Editor's note: This brief was summarised by The Property AI Team from a report by Property118. Read the original article for full details.
PRS Database: 28-Day Rules Could See Registered Landlords Treated as Unregistered
The draft Private Rented Sector Database Regulations 2026 contain rolling duties that continue long after registration, and in some situations an entry becomes "inactive" automatically, with consequences for possession claims. The "Register your rental property" service, the public name for the Private Rented Sector Database, opens in the West Midlands on 15 December 2026.
Where the rules sit
The database provisions sit in Chapter 3 of Part 2 of the Renters' Rights Act 2025 (sections 75 to 96). The operational detail is in the draft Private Rented Sector Database Regulations 2026, laid before Parliament on 9 September 2026 and, at the time of writing, still awaiting approval by both Houses, so the detail could change. The duty applies to landlords of assured and regulated tenancies; regulation 3 excludes supported exempt accommodation.
Regional rollout
GOV.UK guidance sets out a nine-region rollout. The deadline follows the property's location, not where the landlord lives, and landlords may register any property from 15 December 2026. Councils can begin enforcement once a region's deadline passes. The West Midlands commences 15 December 2026 with a deadline of 14 March 2027; East of England 15 January 2027 and 14 April 2027; East Midlands 15 February 2027 and 14 May 2027; South East 15 March 2027 and 14 June 2027; Yorkshire and Humber 15 April 2027 and 14 July 2027; North West 15 May 2027 and 14 August 2027; North East 15 June 2027 and 14 September 2027; London 15 July 2027 and 14 October 2027; South West 15 August 2027 and 14 November 2027.
Rule one: 28 days to upload documents
Registration has two layers. A landlord entry records the landlord; a dwelling entry records each property, and cannot be made without an active landlord entry (regulation 4(6)). For a property already let, regulation 6(2) allows the dwelling entry to be created without the tenancy and safety information in Part 2 of Schedule 3, provided it is supplied within 28 days. Part 2 covers occupants and households, any HMO, additional or selective licence numbers, the gas safety record, the EICR or appropriate EIC, EPC information including any registered MEES exemption, the rent and payment frequency, and whether the property is let furnished. Under regulation 11(2)(a), if that information is not provided within the 28 days, the entry becomes inactive. A landlord who opens an entry near the end of the regional window, intending to add certificates later, could shortly find the property treated as having no active entry.
Rule two: changes must be reported within 28 days
Regulation 9(4) requires an active dwelling entry to be updated within 28 days of any information in it becoming out of date, and regulation 8 applies the same duty to landlord entries. On the face of the drafting, this captures routine events: an annual gas safety check, an EICR renewal, a new EPC, a section 13 rent increase, a change of occupants or households, a licence renewal, or a new managing agent. The operator has not yet said how "out of date" will be interpreted. A missed update is not listed in regulation 11 as a reason an entry becomes inactive. Instead, section 82(3)(b) of the Act makes compliance with the update requirements a duty, breach of which can attract a civil penalty under section 91. The possession restriction is tied to section 82(3)(a), which concerns having active entries, not the update duty.
Rule three: one renewal date for the whole portfolio
Under regulation 10(1), an entry becomes inactive the day after the renewal date.
Source: Property118