What is a Landlord Registration Number (LRN)?

Quick answer

A Landlord Registration Number (LRN) is the number the government’s PRS Database issues to a landlord when they register. Each rented property also gets a Property Registration Number (PRN). The government says both numbers will have to appear on adverts once the government’s later advert rules start. The database opens on 15 December 2026, starting in the West Midlands.

LRN and PRN: two different numbers

• Landlord Registration Number (LRN): identifies the landlord.
• Property Registration Number (PRN): identifies the rented property.
• Both are issued by the PRS Database, the government’s register for the private rented sector in England.
• Both will have to be on adverts once the government’s later advert rules start.

A landlord with ten properties has one landlord registration and ten property registrations. The fee is £65 per property per year, so that landlord pays £650 a year.

What the database is expected to ask for

The property entry is expected to cover the postcode, property type, bedrooms and rent, plus gas, EICR and EPC details.

That is the data a good property file already holds. Gaps found now are cheaper than gaps found at registration.

When the landlord or the agent changes

The PRN belongs to the property. It does not leave with a tenant.

The LRN identifies the landlord. If the property is sold, the buyer is a different landlord, registering in their own name. If the agent changes, the numbers should move to the new agent with the rest of the file.

When will you get one?

Not before your region opens. The database rolls out one region a month, each with a three-month window.

The West Midlands opens first, on 15 December 2026. London opens on 15 July 2027, with a deadline of 14 October 2027. The South West is last, and every landlord in England must be registered by 14 November 2027.

Check any postcode with the free PRS Database deadline checker.

Why the number matters

Adverts will be the visible test. Once the advert rules start, a listing without both identifiers is a signal anyone can check.

Possession is the expensive one. Once registration is required for the property, an unregistered landlord cannot obtain a possession order except on grounds 7A or 14.

Who applies: landlord or agent?

The landlord registers. That stays true on let only, rent collection, fully managed and guaranteed rent. An agent may help gather the details, and will usually be the one writing the advert.

So the agent needs the numbers, even though the agent cannot apply for them.

What we do not know yet

The format of the numbers has not been set out in the sources we rely on. We will not guess it.

There is no public API planned for the database. Expect to copy numbers across by hand, and to check them.

What letting agents can do now

• List which landlord owns which property, with the legal name the landlord will register under.
• Confirm each property’s region from its full postcode.
• Agree in writing who will register and by when.
• Gather property type, bedrooms, rent, and Gas Safety, EICR and EPC dates.
• Make a field for LRN and PRN on every property record.
• Once the advert rules start, block adverts that would go live without both identifiers.

Use the free PRS Database readiness pack to collect this across a portfolio.

Where Abide.Rent fits

Abide.Rent does not register landlords or properties. PRS Database tracking stores the LRN and PRN you enter on each property, shows the regional deadline, and keeps the numbers with the file when the property changes agent.

Abide.Rent tracks this for every property you manage. Free for a month, no card.

Not legal advice.