New landlord register in England: what renters and landlords need to know

England is getting a national register of private landlords and the homes they let. The government calls it the Register your rental property service. Registration starts on 15 December 2026 in the West Midlands, then moves across England one region at a time.

For landlords, it is a new legal step with a yearly fee. For tenants, it should make it easier to see whether a landlord is following the rules, although that part comes later. Here is what is confirmed so far, checked against the official guidance on 16 October 2026.

What is the new landlord register?

It is an online service where landlords register themselves and each home they let. It brings together information about landlords, their properties and some of the legal requirements they must meet, such as gas and electrical safety.

The government says councils will use it to find landlords and properties more easily and to take action against landlords who break the rules. Tenants will later be able to check whether their landlord, or a landlord they are thinking of renting from, has registered and meets key legal requirements.

Landlords will need a GOV.UK One Login to use it. Not registering when you must risks a fine.

When does registration start?

Each region gets a three-month window to register. The dates follow where the rental home is, not where the landlord lives. A landlord who lives in London but lets a home in Birmingham follows the West Midlands dates.

Landlords can register early, from 15 December 2026, wherever their homes are. That may help if you let homes in more than one region. After a region's deadline, councils there can start to enforce it.

For now, the requirement covers homes that are let, or become let during the rollout. The government plans to go further later, with new laws requiring empty homes to be registered before they are advertised, and registration numbers in adverts. Those plans are not in force yet.

What will landlords need to provide?

Landlords of assured or regulated tenancies must register themselves and each property. Supported exempt accommodation, as defined by the Supported Housing (Regulatory Oversight) Act 2023, does not need to be registered.

The official list (opens in new tab) is detailed. In short, it covers:

• the landlord's own contact details
• the property's address, type, number of bedrooms and whether it is let
• how many people and households live there, any licence, and whether it is furnished
• the rent charged, how often it is paid and which utilities it includes
• gas safety, electrical safety and Energy Performance Certificate records

The fee is £65 per property each year, renewed annually. Three homes would cost £195 a year at that rate. During the rollout the fee will be adjusted so that people who register early do not pay more, so your first payment may be different.

If you use a letting agent, agree now who holds each record. Agents can upload some information, but the landlord starts and finishes the registration and stays responsible for it.

What does the landlord register mean for tenants?

The register is mainly a tool for councils at first. Over time it should give tenants more information to help them decide where to rent.

What the government has said so far:

• You will be able to see some information. The official guidance says tenants will be able to access some of the information landlords provide. A list of what the public can see will be published later.
• You will be able to check registration. You should be able to see whether your landlord, or a landlord you are thinking of renting from, has registered.
• You will be able to check key safety rules. The service is meant to show whether a landlord meets key legal requirements, such as safety certificates.
• Councils should find problem landlords sooner. With the details in one place, councils can see which homes are let and by whom, which helps them tackle poor conditions.

None of this happens on day one. Registration opens region by region until November 2027, and the government has not given a date for tenant access. Until then, you cannot search the register for your home or your landlord.

Will the landlord register show how much other people pay in rent?

We do not know yet. Landlords must give the rent charged for each home they register. In time, that could become a useful picture of what people really pay in their area.

But the government has not said whether any rent figures will be public, or in what form. Information being collected is not the same as information being published.

It also helps to know there are two different kinds of rent figure:

• Rent charged is what a tenant pays under a tenancy that already exists. It may have been agreed years ago.
• Advertised rent is the asking rent for a home that is available to let now. It is what a landlord hopes to get, which can differ from what is finally agreed.

Neither one, on its own, is the open market rent for a particular home.

Can the landlord register help you check whether a rent increase is fair?

Not at the moment. The register is about registration, safety and openness. It is not a service for comparing rents, and it will not approve or turn down a rent increase.

If you have been given a rent increase notice, the question is still how the new rent compares with similar homes near you. Location, property type, number of bedrooms, size, condition and anything included in the rent, such as bills or furniture, can all affect that comparison. Our guide on how to compare your rent with similar homes explains how.

How UpRently can help

Finding and comparing similar homes yourself can take hours. UpRently saves you that time and brings clear, organised evidence together when you are unsure whether a proposed rent increase is reasonable.

The free Rent Rise Checker compares a proposed rent with similar homes advertised nearby and explains what that evidence suggests. If you want to keep it, the optional Evidence Pack puts the comparable homes, their rents and how we reached our findings into one PDF.

UpRently uses advertised rents. It does not use data from the government register, and it is not an official valuation.

What happens next?

Registration opens in the West Midlands on 15 December 2026, and every region should be covered by 14 November 2027. The government will publish more guidance before launch, including which information the public can see.

Dates and details can change, so check the official guidance before you rely on them. UpRently does not register landlords or confirm that anyone is following the law. For advice about your own situation, contact Shelter (opens in new tab) or Citizens Advice (opens in new tab).