PRS database for landlords: what it is and when to register
A new register opens for every private landlord in England in late 2026. Here is what it asks for, and how to have it ready before you need it.
Last reviewed 14 July 2026 · England
A PRS database for landlords opens for registration in England in late 2026. It is a new national register for every private rented property, and it asks for the certificates you already hold: gas, electrical and energy. If you self-manage, the folder or the spreadsheet you keep now is what this register will check.
What the PRS database is
The PRS (Private Rented Sector) database is a register of private landlords and the properties they let in England. It opens for registration in late 2026, with full compliance expected through 2027. Every landlord letting a property in England will need an entry on it, whether they self-manage or use an agent.
Registration asks for the basics: your details, the property address, and the certificates that prove the property is compliant. Gas Safety, EICR and EPC are the three the database is built around.
Who has to register
Every landlord letting a residential property in England, with no exemption for size or experience. One flat and six flats face the same requirement. An agent managing the property does not remove the landlord’s own duty to register; the responsibility sits with the person named on the tenancy, not the person who answers the phone.
This applies to landlords letting in England. The PRS database does not cover Scotland or Wales.
What you need before you register
| Certificate | Why the database needs it |
|---|---|
| Gas Safety (CP12) | Confirms the gas appliances were checked in the last 12 months |
| EICR | Confirms the electrics were inspected within the report's own re-inspection date |
| EPC | Confirms the property holds a valid certificate at minimum band E |
What happens if you don’t register
Landlords who are not registered once enforcement begins cannot serve a Section 8 notice, the legal route landlords use to end a tenancy. Councils can also issue civil penalties for a missing or incomplete registration, with penalties reported between £7,000 and £40,000, depending on the breach.
Those figures sit alongside the penalties that already apply certificate by certificate: up to £6,000 for a lapsed gas safety certificate, and up to £40,000 for an electrical safety breach under the Renters’ Rights Act. The database does not replace those checks. It adds a second place where a council can spot the same gap.
What to do now
- Note that the database has not opened yet. There is no registration form to fill in today, but the certificates it will ask for are the ones you need to hold now.
- Check that your Gas Safety certificate, EICR and EPC are all in date now.
- Keep the dates and the documents somewhere you will actually check. CertSorted holds every certificate on one screen and reminds you at 90, 60, 30 and 7 days before each one expires, so you are ready to register the moment the database opens.