Registered on time, still unregistered? The 28-day rules inside the draft PRS Database regulations

The “Register your rental property” service, the public name for the Private Rented Sector Database, opens in the West Midlands on 15 December 2026. Most coverage has focused on the £65 annual fee and each region’s deadline.

The draft regulations go further. They contain rolling duties that continue long after registration, and in some situations an entry becomes “inactive” automatically, with consequences for possession claims. LandlordZONE reported on 19 October that only around a quarter of landlords surveyed knew about the database. This article sets out what the draft regulations and the Act actually say.

What stage are the rules at?

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 below could change. The duty applies to landlords of assured and regulated tenancies; regulation 3 excludes supported exempt accommodation.

When does each region have to register?

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.

Rule one: 28 days to upload the 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 below 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 its renewal date unless renewed, the renewal date being the last day of the 12 months from first registration. Regulation 10(4) adds that further dwelling entries take the same renewal date as the landlord’s existing ones, so a whole portfolio is likely to renew on a single day each year, set by the first property registered, with a fee on each dwelling renewal.

GOV.UK states the fee is £65 per property per year, pro-rated during the rollout so early registrants do not pay more. Regulation 14 leaves the amount to the database operator by reference to its costs.

Rule four: a landlord entry on its own lapses after three months

Regulation 11(1)(a) provides that a landlord entry becomes inactive if no dwelling entry is linked to it within three months. Landlords planning to set up their own entry early and add properties later may wish to note this.

Why does an “inactive” entry matter?

The consequences come from the Act, and not every provision is yet in force.

The possession restriction is likely to attract the most attention. Ground 7A and Ground 14 cover serious criminal and anti-social behaviour; every other ground, including Ground 8 rent arrears, Ground 1 occupation and Ground 1A sale, falls within the restriction. The wording applies “while” the landlord is in breach, which read literally suggests a landlord who regularises the entry before the court decides the claim may no longer be caught, though this has not been tested. Section 82(5) confirms a breach does not affect the validity of the tenancy itself.

How are Landlord preparing?

Landlords preparing for registration are advised to:

1. Map each property to its region using Schedule 1. A London landlord with a flat in Coventry faces the 14 March 2027 deadline.
2. Gather the Schedule 3 documents first, so each entry is completed in one sitting rather than relying on the 28-day window.
3. Record the portfolio renewal date as soon as the first property is registered, and treat each certificate renewal or rent change as two tasks: the event itself, and the database update within 28 days. Renewal intervals are set out in this landlord safety certificate calendar.
4. Review agent agreements.UK states landlords remain responsible for all required information, even where an agent uploads part of it.

Readers who have tested the service, or who have views on how the 28-day update rule will work in practice, are invited to share their experience in the comments.

A partnership with Property118

Property118 and LLCR, the Landlord Compliance Register, have agreed a partnership for this community. LLCR gives self managing landlords in England one place to hold every certificate, deadline and document for each property, so that registration, rent increases and possession claims are met with a prepared file rather than a scramble.

The database is not the last change landlords will have to absorb, with the public register view, the Decent Homes Standard and Awaab’s Law still to come. LLCR is built to evolve with the law as each obligation lands, helping landlords and property managers stay as compliant as possible, and the sensible time to put a compliance file in order is before your region’s registration window opens, rather than inside it.

Property118 readers receive a 10 per cent lifetime reduction on the Starter and Pro plans, on either monthly or annual billing, using the code PROPERTY118 by clicking here.

https://www.llcr-app.uk/partners/property118

This article covers England only.

Tauhid Islam is a property law paralegal qualifying as a solicitor. He works on tenancy, possession, and compliance matters daily, and founded LLCR, Landlord Compliance Register to give self-managing landlords in England a single place to track every deadline, certificate, and document the law requires of them.

This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. It describes the position in England as at 20 October 2026, including the draft Private Rented Sector Database Regulations 2026 as laid before Parliament. Always seek independent legal advice for your specific situation.