The landlord database and ombudsman: when you must register
The Private Rented Sector Database opens region by region from 15 December 2026, and the landlord ombudsman follows. Every landlord in England will need an entry for each property before letting or advertising it.
England. Checked against the law on 27 September 2026. Information, not legal advice.
The database
The Renters' Rights Act creates a national Private Rented Sector Database. Every landlord and every let property in England must be registered, with a fee. Registration is being switched on by region from 15 December 2026; you will need an entry before you advertise or let, and to use most possession grounds.
You will need: your details, the property, and confirmation of the safety certificates. Councils use it for enforcement; tenants can look a landlord up.
The ombudsman
A single Private Rented Sector Landlord Ombudsman that every landlord must join. Tenants complain there for free; decisions bind the landlord (apologies, repairs, compensation up to a limit). It phases in after the database.
Penalties
Letting without a database entry or ombudsman membership: civil penalties from the council, rising for repeat offences, and rent repayment orders.
How MyLandlordPA helps
It records your region's start date, reminds you before it, stores your registration reference on each property, and keeps the certificate evidence the registration will ask for in one place.
Questions landlords ask
When do I have to register on the landlord database?
From 15 December 2026, region by region. Your region's date is published by the Government; once it applies you must register before advertising or letting.
Is there a fee for the PRS database?
Yes, per property, set by regulations. The amount is published with the regional roll-out.
Do I have to join the ombudsman if I only have one property?
Yes. Membership is required for every private landlord in England once the scheme is switched on, however many properties you let.
More guides
What changed for landlords on 1 May 2026
The Renters' Rights Act came into force in England on 1 May 2026. Section 21 is gone, every tenancy is now periodic, and rent rises follow one procedure. Here is what a self-managing landlord actually has to do differently.
The assured periodic tenancy explained
Every private tenancy in England is now an assured periodic tenancy. What that is, how it starts, how it ends, and what your agreement can and cannot say.
How to raise the rent (once a year, section 13)
In England you can raise the rent once every twelve months, by a section 13 notice on the prescribed form with two months' notice. Here is the procedure and what the tenant can do about it.
Deposits: the cap, the 30 days and the prescribed information
A tenancy deposit in England is capped at five weeks' rent, must be protected in a government-approved scheme within 30 days, and the tenant must get the prescribed information. Miss any of that and you face a penalty of up to three times the deposit.
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