Mandatory Landlord Registration Scheme to Roll Out From December 2026
· Legislation · 2 min read · LandlordZONE (via MHCLG)
Government confirms mandatory landlord registration under the Renters' Rights Act, rolling out region by region from December 2026, with a £65 annual fee per property and full compliance required by 14 November 2027.
Mandatory Landlord Registration Scheme to Roll Out From December 2026 Under Renters' Rights Act
The government has confirmed the next phase of Renters' Rights Act reforms: a mandatory national landlord registration scheme, beginning its regional rollout in England as soon as December 2026.
What's being introduced
Every landlord with an actively let property will be required to register through the new "Register Your Rental Property" service, with financial penalties for failing to do so. The scheme launches in the West Midlands on 15 December 2026, before expanding region by region across England over the following 12 months. All landlords must be registered by 14 November 2027.
Once live in a region, landlords will have three months to register from their area's rollout date. Initially, the requirement covers properties that are actively let or become occupied during the rollout - but government plans indicate vacant properties will eventually need to be registered before they can be marketed for letting.
The cost
Registration carries an annual fee of £65 per property. For landlords with one to three properties, this is likely a manageable addition to existing costs; for larger portfolio landlords, the cumulative fee across multiple properties is a more significant consideration.
Why it's happening
The scheme is intended to create the first national database of private rented sector properties, giving councils better tools to identify rogue landlords and target enforcement. Longer-term, tenants will be able to check a landlord's registration status before signing a tenancy, and letting agents will be required to display registration numbers on property listings.
Rent dispute changes too
Alongside registration, the government confirmed that responsibility for rent increase challenges will move from the First-tier Tribunal to HMRC's Valuation Office, aimed at speeding up decisions. Until the new system is operational, tenants challenging a rent increase still apply to the First-tier Tribunal and aren't required to pay the higher rent until a final decision is reached.
What this means for landlords
For landlords already keeping accurate compliance records, registration itself shouldn't be onerous - the bigger question is cumulative cost, as this sits alongside licensing, deposit protection, EPC, and gas safety obligations already in place. Portfolio landlords operating across multiple regions should track their local rollout date closely, since the three-month registration window starts as soon as their area is called forward.
Source: LandlordZONE, 17 September 2026 (column by Tim Frome, citing an MHCLG announcement)