Government claims PRS Database will crack down on subletting
2 months ago | 8 comments
Government confirms councils will use PRS database for landlord enforcement
9:47 AM, 27th May 2026, 2 hours ago
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The government has confirmed it is working with councils to support the use of information from the Private Rented Sector (PRS) Database in carrying out enforcement action against landlords.
In response to a parliamentary written question, Parliamentary Under-Secretary for Housing, Baroness Taylor of Stevenage said the database will collect a range of information as part of the Renters’ Rights Act.
As previously reported by Property118, the government says the PRS Database fee will be “fair and proportionate”, and has hinted at combining the registration process for the PRS Database and the Ombudsman, but has not confirmed whether landlords will need to pay separate fees for each.
Carry out enforcement action
Baroness Hayter of Kentish Town asked: “To ask the government whether, as the Private Rented Sector Database introduced in the Renters’ Rights Act is rolled out regionally, provision has been made for inspections to take place to verify the information provided by landlords.”
Under the act, all landlords will need to sign up for the database, which will include information about their properties that tenants can access.
In response, Baroness Taylor of Stevenage said: “We are working closely with local councils to support them in using the information that will be provided by the Private Rented Sector Database in their enforcement activities.
“Through guidance, we will encourage local councils to verify the information recorded on the Database and carry out enforcement action as appropriate during the regional rollout.
“The Database will collect a range of information which will be confirmed through secondary legislation. We are continuing to explore which key performance indicators will help us to assess whether the Database is meeting its objectives.”
Landlords could face a fine
According to the government’s Renters’ Rights Act roadmap, the PRS Database will include, at a minimum:
- landlord contact details, including information covering joint landlords
- property details, including full address, property type (flat or house), number of bedrooms, number of households or residents, and whether the property is occupied or furnished
- safety information, including gas, electricity and Energy Performance Certificates, to help ensure tenants are aware of property safety and energy efficiency standards
Councils will also gain the power to take enforcement action against landlords who fail to register on the PRS Database.
If a landlord lets or advertises a property without it first being registered on the database, they can be issued with a civil penalty of up to £7,000 or a £40,000 fine if they provide fraudulent information to the database.
Tags:
Enforcement Action Against Landlords, government, landlord fines, PRS database, Renters’ Rights Act
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Member Since October 2023 - Comments: 39
10:02 AM, 27th May 2026, About 2 hours ago
No mention of a landlord database to access the names of bad and rogue tenants then. Silly me, the government see’s all tenants as good people, and that all landlords are extremely bad.
The socialists and councils are going to have a field day watching there coffers of landlord fines grow and grow.
Member Since January 2015 - Comments: 1487 - Articles: 1
10:04 AM, 27th May 2026, About 2 hours ago
Reply to the comment left by Suicide Jockey at 27/05/2026 – 10:02
The government stated that there would be no rogue tenant database as landlords would only put the names of rogue tenants on it.
Surely that is the whole point!
Member Since June 2025 - Comments: 3
10:10 AM, 27th May 2026, About 2 hours ago
So , we have to give the certs to the tenants , and the council , and the new website .
Failure or mistake in doing any one of these results in fines and implementations for the landlord .
Oh and also stick them on the notice board in the hmo .
Omg what next ? Really want to stick them up the backside of the idiots who come up with this . Having to do the same thing 4 times . I want to know how many landlord MPs have unemployed tenants on benefits .
Member Since June 2019 - Comments: 822
10:18 AM, 27th May 2026, About 2 hours ago
Well if the figure of less than 10% of landlords downloading the information sheet are correct, the councils are in for a bumper pay day once the database is live.
Followed of course by mass evictions as they then exit the market.
Member Since September 2018 - Comments: 3585 - Articles: 5
11:00 AM, 27th May 2026, About 49 minutes ago
Reply to the comment left by Jonathan Breslaw at 27/05/2026 – 10:10
its gets on my goat too. Surely if the legal contract is with the actual tenant then they ALONE only need all this documentation? Any involvement by the Council in regard to enforcement is therefore done on the T’s behalf (as that is the only person ‘harmed’)
The govt keep going on about the LL database being the place that ‘tenants’ can check to see the docs related to the property are stored and valid.
If the existing tenant is in situ when the Dbase comes out. they will already have been issued this info at the point just before they signed the APT. (so what the point of adding all the info on the Dbase now?)
When an agreement is made with another new tenant, the same things will happen before they sign the APT.
So who really needs to see this info and why?
Just because the docs are on the database still doesn’t mean they were actually issued to the T ahead of the tenancy start, so where is the actual reasoning for putting any of this info on the dbase at all?
A prospective tenant (they are all perfect according to the gvt) should know the LL has to given them this ahead of a tenancy start anyway so what’s the point of having any of this publicly available?
Surely all that is needed is a full list of everything required to be given to the T before the APT is signed. Literally a tick sheet of what is needed and then all the associated docs attached. The T signs acceptance ahead of signing the APT – job done.
Seems to me is it ONLY about every single PRS LL/property owner being ‘found’. The Dbase will give every LL a unique ID number.
They say its about transparency.
Bull – just an open list of LL’s ripe for enforcement picking.
Member Since April 2018 - Comments: 412
11:04 AM, 27th May 2026, About 45 minutes ago
What strikes me so much about this is the obvious gloating by this Labour government and councils. This is not about dealing with the minority of rogue landlords but a massive tax grab against a soft target.Who is the idiot who though this up, well throw the name of Baroness Taylor’s name in to the hat.There are so many areas where the public have no one to turn to due to insufficient or no regulation such as property management companies and letting agents.
Member Since September 2018 - Comments: 3585 - Articles: 5
11:08 AM, 27th May 2026, About 41 minutes ago
Reply to the comment left by Paul Essex at 27/05/2026 – 10:18
the points still rests with the fact the Councils don’t actually know who should be on the database… they have no idea in reality how many PRS LL’s there are in their area and who is letting what.
The SL database is alive and kicking in many councils areas (and expanding all the time) and yet there are still LL’s not on this that should be.
Councils are not actively knocking doors asking if people are private tenants or not. They are purely banking on wither tenants making direct complaints to them about property standards, or just sitting back waiting for a LL to apply for a SL then going out to see the property with a view to finding something to enforce/prosecute. All this does is given then ‘weight’ to the belief that the PRS is in a terrible condition, tenants need more protection and more legislation is needed……and another reason why SL needs to be expanded to another postcode area…
Kerching! Cash cow in progress…
Member Since April 2018 - Comments: 412
11:13 AM, 27th May 2026, About 36 minutes ago
Reply to the comment left by Reluctant Landlord at 27/05/2026 – 11:08
The irony being that currently my council does not respond to tenants in the PRS and quote tells tenants in social housing “not you again”.
Once councils smell the money things will change.