Landlord database: What you need to know
With the regional rollout of the new landlord database set to start in December we look behind the headlines to see how it will work in practice – including the £7,000 fines if you aren’t up to date.
We have been inundated with calls following the announcement of the new landlord database, announced last week
Landlords, particularly those with multiple properties are, understandably, concerned about the £65 fee to be paid per property, per year – as well as the additional admin created, not least as much of the information needed is already publicly available.
Registration fee
The size of the registration fee, and the annual renewal, has come as a surprise to many, as it is more than double the £28.58 every three years, that was initially suggested in the Government’s Impact Assessement document.
For landlords of single properties, the £65 fee – which works out at just over £5 a month – may not feel too onerous. However, when you are paying for multiple properties, this can quickly build, not least if you are already paying for local landlord licensing. Particularly given each fee comes with its own administrative burden.
The administrative burden
As part of the database, landlords have to provide quite a lot of information to the database. They will also need to ensure that record is kept up to date. If information changes, then it must be updated within 28 days of the change or the landlord may risk fines.
As there is quite a lot of information that needs to be recorded for each entry on the database, good record keeping and communication with your agent will be essential to ensuring no changes are overlooked.
Registering yourself
For the landlord entry you will normally need to provide each landlord's name, address, date of birth, telephone number or email address.
For company landlords even more details is needed, including your companies house details and details of anyone acting on the company’s behalf.
Registering your properties
Each property you let out on an assured or regulated tenancy will also need its own entry.
This will involve providing the following information about the property itself, the tenancy it is let out on, and the safety certificates you have for the property.
For the property you will need to provide:
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The address.
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Name(s), email address, and service address of the landlord.
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Ownership type (freehold, leasehold, etc).
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The name and email address of the freeholder, property manager, or superior landlord.
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The type of dwelling (flat, terraced, semi-detached, etc).
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Number of bedrooms.
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Whether the dwelling is currently let.
Tenancy and rent details will need to include:
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The amount of rent, whether it includes bills, and how often it needs to be paid.
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The number of people living in the property (tenants and permitted occupiers but not short term guests).
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The number of households (i.e. how many unrelated people live in the property and whether it is a HMO).
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Whether the property needs a selective, additional or mandatory HMO licence and whether it has one.
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Whether it's furnished, part furnished or unfurnished.
It will also require information on safety standards including:
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The most recent gas safety record and the date it was issued (if the property has gas fittings).
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A current valid Electrical Installation Condition Report (EICR) or an Electrical Installation Certificate (EIC) and the date it expires on
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The most recent energy performance certificate (EPC) and information on whether one needed to be given to the tenant.
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If the EPC has expired, the start date of the latest tenancy.
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If the property does not meet the current minimum energy efficiency standards, details of any exemptions that have been registered for the property.
Civil penalties
This is quite a comprehensive list – and it won’t be the case of simply filling out the registration for each property and forgetting about it.
Should any of your details change, for example should you increase the rent, or have a new gas safety certificate, you have 28 days from the change to update the register or you could be fined.
Further regulation is needed to bring the enforcement powers into effect, but once they are landlords can face substantial fines for failing to comply with the database requirements. These include:
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Not keeping the database record up to date.
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Advertising the property without including your unique property and landlord reference number.
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Not having an active entry on the database while letting out or marketing a property for rent.
This creates a significant risk to landlords who don't follow the database requirements. Particularly for larger landlords, as their larger portfolios increase the administrative burden and the risk of missing a necessary update.
Realistically, some larger landlords may have to take on extra staff to ensure they are meeting their compliance obligations, or they delegate some of the updates to their agent for a fee.
All these additional costs could force rents up as landlords across the board try to recoup this additional spend.
Frustrations
Landlords we have spoken to already are frustrated, not just by the cost and admin, but also by the fact that the register duplicates data already held elsewhere, whether that is local licensing schemes, deposit schemes or safety bodies such as Gas Safe.
NRLA head of compliance James Wood said: “Most landlords don’t disagree with a landlord database in principle, but, like us, have concerns about what it is going to look like – and the additional burdens it will bring.
"We will be continuing to raise the concerns of our members to Government, pushing for improvements to the system to support landlords as they try to provide good quality homes to tenants."
Join our webinar
We will be hosting a free and exclusive member webinar on the landlord database on 1st October.
The hour-long session ‘Renters’ Rights Q&A – Registering on the database’ will be held at 11am on Zoom.
The webinar will focus on what the new database look like, what will you need to do to comply and how your information will be used, as well as how the new rules are likely to be enforced.
You will also have the opportunity to put your questions to our team of experts.
More information
More information
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To read our latest guidance - up to date with the details in the Private Rented Sector Database Regulation 2026 and the government's official statements click here.
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You can also use our new checker tool find out when you will be affected be the regional rollout by clicking here.
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To visit our Renters' Rights Hub, packed with information and resources to help you manage the transition, click here.
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The NRLA's award-winning training academy runs a comprehensive Renters' Rights Act training offer. Click here to book your place.
