PRS Database Checklist for Letting Agents

England's new Register your rental property service (the PRS Database) opens on 15 December 2026. For the full timeline, fee and enforcement picture, see our guide to the Private Rented Sector Database. This post is a working checklist for landlords and letting agents: the data to gather, the certificates to audit, and the tracker to build before your first registration. It applies to England only.

Key dates in brief

Registration opens region by region, starting with the West Midlands on 15 December 2026. Each region has a three-month window, and the final window (South West) closes on 14 November 2027. The deadline depends on where the property is, not where the landlord lives. You can register early, including properties in several regions in one go. The fee is £65 per property per year, pro-rated during the rollout. Landlord registration and later updates are free.

Regional dates

Who does what

Under the GOV.UK guidance for letting agents:

• Landlords register themselves and must start every property registration. They are legally responsible for registering and paying.
• When registering a property, the landlord can choose for your agency to provide certain details. GOV.UK then sends your agency a unique link for that property.
• Using the link is voluntary. You are responsible for the accuracy of what you submit, and the landlord is notified of it.
• If outstanding information is not provided within 28 days, the property's registration becomes inactive.

Part 1: Landlord checklist

A. Know your deadline

• List every let property in England and note its region.
• Check each property's region using its postcode and local council, not your home address.
• Diarise each regional end date, or decide to register everything early.
• Check whether any tenancy is supported exempt accommodation. GOV.UK lists this as the registration exception.

B. Set up access

• Create or confirm your GOV.UK One Login.
• If you do not have digital access, ask about the paper-based application once the service is live.
• Decide whether your agent will provide tenancy and certificate details, and agree this in writing (see Part 2).

C. Your own details

Individual landlords (including sole traders and partners in an English business partnership):

• Name
• Contact information
• Details of any joint landlords. Each must register, and one joint landlord registers the property and invites the others.

Organisation landlords (companies, charities, trusts, LLPs):

• Organisation details and a contact for the organisation
• Companies House number and charity number, where applicable
• Details of directors, trustees or other governing body members, where no Companies House number is given

D. Details for each property

• Address, number of bedrooms and current rental status
• A correspondence address in England or Wales
• Contact details for any managing agent, superior landlord and freeholder
• Tenancy details, including rent
• Any HMO, additional or selective licence. An HMO is registered once for the whole property, not room by room.

E. Safety documents for each property

The service asks for evidence of each certificate. Keep one folder per property.

Gas safety record (if the property has a gas supply):

• Copy of the current record and its issue date
• Completed by a Gas Safe registered engineer
• Renewal diarised for 12 months after the issue date

EICR or Electrical Installation Certificate:

• Copy of the report or certificate
• Issue and expiry dates noted
• Renewal diarised (EICRs are generally required at least every five years)

EPC:

• Copy of the current EPC
• Any registered exemption noted

Check certificate dates before the property's registration window, and renew anything expired first (our certificate deadlines guide covers renewal cycles). GOV.UK has not yet said how the service handles an expired certificate at registration.

F. Pay and register

• Budget £65 per property per year. The first payment is pro-rated during the rollout.
• Save your landlord number and each rental property number.
• Provide any outstanding information within 28 days of submitting the registration.

G. Keep it up to date

• Update anything that changes or expires within 28 days. This includes occupancy, rent, licences and replaced certificates. Updates are free.
• All your properties share one renewal date: one year from your first property registration.

Part 2: Letting agent checklist

A. Understand the legal position

• Do not tell landlords that the agent handles registration. The landlord starts every property registration.
• Agree whether you will use the property links to provide tenancy and certificate details.
• Remember that you are responsible for the accuracy of anything you submit.

B. Audit your portfolio

• Export every landlord and managed property.
• Tag each property with its region and registration window.
• Flag landlords with properties in more than one region, who may prefer to register early.
• Flag joint landlords, organisation landlords and HMO or licensed properties, as they need extra details.
• Flag void properties and properties about to be let. During the rollout, only properties let on an assured or regulated tenancy need registering.
• Flag any supported exempt accommodation.

C. Agree responsibilities in writing

• Update management agreements or send a short side letter covering who starts registration, what you will provide, what the landlord must supply and who is responsible for accuracy.
• Agree who pays the £65 fee and how it is billed.
• Agree how landlords send you information, for example a secure upload form rather than email.
• Confirm your data protection notices cover holding and submitting landlord data.

D. Data you can provide for each property

GOV.UK says agents can provide the following through the property link:

• HMO, additional or selective licence details
• Number of tenants and households
• Whether the property is furnished, partly furnished or unfurnished
• Rent amount
• Any bills included in the rent
• Gas safety, EICR or EIC, and EPC certificates, with issue and expiry information

You will also need the landlord's details and the property's correspondence address from the landlord.

Store landlords' personal details securely and limit who can see them.

E. Build your compliance certificate tracker

Create one row per property with these columns:

• Gas safety record: issue date, next due date, engineer's Gas Safe registration
• EICR or EIC: issue date, expiry date, any outstanding remedial work
• EPC: rating, validity and any registered exemption
• Current tenancy start date
• Registration status: landlord number, rental property number, date registered, renewal date
• Flag anything expired or expiring within 12 months and book renewals now
• Check that the property address matches across every document

F. Communicate with landlords

• Send one message per landlord listing their properties, regions and registration windows.
• List the documents and details you need, with a return date well before the deadline.
• Send reminders at set points, for example 60, 30 and 14 days before the regional deadline.
• Offer early registration to multi-region landlords from 15 December 2026.

G. Set up your internal process

• Name a lead person for PRS Database registration.
• Plan how you will store property links and passwords. GOV.UK says anyone in your agency can update a registration with the link and password, and you cannot reset passwords yourself.
• Record each landlord number and rental property number against the property on your system.
• Add registration status to your landlord onboarding checklist.

H. After registration

• Create a trigger list for changes that must be recorded within 28 days: new tenant, change in occupants or households, furnished status, licences, rent and replaced certificates.
• Provide renewed gas, EICR and EPC details as soon as they are issued.
• Diarise the annual renewal and fee for each property.

What is still unconfirmed

This checklist reflects GOV.UK guidance published on 29 October 2026. The service has not opened yet, so details may change. These points are not settled:

• How the service treats expired certificates.
• What information will be visible to the public. GOV.UK says landlord and property information is not shared publicly now, but some may be in future.
• Future rules for registering unoccupied properties before marketing them, and for including landlord and property numbers in adverts.

Check GOV.UK before acting. This post is general information, not legal advice.

How Solace can help

Solace is automated property management for letting agents: software plus a UK team, working under your brand. Our compliance automation keeps certificate dates and landlord records up to date, manages renewals on your behalf, without adding to your team's workload.

Want to see how that would work for your portfolio? Book a demo.

Frequently asked questions

Who registers a rental property on the PRS Database?

The landlord. Landlords register themselves, start every property registration and are legally responsible for paying the fee. Joint landlords must each register.

Which documents are needed to register?

Evidence of the gas safety certificate (if the property has a gas supply), the electrical safety certificate (EICR or EIC) and the EPC. You will also need tenancy information, including rent, and any HMO or other licences. These can be provided within 28 days of submitting the registration.

Can an agent register a property for a landlord?

Not on its own. The landlord must register and start the property registration. The landlord can then choose for the agent to provide certain details, such as tenancy information and compliance certificates. The landlord stays legally responsible.

What happens if the information is not provided within 28 days?

The property's registration may become inactive. If the property is let, the landlord could then be in breach of the requirement to have an active registration.