Important update for landlords – New Rental Property Register coming in 2027

 

Dear Landlord,

 

We wanted to make you aware of an important new Government requirement that will affect landlords of residential property in England.

 

The Government has now released further details about the Landlord and Property Database, which is now being referred to as the ‘Register Your Rental Property’ service.

 

The new registration system is being introduced across England in stages.

 

If your property is in Yorkshire & Humber

 

• The new regulations are due to commence on:

15 April 2027

• You will then have until:

14 July 2027

to register your property.

 

Although this may seem some time away, there is a fair amount of information involved, particularly if you own several rental properties, so we recommend starting to prepare now.

 

What is the new Register Your Rental Property service?

 

The Government is introducing a central register of landlords and privately rented properties.

 

Landlords will need to register themselves and their rental properties and provide information about each property.

Once registered, you will receive:

 

• Landlord Registration Number (LRN) – this identifies you as a registered landlord; and
• Property Registration Number (PRN) – this identifies each individual rental property.

 

Once the new requirements apply, these numbers will also need to be included in relevant property advertisements. If a property has more than one legal owner, each legal owner is expected to register individually.

 

When will landlords need to register?

 

The Government is introducing the scheme region by region:

Region	Regulations commence	Registration deadline
West Midlands	15 December 2026	14 March 2027
East of England	15 January 2027	14 April 2027
East Midlands	15 February 2027	14 May 2027
South East	15 March 2027	14 June 2027
Yorkshire & Humber	15 April 2027	14 July 2027
North West	15 May 2027	14 August 2027
North East	15 June 2027	14 September 2027
London	15 July 2027	14 October 2027
South West	15 August 2027	14 November 2027

The current Government information indicates that landlords will have three months from the relevant regional commencement date to register properties which are already let or which are let during the rollout period. Further guidance is expected regarding properties which are temporarily vacant.

 

How much will it cost?

The current information indicates a registration fee of £65 per property per year. This is a Government fee and is separate from any fees a letting agent may charge for assisting with registration or compliance.

 

What information will I need?

 

The registration process is expected to require a range of information about you and your rental property.

 

This may include:

 

• Property address and postcode
• Property type
• Ownership details
• Property licence details, where applicable
• Number of bedrooms and occupants
• Number of households
• Whether the property is furnished
• Rent and payment frequency
• Gas supply/appliances
• Gas Safety Certificate
• Electrical safety information
• EPC details
• Other information relating to the property and tenancy

 

The Government's system is expected to check certain information, such as EPC details, against existing records. It is also important to remember that registration is not a one-off exercise. Landlords will have an ongoing responsibility to ensure the information remains accurate and up to date.

 

How can Whitegates help?

 

We appreciate that keeping up with changing legislation can be time-consuming, particularly for landlords with multiple properties. This is one of the key advantages of having your property fully managed by Whitegates.

 

As your managing agent, we already deal with many of the day-to-day responsibilities involved in keeping your rental property compliant and properly managed. As the new registration requirements are introduced, we will be preparing our systems and processes so that we can assist our managed landlords with the information and ongoing requirements associated with the new register.

 

This can include helping to:

 

✓ Keep your property information up to date

✓ Maintain records of your compliance certificates and property documentation

✓ Ensure the relevant LRN and PRN information is recorded on our systems

✓ Ensure the required registration numbers are available for property marketing once the rules apply

✓ Keep track of important compliance requirements and renewal dates

✓ Assist with the information required for the registration process

✓ Keep you informed as further Government guidance is released

 

For landlords with a portfolio of properties, having one agent managing this information across your properties can make the process considerably easier and reduce the risk of something being overlooked.

 

Please note that the legal responsibility to register remains with the landlord, but where we manage your property, we can help take away much of the administration involved.

 

We will provide further information about exactly how we can assist with registration once the Government's final guidance and processes are confirmed.

 

What should I do now?

 

There is nothing you need to register immediately unless you choose to do so voluntarily. However, we recommend using the time now to make sure your property records are in order.

 

In particular, please check that you have:

 

• A Government Gateway account
• A current EPC
• A valid Gas Safety Certificate, where applicable
• A current EIC/EICR
• Any required property licence
• Up-to-date tenancy and rental information
• Correct ownership information for the property

 

If you have several rental properties, it is particularly worthwhile checking these records now rather than waiting until the registration deadline approaches.

 

What if I don't register?

 

Once the requirements apply to your property, registration will be a legal requirement. The Government has enforcement powers for landlords who fail to comply, including civil penalties of up to £40,000 in certain circumstances. Other enforcement measures may also apply. It is therefore important that landlords take the new requirements seriously and ensure that the information provided is complete, accurate and kept up to date.

 

Already using Whitegates for full management?

 

Then you are  already one step ahead.

 

Our aim is to make the introduction of these new requirements as straightforward as possible for our managed landlords.

We will continue to monitor the Government's guidance, update our systems and keep you informed of what you need to do and when.

 

Thinking about letting us manage your portfolio?

 

If you currently manage your properties yourself, the introduction of the new registration requirements is a good opportunity to consider whether fully managed lettings could take some of the work off your hands.

 

From tenant management and property compliance to keeping records and dealing with changing legislation, Whitegates can take care of the day-to-day management of your rental property, leaving you more time to focus on your investment rather than the administration behind it.

 

If you would like to discuss moving your property or portfolio to full management with Whitegates, please get in touch and one of our lettings team will be happy to talk through how we can help.

We will continue to keep you updated as further Government guidance becomes available.

 

 

Yours Sincerely

The Award Winning Lettings Team