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Law & Regulation • 24 Sep 2026, 09:13

All You Need to Know About the ‘Register Your Rental Property’ Service and Landlord Ombudsman

All You Need to Know About the ‘Register Your Rental Property’ Service and Landlord Ombudsman

The Renters’ Rights Act has already changed how landlords let property, but there’s more to come. The next change is the ‘Register your rental property’ service for landlords in England, which the government plans to roll out region by region starting from December 2026.

For now, you’ll only need to register a property if it’s already let or becomes let during the rollout. Later, once the service is live, you’ll need to register your rental property before advertising it.

As the government shares more details about the ‘Register your rental property’ service, we’ll keep you updated on what you need to do and how we can help with registration.

So, what exactly is the ‘Register your rental property’ service, when will you need to register, and what information will you need to provide?

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What is the ‘Register your rental property’ service?

Simply put, it’s a national register of rental properties in England. It’s being introduced under Part 2 of the Renters’ Rights Act, with the aim of making it easier for tenants and councils to see who is responsible for a rental property.

For landlords, it will also provide a central place to record information about your properties and show that you’re meeting your legal obligations.

Registration will be a legal requirement for landlords letting property in England under an assured or regulated tenancy. However, you don’t need to register if you’re a landlord of supported exempt accommodation as defined under Section 12 of the Supported Housing (Regulatory Oversight) Act 2023.

The regional rollout timeline

The ‘Register your rental property’ service won’t open everywhere at once. To spread the rollout and prevent system bottlenecks, the government plans to open registration region by region from 15th December 2026. Offline registration routes will also be available for landlords who need them.

Once registration opens in your region, you’ll have three months to register your rental property. Keep in mind, registration deadlines are determined by your property’s location, not where you live. For example, if you live in London but own a rental property in Birmingham, you must meet the West Midlands deadline.

RegionRegistration Window OpensMandatory Registration DeadlineWest Midlands15th December 202614th March 2027East of England15th January 202714th April 2027East Midlands15th February 202714th May 2027South East15th March 202714th June 2027Yorkshire and the Humber15th April 202714th July 2027North West15th May 202714th August 2027North East15th June 202714th September 2027London15th July 202714th October 2027South West15th August 202714th November 2027

When do London landlords need to prepare by?

London is almost last in the government’s rollout, with the ‘Register your rental property’ service due to open on 15th July 2027 for all 32 London boroughs and the City of London.

That gives London landlords until 14th October 2027 to register once the service opens.

There’s no need to panic, but it’s worth getting your paperwork together before the deadline. If you have several properties or more than one tenancy to deal with, leaving everything until the last minute could make for a very busy three months.

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What you must register and pay

There are a few things you will need to have ready when it’s time to register your properties.

Annual registration fee

Registration will cost an annual fee of £65 per property per year (payable each time you register or renew a property), rather than one fee covering your whole portfolio. The cost will normally be tax-deductible.

It’s your responsibility

As a private landlord, it’s legally your responsibility to create your primary account using a GOV.UK One Login. If you own and let a property jointly with someone else (such as a spouse or partner), all co-landlords must be named on the registration and will be required to register themselves individually while sharing the single property entry.

For leasehold properties, you are also required to provide the name and contact details of the freeholder or superior landlord.  

Specific information and documents you must provide

According to official government guidance, you will need to gather and submit the following detailed information for each rental property:

Landlord and entity details

  • Individual landlords: Full legal name, date of birth, residential address (cannot be a PO Box), telephone number, and email address.
  • Corporate / Organisation landlords: Name of organisation, type of legal entity, registered address, telephone number, email address, Companies House registration number (if applicable), and nominated contact person details.

Property details and licensing

  • Full property address, total number of bedrooms, number of occupants, and distinct households occupying the property.
  • Furnishing status (let furnished, partly furnished, or unfurnished).
  • Whether the property requires Mandatory HMO, Additional, or Selective Licensing, along with licence numbers if available.

Rent information

  • Rent amount charged and payment frequency.
  • Whether rent is inclusive of utilities and, if so, specifically which utilities are included.

Health and safety compliance certificates

Penalties for non-registration

Registering your property isn’t just another bit of admin. There are penalties for getting it wrong or failing to register under the Renters’ Rights Act.

Financial penalties

Local authorities can issue civil penalties of up to £7,000 for specified breaches, rising to £40,000 for more serious or repeated breaches. Criminal prosecution may also apply in some cases.

Advertising restrictions

During the initial rollout, you’ll need to register a property if it’s currently let or becomes let during the rollout period. Unoccupied properties don’t need to be registered immediately during this initial window.

Later, once the ‘Register your rental property’ service is up and running, you will be required to register any unoccupied property before you market it for rent, and your registration number must be included on property adverts.

Possession restrictions

Being in breach of the registration rules can also affect your ability to use Section 8 to regain possession of your property. As Section 8 is now your only statutory route of regaining possession, it’s worth getting your registration right the first time, rather than finding out there’s a problem down the road.

Managing multiple lets? Rent Now keeps every property’s safety checks and contracts digitally organised.

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The PRS Landlord Ombudsman

The ‘Register your rental property’ service isn’t the only new system landlords need to know about. The Renters’ Rights Act also introduces a Private Rented Sector Landlord Ombudsman, giving tenants a free way to raise complaints without going to court. It’s expected to come into operation in 2028.

Membership will be compulsory for all private landlords letting residential property in England, whether you manage the property yourself or use a letting agent.

It will be able to investigate complaints about issues such as poor property conditions, communication problems and how a tenancy is managed, amongst other things.

Where a complaint is upheld, the Ombudsman can require a landlord to take action, which could include making repairs, issuing an apology or even paying compensation to tenants.

How landlords can start preparing now

You don’t need to wait for registration to open before getting organised. A few simple checks now can save you a lot of admin later:

  1. Check your certificates: Look at the expiry dates for your EICR, gas safety certificate and EPC. If any are due to expire soon, get them renewed before you need to register so they are valid and ready to upload.
  2. Check your ownership details: Gather the details required for registration, including the landlord’s date of birth, residential address, telephone number and email address. You should also have the name and email address of the freehold owner, any superior landlord, and any property manager.
  3. Set up your GOV.UK One Login: Ensure you have a working GOV.UK One Login account ready, as this will be required to access and log into the registration service.  
  4. Keep good records: Keep a clear record of tenant messages, repair requests, and when issues were resolved. Having everything in one place will make it much easier to deal with any complaints later.