What you will learn
- When landlords need to register, including the specific deadline for London properties.
- What information and compliance documents you will need to have ready.
- How much registration will cost and what happens if you fail to register.
- How Grace Miller & Co can help you prepare, while understanding that the legal responsibility for registration remains with you as the landlord.
The Government has confirmed the timetable for its new ‘Register your rental property’ service, one of the next major changes being introduced under the Renters’ Rights Act 2025.
The register will be rolled out across England from 15 December 2026, with different regions joining the scheme in stages. For landlords with rental properties in London, registration becomes a legal requirement from 15 July 2027, with a deadline of 14 October 2027.
Although that may seem some way off, there is a considerable amount of information landlords will need to provide. Preparing early should make the process much easier and, importantly, may highlight any gaps in property documentation or compliance that need attention.
What is the new rental property register?
The Government is introducing a national registration service for the private rented sector as part of the implementation of the Renters’ Rights Act.
If you are the landlord of an assured or regulated tenancy, you will be required to register yourself and each rental property individually.
The intention is to create a clearer picture of England’s private rented sector, help responsible landlords demonstrate that they are meeting their obligations and give local authorities better information to identify and tackle non-compliance.
In future, tenants will also be able to use the service to check whether landlords are meeting key legal requirements.
Registration isn’t optional. It will be a legal requirement, and landlords who fail to register risk financial penalties.
When do London landlords need to register?
The register is not opening across England on one single date. Instead, it is being introduced region by region to avoid a large number of landlords trying to use the service simultaneously.
The first region will be the West Midlands, where registration begins on 15 December 2026.
For London, the important dates are:
Registration opens: 15 July 2027
Deadline to register: 14 October 2027
Once the deadline has passed, councils will be able to begin enforcement activity against landlords who have failed to comply.
The deadline relates to where your rental property is situated, not where you live. Therefore, if you live outside London but own a rental property in London, the London timetable applies to that property.
Landlords do not necessarily have to wait until their region’s registration period begins. From 15 December 2026, landlords will be able to register properties earlier if they wish. This may be particularly useful for landlords who own properties in more than one region and would prefer to deal with them together.
How much will registration cost?
The Government has confirmed an annual registration fee of £65 per property.
Registration will need to be renewed each year, meaning landlords should treat this as an ongoing compliance requirement rather than a one-off exercise.
During the initial rollout, the Government says the fee will be adjusted on a pro-rata basis so landlords registering earlier are not disadvantaged.
What information will landlords need?
The registration process goes considerably further than simply entering your name and the property address.
Landlords will need a GOV.UK One Login and will be asked to provide personal information such as their name, date of birth, residential address, telephone number and email address.
Information will also be required for each rental property, including its address, ownership and property type, number of bedrooms, whether it is currently let and details of the landlord, superior landlord or property manager where applicable.
You will also need information about the tenancy, including the number of occupants and households, whether the property is furnished, partly furnished or unfurnished, and details of any HMO, additional or selective licence that applies.
Rent information will also form part of the register, including the amount charged, frequency of payment and whether utilities are included.
Your compliance documents will be important
One of the most significant aspects of the new register is the requirement to provide information demonstrating that the property meets key health, safety and energy efficiency requirements.
Depending on the property, landlords should expect to provide information and/or documentation relating to:
- Gas Safety Records
- Electrical Installation Condition Reports (EICRs) or relevant Electrical Installation Certificates
- Energy Performance Certificates (EPCs)
- Minimum Energy Efficiency Standards (MEES) exemptions, where applicable
- HMO, additional or selective licensing, where applicable.
This is one reason we recommend landlords start preparing well before their registration deadline.
If a certificate has expired, information is incorrect or a document cannot easily be located, discovering the problem now gives you much more time to address it than waiting until registration is due.
Do empty properties need to be registered?
Not initially.
During the first stage of the rollout, landlords are required to register properties that are already let or become let during the rollout period.
However, the Government has confirmed that this will change in a future phase. Landlords will eventually need to register an empty property before it is marketed for rent, and landlords and letting agents will be required to include the relevant landlord and property identifiers in advertising.
Further guidance is expected before these requirements come into force.
Can Grace Miller & Co register a property for a landlord?
The Government has made clear that the landlord is responsible for starting and completing the registration process.
Where a landlord uses a letting agent or property manager, it will be possible to agree for the agent to provide certain information on the landlord’s behalf. The Government is due to publish further guidance for letting agents and property managers explaining exactly how this will work.
However, using a managing agent does not transfer the landlord’s legal responsibility to the agent.
As the property owner and landlord, you remain responsible for ensuring the required information is provided and that registration is completed correctly and on time.
How Grace Miller & Co can help you prepare
We appreciate that this is another significant compliance requirement for landlords, particularly following the wider changes introduced by the Renters’ Rights Act.
For landlords whose properties we manage, Grace Miller & Co can help by reviewing the property and tenancy information we hold and helping you identify the documentation that may be required for registration.
Where appropriate, this can include helping you locate or check information relating to gas safety, electrical safety, EPCs, property licensing and tenancy details, as well as keeping you informed as further Government guidance is released.
Once the Government publishes its detailed guidance for letting agents, we will also be able to provide greater clarity on what information we can submit or assist with as part of the registration process.
Our role is to make compliance easier to understand and manage. The legal obligation to register, however, remains with the landlord, so property owners should not assume that instructing a managing agent automatically satisfies their responsibility.
What should landlords do now?
For most of our London landlords, the October 2027 deadline means there is time to prepare, but we would not recommend leaving everything until the registration window opens.
Now is a sensible time to check that your property records are complete, that required safety certificates are current, that any necessary property licence is in place and that the information held about your tenancy is accurate.
The new register is another example of the private rented sector becoming increasingly regulated and compliance-led. For landlords with one or a small number of properties, keeping track of every change can understandably become a significant administrative burden.
Grace Miller & Co can help you understand what is changing, what information you need and how to prepare your property records ahead of registration.
If we manage your property and you have questions about the new rental property register, please contact us to see how we can help.
