When does the landlord register come into force?

What the landlord register actually is

The 'Register your rental property' service is England's first national landlord register, created under Chapter 3 of Part 2 of the Renters' Rights Act 2025. The government renamed it from the Private Rented Sector (PRS) Database to follow its convention of naming services as tasks. Every residential landlord will need to register themselves (a landlord entry) and each rental property (a dwelling entry), receiving a Landlord Registration Number and a Property Registration Number for each property.

Local councils will use the register to check compliance, and in future tenants will be able to see whether a landlord is registered. It sits alongside the new landlord ombudsman and the Decent Homes Standard as part of the wider reform of England's private rented sector.

The confirmed regional rollout

On 9 September 2026 the government confirmed the register will roll out across England's nine regions, starting with the West Midlands on 15 December 2026. Each region has a three-month window: registration opens on the 15th of one month and the deadline falls on the 14th three months later. Deadlines are based on where the property is located, not where the landlord lives.

What this means for Hull landlords

Hull falls within the Yorkshire and Humber region. Registration opens on 15 April 2027, and Hull landlords must have registered themselves and every rental property by 14 July 2027. After that date, Hull City Council can begin enforcement activity against landlords who haven't registered.

There is no separate Hull-only landlord register — the national service covers Hull landlords when the rollout reaches the region. If you already hold an HMO licence or are within a Hull City Council selective licensing area, keep complying with those local requirements in the meantime; the national register is separate from licensing and does not replace it.

Landlords can register earlier than their regional window if they wish — including from the 15 December 2026 launch — which is useful if you let properties across more than one region and want to register them all at once.

The fee and what you'll need

Registering yourself as a landlord is free. Registering each property costs £65 per property per year, renewed annually. A landlord with five properties pays £325 a year. Joint landlords share a single property entry, so there is still only one £65 fee per property.

To register a property you'll need the property address and type, tenancy and rent details, and you'll need to upload a current gas safety record and EICR and confirm the EPC is correct. Entries must be kept up to date — for example, a new gas safety certificate must be uploaded within 28 days.

Penalties for not registering

Once registration is compulsory in your region, local councils can issue a civil penalty of up to £7,000 for a single breach. The penalty can rise to £40,000 where a landlord gives the register false or misleading information, or for a continuing breach of the duty not to let a property without active landlord and property entries. Landlords who fail to register can also be blocked from obtaining a Section 8 possession order (with limited exceptions for serious anti-social behaviour grounds).

What's still uncertain

• The marketing rules — requiring Landlord and Property Registration Numbers on adverts and portal listings — will come into force under further legislation once the regional rollout is complete, not on the regional deadlines themselves.
• Whether letting agents will get API or bulk-upload tools: the government says it will 'explore the possibility of integration' on a longer-term roadmap, but none is available at launch. Landlords remain responsible for starting and ending the registration process even where an agent helps.
• Exactly how the register will interact with Hull City Council's existing HMO and selective licensing schemes over time — local duties remain in force until told otherwise.
• Future fee increases: the £65 figure can be raised to account for inflation, and fee income can be directed to councils for enforcement or to the Treasury rather than ring-fenced for running the register.
• The tenant-facing view of the register is still being developed; the government hasn't confirmed exactly what the public will be able to see.

What to do while you wait

Don't register with a third-party service claiming to be the official landlord register — the national service runs through GOV.UK, and any private lookalike is not the real thing. Get your compliance paperwork in order now — Gas Safety, EICR, EPC, deposit protection and your Renters' Rights Act written information — so that when registration opens for Hull in April 2027, you can complete it without scrambling. Keep an eye on GOV.UK and hull.gov.uk for any updates to the timetable or fee.