Landlords: Get Ready to Register Your Rental Property – New £65 Annual Registration Confirmed
The Government has announced the next major stage of the Renters’ Rights Act reforms – and this time, the focus is on landlord and property registration.
A new national ‘Register your rental property’ service is being introduced across England, and landlords will be legally required to register themselves and each qualifying rental property.
For landlords in Cambridge and across the East of England, the requirement will come into force from 15 January 2027, with landlords given until 14 April 2027 to complete their registration.
At Alexander Greens, we’re already preparing for the changes and what they will mean for our landlords.
What is the ‘Register your rental property’ service?
The new service forms part of the second phase of the Renters’ Rights Act reforms and will create a national database of private landlords and rental properties in England.
If you are the landlord of an assured or regulated tenancy, you will generally be required to register yourself and each property you rent out.
Registration will need to be renewed annually.
The Government says the database is intended to improve standards within the private rented sector, make it easier for landlords to demonstrate compliance and give local authorities better information to identify landlords and properties that are not meeting their legal obligations.
In the future, tenants will also be able to access certain information through the service to help them make informed decisions about the properties they rent.
How much will it cost?
The Government has confirmed that the registration fee will be:
£65 per property, per year.
This means a landlord with one rental property will pay £65 annually, while a landlord with five properties will pay £325 annually.
The fee applies to each individual property registered and registration will need to be renewed each year.
When do Cambridge landlords need to register?
The system is being introduced gradually across England rather than requiring every landlord to register at once.
The national rollout begins in the West Midlands on 15 December 2026.
For properties in the East of England, which includes Cambridge and Cambridgeshire:
Registration opens/becomes mandatory: 15 January 2027
Deadline to register: 14 April 2027
Importantly, the relevant date is based on where your rental property is located, not where you live.
Landlords will also be able to register earlier once the national service launches on 15 December 2026. This could be particularly useful for portfolio landlords with properties in several different regions.
What information will landlords need to provide?
This isn’t simply a register containing a landlord’s name and property address.
Landlords will be required to provide a significant amount of information about themselves, their property and the tenancy.
This is expected to include:
- Landlord name and contact details
- Property address and property type
- Ownership information
- Number of bedrooms
- Number of occupants and households
- Whether the property requires an HMO, additional or selective licence
- Rent being charged and payment frequency
- Whether utilities are included within the rent
- Furnishing information
- Gas Safety documentation, where applicable
- Electrical Installation Condition Report (EICR) information
- Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) information
- Details of any applicable Minimum Energy Efficiency Standards (MEES) exemption
For organisational landlords, additional information may also be required, including company or organisation details and, where applicable, Companies House information.
Can Alexander Greens register the property for me?
There is an important distinction here.
The Government has confirmed that the landlord will need to start the registration process themselves.
However, landlords will be able to authorise their letting agent or property manager to provide certain information on their behalf.
Further guidance specifically for letting agents is due to be published before the service launches.
As soon as we have that guidance, Alexander Greens will review the process and establish how we can best support our managed landlords with their registrations.
Ultimately, however, the legal responsibility for ensuring the required information has been provided and the registration completed will remain with the landlord.
What about empty properties?
Initially, landlords will only be required to register properties that are currently let or which become occupied during the rollout period.
However, this is set to change.
Under future legislation, landlords will also be required to register an unoccupied property before it can be marketed for rent.
Once those requirements are introduced, landlords and letting agents will also need to ensure the property’s unique registration identifiers are included within rental advertisements.
Further Government guidance is expected before this part of the scheme comes into force.
What happens if a landlord doesn’t register?
Registration isn’t optional.
Once the requirement applies to a property, failure to register could result in enforcement action and financial penalties.
This makes keeping accurate property and compliance records more important than ever.
The database will also provide local authorities with considerably more information to help identify potential non-compliance across the private rented sector.
Another major change for landlords
The introduction of the database follows the substantial changes to private renting which came into force on 1 May 2026under the Renters’ Rights Act.
These included the abolition of Section 21, the move to periodic tenancies, new rules surrounding rent increases, the banning of rental bidding and changes concerning rent in advance, discrimination and pets.
The property registration system represents the next significant stage of those reforms.
For professional landlords, the message is increasingly clear: good record keeping, compliance and professional management have never been more important.
What should landlords do now?
There is no need for East of England landlords to register immediately, but now is an excellent time to make sure your records are in order.
We recommend checking that your property information is accurate and that your compliance documentation – particularly your Gas Safety Certificate, EICR and EPC – is current and readily available.
Alexander Greens will continue to monitor the rollout closely and will contact our managed landlords as further guidance becomes available.
We will also provide further information ahead of the 15 January 2027 East of England launch date.
Need help managing your rental property?
With legislation surrounding private renting becoming increasingly complex, using an experienced managing agent can take much of the day-to-day compliance burden away from landlords.
At Alexander Greens, we manage properties across Cambridge and the surrounding areas, helping landlords navigate an ever-changing regulatory environment while taking care of their tenants and their investment.
If you’re a landlord and would like to discuss our property management service, we’d be delighted to hear from you.