How the rule works
The Renters’ Rights Act 2025 creates a Private Rented Sector Database for England. Landlords must register themselves and every property they let. The government announced the regional rollout on Wed 9 September 2026: each of the nine English regions gets a three-month window, one after another.
| 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 |
Registration issues two numbers: a Landlord Registration Number for you and a Property Registration Number for each property. Adverts will need both once the government's later advert rules start. Registration also gates most possession grounds, so an unregistered landlord may not be able to get the property back when they need to. The fee is £65 per property per year.
Most postcode areas sit inside one region, so the first letters of the postcode are enough. Some cross a regional or national border — SK, S, DN, PE, MK, HP, EN, CR, DA, KT, RM, SM, TW, BR, SN, SP, BH, DL, HR, SY, CH. For those, this checker looks up the full postcode on postcodes.io, an open-data service, and accepts the answer only if it says England. If the lookup fails, we say the region could not be confirmed rather than guess a statutory deadline.
A worked example
A landlord lets 4 flats in Birmingham (B postcodes, West Midlands) and 8 in south London (SE postcodes, London). That is 12 properties, so the fee is £780.00 a year. The Birmingham flats must be registered between Tue 15 December 2026 and Sun 14 March 2027. The London flats wait for the London window, Thu 15 July 2027 to Thu 14 October 2027. If the same landlord bought a flat in Bristol, it would fall in the last window, which closes on Sun 14 November 2027.
One landlord can have several deadlines. Plan by property, not by portfolio.
Common mistakes
- Assuming one national date. Sun 14 November 2027 is the last deadline, not everyone’s. A West Midlands landlord’s deadline is eight months earlier.
- Guessing a border postcode. An area such as S or SK covers more than one region. Check the full postcode.
- Expecting the agent to register. The duty is the landlord’s, even on a fully managed let. See the responsibility checker.
- Advertising without the numbers. Once the government's advert rules start, adverts will need both the landlord and property identifiers.
- Leaving it to the last week. Each property needs its own entry. Gather certificates and details before the window opens.
What changed under the Renters’ Rights Act 2025
The tenancy reforms started on 1 May 2026, when Section 21 ended and tenancies became assured periodic. The PRS Database is the next stage, from Tue 15 December 2026. Because Section 21 is gone, possession now depends on a ground — and registration gates most of them. A landlord who is not registered when they need possession must register before relying on one.
What to have ready before your window opens
The government has not published the final question set. Based on the published plans, expect to need, for each property:
- the full address and postcode, and the type of property;
- who owns it and in what structure (an individual, joint owners or a company);
- how it is occupied: number of households and bedrooms;
- the rent;
- gas and electrical safety records and the EPC;
- contact details for any managing agent or freeholder.
Gather these per property now. A landlord with properties in several regions can do the work once and register each property as its window opens.
What Abide.Rent does automatically
Abide.Rent works out the region for each property from its postcode, using the same border rules as this checker, and shows each property’s window and deadline on its record. It reminds you before the window opens and before the deadline, and stores the Landlord and Property Registration Numbers once you have them, ready for adverts. There is no public API, so Abide.Rent does not file the registration: you register on the government service.