Who registers: the agent or the landlord?
The landlord. The Renters’ Rights Act 2025 creates the Private Rented Sector Database and puts the duty on the residential landlord to have an active landlord entry and an active entry for each property (section 82). It leaves it to regulations to say how, and by whom, an entry is made (section 77).
The government has not confirmed a bulk upload for agents, and no public API has been published. So the work an agency can take on is the preparation: gathering the details, fixing the gaps and recording the numbers.
When does each region open?
Each region has a three-month window. Plan by property, not by landlord: one landlord can have several deadlines.
| Region | Window opens | Deadline |
|---|---|---|
| West Midlands | Tue 15 December 2026 | Sun 14 March 2027 |
| East of England | Fri 15 January 2027 | Wed 14 April 2027 |
| East Midlands | Mon 15 February 2027 | Fri 14 May 2027 |
| South East | Mon 15 March 2027 | Mon 14 June 2027 |
| Yorkshire and The Humber | Thu 15 April 2027 | Wed 14 July 2027 |
| North West | Sat 15 May 2027 | Sat 14 August 2027 |
| North East | Tue 15 June 2027 | Tue 14 September 2027 |
| London | Thu 15 July 2027 | Thu 14 October 2027 |
| South West | Sun 15 August 2027 | Sun 14 November 2027 |
Check one address with the PRS Database deadline checker. Abide.Rent works out each property’s region from its postcode, and checks the full postcode where an area crosses a border.
What goes in a register pack?
- The landlord’s names and address for notices.
- The property’s address, type and bedrooms.
- Gas safety, EICR and EPC records, and any licence.
- Each item marked ready or missing, with a link to where it is fixed.
- A copy button for each value, so the landlord can fill in the government’s form quickly.
Read register pack and renewals and getting your records ready.
Why does registration matter for possession?
The government says landlords who have not registered will be prevented from gaining possession, except on anti-social behaviour grounds (GOV.UK guide to the Renters’ Rights Act). Abide.Rent uses each property’s own regional date when it checks a possession notice, not one national date.
A worked example: a Birmingham branch
A branch manages 18 properties in Birmingham (B postcodes, West Midlands). Their window runs from Tue 15 December 2026 to Sun 14 March 2027. The landlords’ fees come to £1,170.00 a year, paid to the government. On Monday 4 January 2027 the branch opens its PRS Database page, sorts the missing items by landlord and asks each landlord once. Each landlord registers with the pack beside them, and the branch records the numbers. The renewal dates then sit in the deadlines a year on.
What will Abide.Rent not do?
Abide.Rent never registers for you, is not the register, and does not pay the fee. An assistant connected to Abide.Rent can prepare a pack, but it cannot register either. We store the numbers you give us; we do not check them with the register. See PRS Database readiness, region by region and what the PRS Database is and when it opens.