The landlord register,answered.
The questions letting agents ask about England’s landlord register and the PRS database, answered in plain English from the government’s own guidance.
- What is the landlord register?
- England’s new register of private landlords and the homes they let, often called the PRS database or the landlord database. It opens on 15 December 2026, one region at a time. The government runs it through its Register your rental property service, on GOV.UK.
- When is the deadline for my region?
- Each region has three months. West Midlands: 15 December 2026 to 14 March 2027. East of England: 15 January 2027 to 14 April 2027. East Midlands: 15 February 2027 to 14 May 2027. South East: 15 March 2027 to 14 June 2027. Yorkshire and Humberside: 15 April 2027 to 14 July 2027. North West: 15 May 2027 to 14 August 2027. North East: 15 June 2027 to 14 September 2027. London: 15 July 2027 to 14 October 2027. South West: 15 August 2027 to 14 November 2027.
- What does a letting agent have to do?
- The landlord starts each home’s entry and names your agency. GOV.UK then sends your agency a link for that home, and you set a password the first time you use it. Your agency has 28 days to fill in and submit its part, and it is responsible for the accuracy of what it submits.
- What does the agency’s part ask for?
- Any HMO, additional or selective licence; the number of tenants and households; whether the home is furnished, part furnished or unfurnished; the rent and any bills it includes; and the gas safety certificate (if the home has a gas supply), the electrical certificate (EICR or EIC) and the energy certificate (EPC), each with its date.
- Can we register all our homes at once?
- No. There is no bulk upload. Each home is its own link with its own password, so an agency with three hundred homes has three hundred entries to complete.
- What happens if the 28 days run out?
- If your agency’s part is not submitted within 28 days, the home’s registration becomes inactive and the landlord may be in breach of their legal duties. Every later change, such as a new tenant, a new rent or a renewed certificate, also has to be updated within 28 days.
- Who pays the £65?
- The landlord, on GOV.UK. The fee is £65 a home each year, and registering and paying is the landlord’s legal responsibility. The £65 never passes through Woodyer Capital.
- What are the fines?
- Up to £7,000 for breaking the register rules, such as letting a home that is not registered, and up to £40,000 for knowingly or recklessly giving false or misleading information. A landlord who is not registered also loses most routes to possession.
- Which homes have to be registered?
- During the rollout, homes let on an assured periodic or regulated tenancy at your region’s deadline, and any home let after it.
- Will adverts need registration numbers?
- The government has said that, in future, a home will have to be registered before it can be marketed, and its adverts will have to show the registration numbers. That rule is not in force yet.
- Does it cover Wales, Scotland or Northern Ireland?
- No. The register covers England only. Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland run their own landlord registers.
- How long will the work take an agency?
- Letting agents who tested the register took 20 to 25 minutes a home (Kamma, 2026). For three hundred homes that is 100 to 125 hours.
- Can our agency charge landlords for the register work?
- That is your agency’s decision. Letting agents already publish their fees, as the Consumer Rights Act 2015 requires, and a register fee can sit beside them. We charge your agency, never your landlords.
- What does Woodyer Capital do?
- We do your agency’s part for every home. We ask your landlords to register and name your agency, writing in your agency’s name, fill in your part from the certificates you hold, submit each batch once you have approved it, and keep every entry correct afterwards. It starts with a free Readiness Report on your whole list. Registration is £20 a home, with a minimum of £1,000, and Register Upkeep is £3 a home a month, with a minimum of £250. We carry professional indemnity and cyber insurance.
- Is Woodyer Capital part of the government?
- No. Woodyer Capital is a private firm that works for letting agents. The register and its £65 fee are the government’s, on GOV.UK.
From the GOV.UK guidance for letting agents and property managers (29 October 2026), the government’s civil penalties guidance, and Kamma’s test of the register. This page explains the rules; it is not legal advice.