to register?

The service will be introduced gradually across England rather than launching everywhere at once.

The rollout begins in the West Midlands on 15 December 2026, with other regions following monthly throughout 2027.

For properties in London, the requirement will begin on 15 July 2027 and landlords will have until 14 October 2027 to complete their registration.

Importantly, the relevant deadline is determined by where the rental property is located, rather than where the landlord lives.

Landlords with properties in more than one region will be able to register their properties from 15 December 2026 rather than waiting for each individual regional start date.

What information will landlords need?

The Government has published a substantial list of information that landlords should expect to provide.

This includes details about the landlord and the property, including:

• Property address, ownership type and property type
• Number of bedrooms
• Whether the property is currently let
• Number of occupants and households
• Details of any relevant HMO, additional or selective licence
• Whether the property is furnished, partly furnished or unfurnished
• Rent charged and payment frequency
• Details of any utilities included within the rent
• Details of the freeholder, superior landlord or property manager where applicable

Landlords will also need to provide information and documentation relating to property safety and compliance.

This includes relevant Gas Safety records, Electrical Installation Condition Reports (EICRs) and Energy Performance Certificates (EPCs). Information about any applicable Minimum Energy Efficiency Standards exemption may also be required.

Individual landlords will also need to provide personal information including their name, date of birth, residential address, telephone number and email address. Different information requirements will apply to landlords operating through companies or other organisations.

Landlords will need a GOV.UK One Login to access the service.

Can your letting agent register for you?

This is an important point for landlords using a managing agent.

The Government has confirmed that landlords themselves will remain responsible for starting and completing the registration process.

However, landlords will be able to agree for their letting agent or property manager to provide certain information on their behalf.

Further guidance for letting agents and property managers is expected before the service launches, so the precise process is still to be confirmed.

What about empty properties?

During the initial rollout, landlords only need to register properties that are already let or become let during the rollout period.

However, the Government has confirmed that a later phase will extend the requirement to unoccupied properties. Before a property can be marketed for rent, it will need to be registered.

At that stage, unique landlord and property identifiers will also need to appear on property advertisements.

Further guidance on these requirements is expected.

What should landlords do now?

There is no need for London landlords to register immediately, but there is good reason to start preparing.

In particular, landlords should make sure that their property and contact information is accurate and that key compliance documents such as Gas Safety records, EICRs and EPCs are available and up to date.

Landlords with portfolios across different parts of England should also check the registration timetable carefully, as different properties may have different deadlines.

We will continue to monitor the guidance as further details are published and will keep our landlords updated on what they need to do.

Gov.uk – https://housinghub.campaign.gov.uk/renting-is-changing/get-ready-to-register/