The government’s “Register your rental property” service (the PRS Database) opens on 15 December 2026, starting in the West Midlands and moving through one region a month. This checklist comes from GOV.UK’s own landlord guidance, last updated on 29 October 2026. It tells you what to gather first, so registration is a short job and not a scramble. Check GOV.UK for the latest position before you register.
Before you start: who registers and how
- You register yourself and each property. Any private landlord renting out an occupied property in England on an assured or regulated tenancy must register. That includes organisations acting as landlords.
- You sign in with GOV.UK One Login. You can choose to verify your identity. If you do not have digital access, GOV.UK says you can register through a paper-based application.
- Joint landlords each register. One of you registers the property and invites the others. If you own part of a rental property and are entitled to possession, you must register as a joint landlord, even if you are not named on the tenancy agreement.
- Check your region and its dates. Each region has a three-month window from the day it opens. Our free PRS Database checker shows the dates for any postcode, and the council-by-council guide covers all of England.
About you
You will give details about yourself and contact information. Organisations also provide:
- Their Companies House number, if they have one, and their charity commission number, if applicable.
- Details of directors, trustees and other members of the governing body, where no Companies House number is given.
- A contact for the organisation.
Anyone from the organisation can register it, and then add team members who can register and update properties. Limited liability partnerships and Scottish partnerships register as organisations. Members of English business partnerships register as individuals, following the joint landlord rules.
About each property
- The address, the number of bedrooms and the current rental status.
- A correspondence address in England or Wales.
- Contact details for any managing agents, superior landlords and freeholders.
Then you pay the property registration fee and receive a property registration number. If a property is a licensed House in Multiple Occupation, you do one registration for the whole property, not one for each room.
The evidence you will be asked for
GOV.UK says you will be asked for further information about each property:
- Gas safety certificate, if the property has a gas supply.
- Electrical safety certificate.
- Energy Performance Certificate (EPC).
- Tenancy information, including the rent.
- Any licences, such as an HMO licence or another licence.
Make sure these are current before you start. If one has lapsed, renewing it first saves a delay.
The 28-day rule
You can give all of this information at the same time as the property details. Or you can submit your registration and provide any outstanding information within 28 days. If you do not provide it in that time, GOV.UK says the property registration may be deactivated, which could put you in breach of the requirement to have an active registration for a rented property. Your landlord registration is also deactivated if you have no active properties on the service.
The same 28 days applies afterwards. You must update any information that changes or expires, such as occupancy or a safety certificate, within 28 days of that change or expiry. There is no charge for updates.
Using a letting agent
You must start the registration yourself and you are responsible for meeting the requirements. Once you have the property registration number and the property is occupied, you can ask a letting agent or property manager to provide the tenancy and health and safety information. The landlord remains responsible for making sure the record is complete within 28 days, even if you have delegated the work. For agents, using this feature is voluntary.
What it costs
- £65 per property per year. This fee is not subject to VAT and is tax-deductible. Check HMRC guidance when you do your tax return.
- Landlord registration is free, and so are updates to your landlord or property records.
- One renewal date. Every property you register renews on the same date, one year after you register your first.
- The first-year fee is pro-rated during the rollout. The service ignores any days before 15 November 2027. GOV.UK’s own examples: registering a property on 15 December 2026 costs £5.34, and registering on 25 June 2027 costs £39.60.
You can register before your region opens. If you have properties in several regions, you can register them together, provided none is registered after its own region’s end date. All landlords who are actively letting need to be registered by 14 November 2027.
What happens if you do not register
Penalties of up to £7,000 can apply for failing to register yourself and your property, and up to £40,000 for knowingly or recklessly giving false or misleading information, or for continuing or repeated breaches. From 15 December 2026, tenants will be able to apply for a Rent Repayment Order where a landlord has knowingly or recklessly given false or misleading information or has committed continuing or repeated breaches, once the registration period for their area has opened. Your local council can also take enforcement action.
Where Comprent fits
Comprent is not the official route to registration, and it takes none of the £65 fee. You register on GOV.UK. What Comprent does is keep the paperwork this checklist asks for in one place for every property: gas, electrical and EPC certificates with their expiry dates, tenancy and rent details, licences, and reminders before anything lapses. The same record helps with the 28-day updates. You can see your region’s dates with the free checker, with no sign-up.
Source: GOV.UK, Register your rental property service: guidance for landlords, updated 29 October 2026. Dates and figures can change, so check GOV.UK before you register. Comprent is compliance software, not legal advice.