Editor's note: This brief was summarised by The Property AI Newsroom from a report by Property118. Read the original article for full details.
Property118 Criticises £65 Annual PRS Database Charge as 'Just the Start'
Property118 has published a critical commentary on the government's new annual charge for the private rented sector (PRS) database, describing the £65 fee as a "landlord database tax" and questioning whether it is genuinely modest or a sign of costs to come.
The article takes issue with the government's characterisation of the £65 annual charge as "fair and sustainable", arguing there is "something almost insulting about being told by the government that £65 is not much money".
A charge missing from official guidance
The Property118 piece criticises the fact that the £65 charge does not appear in the section of the official announcement headed "What landlords need to know". The publication suggests this omission is notable, given that the fee is a direct cost landlords will be expected to pay.
What this means for agents and clerks
For letting agents and inventory clerks, the annual PRS database charge is a further compliance cost in the sector that may affect landlord clients. Property118's headline framing — that the £65 charge is "just the start" — signals the publication's expectation that further requirements or costs may follow, though the excerpt does not detail what those might be.
Agents advising landlords on compliance budgets should be aware that the database fee is now in force, and that industry commentary — at least from Property118 — views the charge sceptically both in size and in how it has been communicated.
Source: Property118