The Private Rented Sector Database Regulations 2026
Draft 2026, ISBN 9780348286861
Draft Regulations laid before Parliament under section 140(5) of the Renters’ Rights Act 2025 (c. 26), for approval by resolution of each House of Parliament.
HOUSING, ENGLAND
Made ***
Coming into force in accordance with regulation 1
The Secretary of State makes these Regulations in exercise of the powers conferred by sections 63(4)(b), (5) and (8), 77(1) to (3), 78, 79, 80, 81(2) and (6), 95 and 140(1) of the Renters’ Rights Act 2025f1.
In accordance with section 140(5) of the Renters’ Rights Act 2025, a draft of these Regulations has been laid before and approved by a resolution of each House of Parliament.
Annotations to the whole text
Footnotes
- f1
Contents
- 1Citation, commencement and extent
- 2Interpretation
- 3Amendment of the Renters’ Rights Act 2025
- 4Making entries in the database
- 5Requirements for landlord entries
- 6Requirements for dwelling entries
- 7Updating entries in the database
- 8Requirement to update active landlord entries
- 9Requirement to update active dwelling entries
- 10Active entries: Renewals
- 11Other circumstances in which active entries become inactive
- 12Reactivation of entries
- 13Verification, correction and removal of entries
- 14Fees
- Signature
- Schedule 1EXTENT OF REGION
- Schedule 2INFORMATION FOR LANDLORD ENTRIES
- Schedule 3: INFORMATION AND DOCUMENTS FOR DWELLING ENTRIES
- Part 1: DWELLING INFORMATION
- 1Paragraph 1
- 2Paragraph 2
- 3Paragraph 3
- 4Paragraph 4
- 5Paragraph 5
- 6Paragraph 6
- 7Paragraph 7
- Part 2: TENANCY AND HEALTH AND SAFETY INFORMATION AND DOCUMENTS
- 8Paragraph 8
- 9Paragraph 9
- 10Paragraph 10
- 11Paragraph 11
- 12Paragraph 12
- 13Paragraph 13
- 14Paragraph 14
- 15Paragraph 15
- 16Paragraph 16
- 17Paragraph 17
- Part 3: DEFINITIONS
- 18Paragraph 18
- Explanatory note
1Citation, commencement and extent
These Regulations may be cited as the Private Rented Sector Database Regulations 2026.
This regulation and regulation 3 come into force on 15th December 2026.
The remaining regulations come into force—
for the purposes of entries in respect of persons who are residential landlordsf1 in relation to dwellings which are located in a region specified in the first column of the table, on the date specified in the corresponding entry in the second column of the table;
for the purposes of entries in respect of dwellings which are located in a region specified in the first column of the table, on the date specified in the corresponding entry in the second column of the table;
for all other purposes, on 15th September 2027.
| Region | Date of coming into force of regulations |
|---|---|
| West Midlands | 15th December 2026 |
| East of England | 15th January 2027 |
| East Midlands | 15th February 2027 |
| South East | 15th March 2027 |
| Yorkshire and Humber | 15th April 2027 |
| North West | 15th May 2027 |
| North East | 15th June 2027 |
| London | 15th July 2027 |
| South West | 15th August 2027 |
These Regulations extend to England and Wales.
In this regulation—
a reference to a named region is to the region of that name specified in the first column of the table in Schedule 1, and has the extent specified in the corresponding entry in the second column of that table;
“dwelling” means a dwelling that is let under a residential tenancyf2.
2Interpretation
In these Regulations—
-
“banning order” means an order made under Chapter 2 of Part 2 of the Housing and Planning Act 2016f1 which bans a person from letting housing in England;
-
“letting agent” means a person carrying out lettings agency work within the meaning given in section 83 of the Enterprise and Regulatory Reform Act 2013f2;
-
“property manager” means a person carrying out property management work within the meaning given in section 84 of the Enterprise and Regulatory Reform Act 2013;
-
“relevant fee” means the fee payable as determined by the database operatorf3 in accordance with regulation 14.
3Amendment of the Renters’ Rights Act 2025
In section 63 of the Renters’ Rights Act 2025 (meaning of “residential landlord”), after subsection (3) insert—
“(3A)But, for the purposes of Chapter 3, “relevant tenancy” does not include any tenancy of supported exempt accommodation within the meaning of section 12 of the Supported Housing (Regulatory Oversight) Act 2023f1.”.
4Making entries in the database
Landlord and dwelling entriesf1 must be made in writing either—
through the website provided by the database operator for that purpose, or
on a form provided by the database operator for that purpose.
Except as provided for in paragraphs (3) to (5), a landlord or dwelling entry may only be made by—
a person who is, or intends to become, a residential landlord, or
a person who falls within sub-paragraphs (a) to (j) of paragraph 17 of Schedule 2.
A landlord or dwelling entry may not be made in respect of a person who intends to become a residential landlord where a banning order is in force against that person.
A mortgagee or an agent appointed by the mortgagee may make a landlord or dwelling entry on behalf of a person who is a residential landlord where—
the mortgagee is entitled to exercise a power of sale conferred on them by the mortgage or by section 101 of the Law of Property Act 1925f2, and
the mortgagee requires possession of the dwelling for the purposes of disposing of it with vacant possession in exercise of that power.
The information and documents specified in Part 2 of Schedule 3 which are required to be provided by regulation 6 may be provided on behalf of a person who is making a dwelling entry by a letting agent or property manager appointed by them.
A dwelling entry may not be made unless there is an active landlord entryf3 for a person who is, or intends to become, a residential landlord in relation to the dwelling.
5Requirements for landlord entries
A landlord entry must contain the information and documents specified in Schedule 2.
6Requirements for dwelling entries
Except as provided for in paragraphs (2) and (4), a dwelling entry for a dwelling which is let under a residential tenancy must contain the information and documents specified in Parts 1 and 2 of Schedule 3.
A dwelling entry for a dwelling which is let under a residential tenancy may be made without providing the information and documents specified in Part 2 of Schedule 3, but that information and those documents must be provided before the end of the period of 28 days beginning with the date the dwelling entry was made.
Except as provided for in paragraph (4), a dwelling entry for a dwelling which is intended to be let under a residential tenancy must contain the information specified in Part 1 of Schedule 3.
Where the person making the entry falls within paragraph 17 of Schedule 2, an entry may still be made despite the following not being provided—
where the entry is for a dwelling which is intended to be let under a residential tenancy, the information specified in paragraphs 5 and 7 of Part 1 of Schedule 3;
where the entry is for a dwelling which is let under a residential tenancy, the information and documents specified in paragraphs 5 and 7 of Part 1, and Part 2, of Schedule 3.
A dwelling entry may not be made unless the relevant fee has been paid by the person making the entry.
Except as provided for in paragraph (7), there may be only one active dwelling entry for a dwelling at any one time.
A second active dwelling entry may be made where—
the owner of the dwelling is selling the property which comprises the dwelling and contracts have been exchanged for the sale of the property,
the dwelling remains under let after the exchange of contracts,
the purchaser of the property intends to become a residential landlord in relation to the dwelling once the sale of the property is complete, and
the purchaser of the property wishes to market the dwelling (in accordance with section 82(1) of the Renters’ Rights Act 2025) before the sale of the property is complete, with the purchaser named in the second active dwelling entry as the person who intends to become a residential landlord.
7Updating entries in the database
Except as provided for in paragraph (2), active landlord and dwelling entries may only be updated by a person—
specified in the entry as a person who is a residential landlord, or
a person who falls within paragraph 17 of Schedule 2.
The information and documents specified in paragraph 6 of Part 1, and Part 2, of Schedule 3 may be updated on behalf of a person specified in paragraph (1) by a letting agent or a property manager appointed by them.
8Requirement to update active landlord entries
Where any of the information or documents contained in an active landlord entry for a person who is a residential landlord becomes out of date, the entry must be updated before the end of the period of 28 days beginning with the day the information or documents became out of date.
9Requirement to update active dwelling entries
An active dwelling entry made for a dwelling which was intended to be let under a residential tenancy must be updated to include the information and documents specified in Part 2 of Schedule 3 before the end of the period of 28 days beginning with the day a residential tenancy of that dwelling begins.
An active dwelling entry made for a dwelling which was intended to be let under a residential tenancy which did not contain all the information specified in paragraphs 5 and 7 of Part 1 of Schedule 3 at the time the entry was made by virtue of regulation 6(4)(a) must be updated to include all that information before the end of the period of 28 days beginning with the day a residential tenancy of that dwelling begins.
An active dwelling entry made for a dwelling which is let under a residential tenancy which did not contain all the information and documents specified in paragraphs 5 and 7 of Part 1, or Part 2, of Schedule 3 at the time the entry was made by virtue of regulation 6(4)(b) must be updated to include all that information and those documents before the end of the period of 28 days beginning with the day the entry was made.
Where any of the information or documents contained in an active dwelling entry for a dwelling which is let under a residential tenancy becomes out of date, the entry must be updated before the end of the period of 28 days beginning with the day the information or documents became out of date.
10Active entries: Renewals
An active landlord or dwelling entry made in accordance with these Regulations becomes inactive the day after the renewal date unless renewed on or before the renewal date.
An active dwelling entry may not be renewed unless the relevant fee has been paid by the person renewing the entry.
Except as provided for in paragraphs (4) and (5), for the purpose of paragraph (1) “renewal date” means—
the last day of the period of 12 months beginning with the date the active landlord or dwelling entry was first made and thereafter, the last day of each subsequent period of 12 months, or
where an inactive landlord or dwelling entry is reactivated in accordance with regulation 12 after the previous renewal date, the last day of the period of 12 months beginning with the day the entry was reactivated and thereafter, the last day of each subsequent period of 12 months.
Where a second or subsequent active dwelling entry is made or reactivated at any time for a person who is, or intends to become, a residential landlord, the renewal date for that entry will be the same as the renewal date for the existing active dwelling entry or entries which specify that person as a person who is or intends to become a residential landlord.
Where there are joint landlords for a dwelling, paragraph (4) is to be read as if the reference to a person who is, or intends to become a residential landlord is a reference to the joint landlord who is making or reactivating the dwelling entry on behalf of the joint landlords (or where the person making the entry falls within paragraph 17 of Schedule 2, the joint landlord on whose behalf the entry is being made or reactivated).
“Previous renewal date” for the purposes of paragraph (3)(b) and regulation 12(5) means the renewal date that applied to the entry immediately before that entry last became inactive.
11Other circumstances in which active entries become inactive
An active landlord entry becomes inactive where—
no dwelling entry has been made specifying the person to whom the landlord entry relates as a person who is, or intends to become, a residential landlord in relation to that dwelling, before the end of the period of 3 months beginning with the day the landlord entry was made;
the person to whom it relates is specified in a dwelling entry as a person who is, or intends to become, a residential landlord in relation to that dwelling and the dwelling entry becomes inactive or where there is more than one dwelling entry, when the last of those dwelling entries becomes inactive;
the local housing authority or the database operator deactivates the entry when the person specified in the entry as the person who is, or intends to become, a residential landlord in relation to one or more dwellings, is subject to a banning order, and none of the dwellings linked to the landlord entry are let under a residential tenancy.
An active dwelling entry becomes inactive where—
the entry is for a dwelling which is let under a residential tenancy and the information and documents specified in Part 2 of Schedule 3 are not provided before the end of the period of 28 days beginning with the day the dwelling entry was made (unless regulation 6(4) applies);
the dwelling entry is deactivated by a person who is specified in the entry as a person who is, or intends to become, a residential landlord in relation to that dwelling or a person who falls within paragraph 17 of Schedule 2;
the database operator deactivates the entry where there has been a change of person who intends to become a residential landlord in relation to that dwelling, or where there is more than one such person, that all of those persons have changed and the dwelling is not let under a residential tenancy;
the local housing authority or the database operator deactivates the entry when the person specified in the entry as the person who is, or intends to become, a residential landlord in relation to that dwelling is subject to a banning order, or where there is more than one such person, each of those persons is subject to a banning order, and the dwelling is not let under a residential tenancy.
12Reactivation of entries
An inactive landlord entry may only be reactivated by—
a person who is specified in the entry as the person who is, or intends to become, a residential landlord unless a banning order is in force against that person, or
a person who—
falls within sub-paragraphs (a) to (j) of paragraph 17 of Schedule 2, or
An inactive dwelling entry may only be reactivated by—
a person who is specified in the entry as a person who is, or intends to become, a residential landlord in relation to the dwelling, unless a banning order is in force against that person, or
a person who—
falls within sub-paragraphs (a) to (j) of paragraph 17 of Schedule 2, or
An inactive dwelling entry may not be reactivated unless there is an active landlord entry for a person who is, or intends to become, a residential landlord in relation to the dwelling.
Where an active dwelling entry became inactive by virtue of regulation 11(2)(a), that entry may not be reactivated unless—
the information and documents specified in Part 2 of Schedule 3 are provided, unless the person reactivating the entry falls within paragraph 17 of Schedule 2, or
the dwelling is no longer under let.
The relevant fee must be paid by the person reactivating a dwelling entry where the entry is reactivated—
after the previous renewal date;
before the previous renewal date but where the operation of regulation 10(4) means the new renewal date of that dwelling entry will be after the previous renewal date.
13Verification, correction and removal of entries
The database operator and local housing authorities may verify landlord and dwelling entries in the database.
The database operator may—
carry out the correction of errors in such entries;
remove landlord and dwelling entries that appear to the database operator not to meet the requirements imposed by or under Chapter 3 of Part 2 of the Renters’ Rights Act 2025 for inclusion in the database.
14Fees
Signature
Signed by authority of the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government
Name
Minister of State
Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government
Date
Schedule 1EXTENT OF REGION
| Name of region | Extent |
|---|---|
| West Midlands | The areas of Birmingham City Council, Coventry City Council, Dudley Metropolitan Borough Council, Herefordshire Council, Sandwell Metropolitan Borough Council, Shropshire Council, Solihull Metropolitan Borough Council, Staffordshire County Council, Stoke-on-Trent City Council, Telford and Wrekin Council, Walsall Metropolitan Borough Council, Warwickshire County Council, Wolverhampton City Council and Worcestershire County Council |
| East of England | The areas of Bedford Borough Council, Cambridgeshire County Council, Central Bedfordshire Council, Essex County Council, Hertfordshire County Council, Luton Borough Council, Norfolk County Council, Peterborough City Council, Southend-on-Sea City Council, Suffolk County Council and Thurrock Council |
| East Midlands | The areas of Derby City Council, Derbyshire County Council, Leicester City Council, Leicestershire County Council, Lincolnshire County Council, North Northamptonshire Council, Nottingham City Council, Nottinghamshire County Council, Rutland County Council and West Northamptonshire Council |
| South East | The areas of Bracknell Forest Borough Council, Brighton & Hove City Council, Buckinghamshire Council, East Sussex County Council, Hampshire County Council, Isle of Wight Council, Kent County Council, Medway Council, Milton Keynes Council, Oxfordshire County Council, Portsmouth City Council, Reading Borough Council, Slough Borough Council, Southampton City Council, Surrey County Council, West Berkshire Council, West Sussex County Council, the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead and Wokingham Council |
| Yorkshire and Humber | The areas of Barnsley Metropolitan Borough Council, Bradford City Council, Calderdale Metropolitan Borough Council, City of York Council, Doncaster Metropolitan Borough Council, East Riding of Yorkshire Council, Kingston upon Hull City Council, Kirklees Metropolitan Council, Leeds City Council, North East Lincolnshire Council, North Lincolnshire Council, North Yorkshire Council, Rotherham Borough Council, Sheffield City Council and Wakefield Council |
| North West | The areas of Blackburn with Darwen Borough Council, Blackpool Borough Council, Bolton Metropolitan Borough Council, Bury Metropolitan Borough Council, Cheshire East Borough Council, Cheshire West and Chester Borough Council, Cumberland Council, Halton Borough Council, Knowsley Metropolitan Borough Council, Lancashire County Council, Liverpool City Council, Manchester City Council, Oldham Metropolitan Borough Council, Rochdale Borough Council, St Helens Metropolitan Borough Council, Salford City Council, Sefton Metropolitan Borough Council, Stockport Metropolitan Borough Council, Tameside Metropolitan Borough Council, Trafford Metropolitan Borough Council, Warrington Borough Council, Westmorland and Furness Council, Wigan Metropolitan Borough Council and Wirral Metropolitan Borough Council |
| North East | The areas of Darlington Borough Council, Durham County Council, Gateshead Council, Hartlepool Borough Council, Middlesbrough Council, Newcastle upon Tyne City Council, North Tyneside Metropolitan Borough Council, Northumberland County Council, Redcar and Cleveland Borough Council, South Tyneside Council, Stockton-on-Tees Borough Council and Sunderland City Metropolitan Borough Council |
| London | The City of London and the London boroughs of Barking and Dagenham, Barnet, Bexley, Brent, Bromley, Camden, Croydon, Ealing, Enfield, Greenwich, Hackney, Hammersmith and Fulham, Haringey, Harrow, Havering, Hillingdon, Hounslow, Islington, Kensington and Chelsea, Kingston upon Thames, Lambeth, Lewisham, Merton, Newham, Redbridge, Richmond upon Thames, Southwark, Sutton, Tower Hamlets, Waltham Forest, Wandsworth and Westminster |
| South West | The areas of Bath & North East Somerset Council, Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole Council, Bristol City Council, Cornwall Council, Council of the Isles of Scilly, Devon County Council, Dorset Council, Gloucestershire County Council, North Somerset Council, Plymouth City Council, Somerset Council, South Gloucestershire Council, Swindon Borough Council, Torbay Council and Wiltshire Council |
The areas of the local authorities specified in column 2 of the table are the areas of those local authorities as they existed on 15th December 2026.
Schedule 2INFORMATION FOR LANDLORD ENTRIES
Where the person who is, or intends to become, a residential landlord is an individual, the following information and documents—
Name.
Date of birth.
Residential address.
Telephone number.
Email address.
Where the person who is, or intends to become, a residential landlord is not an individual, the following information and documents—
Name of organisation, or description by which it is known.
Type of legal entity.
Address (which may not be a PO Box number).
Telephone number.
Email address.
Name, date of birth, email address and telephone number of the individual making the entry on behalf of the organisation.
Name of nominated contact within the organisation for the purposes of the database, and their email address and telephone number.
Companies House Registration number, if applicable.
Charity number, if applicable.
Where a Companies House registration number is not provided, the names, dates of birth and addresses of all directors, trustees, partners or members of the governing body of the organisation.
Where the organisation is constituted as a trust, the name, date of birth, address, email address and telephone number of the lead trustee.
In all cases, the following information and documents—
Whether the person making the entry is doing so in their capacity as any of the following in relation to the person who is, or intends to become, a residential landlord—
a donee of a power of attorney;
a personal representative of a deceased person’s estate;
a court appointed deputy;
a guardian;
a receiver;
a trustee in bankruptcy;
a liquidator or provisional liquidator;
an administrator;
an administrative receiver;
a mortgagee or a person appointed by the mortgagee to act on their behalf.
The name, address, telephone number and email address of any person specified in accordance with paragraph 17 that is making the entry.
A copy of a certified or sealed copy (as appropriate) of the relevant evidence of the authority of the person specified in accordance with paragraph 17 to act in relation to a dwelling which is, or is intended to be, let under a residential tenancy, as follows—
the document granting the power of attorney;
the grant of probate or grant of letters of administration;
the deed, certificate, notice or instrument of appointment;
the mortgage deed;
a court order;
a bankruptcy order;
1
Address of dwelling.
2
Name of the person who is the residential landlord, or who intends to become the residential landlord, of the dwelling and a correspondence address (which may not be a PO Box number) in England and Wales and an email address for that person in relation to the dwelling.
3
Ownership type.
4
Dwelling type.
5
Number of bedrooms in the dwelling.
6
Whether the dwelling is currently under let.
7
Name and email address of any of the following—
the owner of the freehold property which includes the dwelling;
any other superior landlord;
the property manager for the dwelling.
8
Number of occupants of the dwelling.
9
Number of households occupying the dwelling.
10
Information as to whether the dwelling requires an HMO licence, an additional licence or a selective licence, and if so, the numbers of those licences, if available.
11
If the dwelling has a gas supply—
a copy of the gas safety record, if one exists, and
the gas safety record issue date.
12
Electrical safety information as follows—
a copy of the EICR, if one exists, or appropriate EIC, and
the EICR expiry date, or the EIC issue date.
13
Information as to whether the landlord was required to give a valid EPC to the person who is the tenant currently occupying the dwelling, and if so, a copy of the most recent EPC, if one exists.
14
If the most recent EPC for the dwelling is no longer valid, the date the current tenancy started.
15
If the most recent EPC for the dwelling gives an energy performance rating of below the minimum level of energy efficiency, information as to whether the dwelling has a registered MEES exemption, and if so, what types of exemption apply.
16
Rent information, as follows—
rent charged and frequency of payment, and
whether the rent is inclusive of utilities and if so, what utilities are included.
17
Whether the dwelling is let furnished, partly furnished or unfurnished.
18
In this Schedule—
“additional licence” means a licence granted under Part 2 of the Housing Act 2004f1 authorising the occupation of a house in multiple occupation which is required to be licensed by virtue of a designation made under section 56 of that Act;
“appropriate EIC” means an EIC issued for the property which comprises the dwelling, which is sufficient to demonstrate compliance with the requirements of regulation 3(1) of the Electrical Safety Standards Regulations;
“Charity number” means—
the number entered in the register of charities maintained under section 29 of the Charities Act 2011f2;
the number entered in the register maintained under section 3 of the Charities and Trustee Investment (Scotland) Act 2005f3;
the number entered in the register maintained under section 16 of the Charities Act (Northern Ireland) 2008f4;
“Companies House Registration number” means the number allocated by the registrar of companies (within the meaning of section 1060 of the Companies Act 2006f5) to a company on its registration under the Companies Act 2006 or to a limited liability partnership under the Limited Liability Partnerships Act 2000f6;
“court appointed deputy” means a person appointed by the Court of Protection under section 16 of the Mental Capacity Act 2005f7 to make decisions on behalf of a landlord who lacks capacity to make specified decisions for themselves;
“dwelling type” means the physical form of the dwelling such as a detached house, semi-detached house, terraced house or a flat;
“EIC” means the electrical installation certificate which demonstrates that a property complies with the requirements of Part P of Schedule 1 to the Building Regulationsf8;
“EICR” means the report provided by an individual conducting the inspection and test required by regulation 3(1) of the Electrical Safety Standards Regulations which gives the results of the inspection and test and the date by which the next inspection and test must be carried out;
“EICR expiry date” means the date specified in the EICR as being the date by which the next inspection and test must be carried out;
“Electrical Safety Standards Regulations” means the Electrical Safety Standards in the Private Rented Sector and Social Rented Sector (England) Regulations 2020f9;
“energy performance rating” has the meaning given in regulation 11 of the Energy Performance Regulations;
“Energy Performance Regulations” means the Energy Performance of Buildings (England and Wales) Regulations 2012f10;
“EPC” means an energy performance certificate within the meaning of regulation 2(1) of the Energy Performance Regulations;
“gas safety record” means a copy of the record made in compliance with regulation 36(3)(c) of the Gas Safety Regulations which records the safety checks carried out in accordance with regulation 36(3)(a) and (b) of those Regulations;
“Gas Safety Regulations” means the Gas Safety (Installation and Use) Regulations 1998f11;
“gas” has the meaning given in regulation 2(1) of the Gas Safety Regulations;
“guardian” means a person appointed as a guardian under the Guardianship (Missing Persons) Act 2017f12;
“HMO licence” means a licence granted under Part 2 of the Housing Act 2004 authorising the occupation of a house in multiple occupation which is required to be licensed under section 55 of that Act;
“lead trustee” means the trustee appointed by the trustees as being the lead trustee for the purposes of registration on the database;
“minimum level of energy efficiency” has the meaning given in regulation 22(b) of the PRS Energy Efficiency Regulations;
“PRS Energy Efficiency Regulations” means the Energy Efficiency (Private Rented Property) (England and Wales) Regulations 2015f13;
“PRS Exemptions Register” is the register maintained by the Secretary of State in accordance with regulation 36 of the PRS Energy Efficiency Regulations;
“receiver” (but not in relation to an administrative receiver) means a person appointed by the mortgagee under section 109 of the Law of Property Act 1925f14 or under the terms of the mortgage, with authority to demand, collect and recover rents and profits arising from the mortgaged property following the mortgagor’s default;
“registered MEES exemption” means any exemption to the prohibition in regulation 23(1) of the PRS Energy Efficiency Regulations relied on by the landlord and registered on the PRS Exemptions Register;
“selective licence” means a licence granted under section 88 of the Housing Act 2004 in respect of a house situated in a selective licensing area designated under section 80 of that Act;
an EPC is “valid” if it is an EPC which meets the requirements set out in regulation 9(2) of the Energy Performance Regulations.
Explanatory note
(This note is not part of the Regulations)
These Regulations set out the requirements for the Private Rented Sector Database which is established by Chapter 3 of Part 2 of the Renters’ Rights Act 2025 (c. 26) (“the 2025 Act”).
Regulation 1 provides for the provision in regulation 3 to come into force on 15th December 2026. The remaining regulations are to come into force at different times over the period of a year for both landlord entries for landlords who have rental properties in a specified region (as defined in Schedule 1), and dwelling entries for dwellings which are located in a specified region. The Regulations come into force for all other purposes on 15th September 2027.
Regulation 3 amends section 63 of the 2025 Act to exempt from the scope of the database requirements a tenancy of supported exempt accommodation within the meaning of the Supported Housing (Regulatory Oversight) Act 2023 (c. 26).
Regulations 4, 5 and 6 and Schedules 2 and 3 set out the requirements for making landlord and dwelling entries in the database, including how an entry is to be made, who may make an entry and what information and documents must be provided. Landlord and dwelling entries may only be made by a person who is, or intends to become a residential landlord, or by a specified person who has authority to manage the landlord property such as a donee of a power of attorney or a trustee in bankruptcy (“a third party”). Dwelling entries for a property which is already occupied by tenants require information about the tenancy and compliance with other statutory requirements to be provided within 28 days of the entry being made. Where entries are made by a third party an entry may still be made without some specified information being provided. A fee must be paid before a dwelling entry may be made.
Regulations 7, 8 and 9 set out the requirements for updating active landlord and dwelling entries in the database, including who may update an entry. Where a dwelling entry was made for a dwelling which was not occupied at the time the entry was made, information about the tenancy and compliance with other statutory requirements must be provided within 28 days of the start of the tenancy. Where a dwelling entry for a dwelling which was occupied at the time the entry was made by a third party and did not contain all the specified information or documents, the missing information or documents must be provided within 28 days of the entry being made. In all cases, for both landlord and dwelling entries, information or documents contained in the entry must be updated within 28 days of the information or documents becoming out of date.
Regulation 10 deals with the renewals of active entries in the database. Failure to renew means the entry will become inactive. An entry must be renewed every 12 months. An exception is where the landlord already has active dwelling entries on the database; in this case any new dwelling entries will have the same renewal date as the renewal date for those existing entries. Renewal of a dwelling entry requires a fee to be paid.
Regulation 11 sets out when active landlord and dwelling entries become inactive, other than on non-renewal. A landlord or a third party may deactivate a dwelling entry at any time. A landlord entry will automatically be deactivated once all the dwelling entries for that landlord have been deactivated. A dwelling entry will also become inactive if the required tenancy and compliance information is not provided within 28 days of the entry being made. Landlord and dwelling entries may also be deactivated by the database operator or local housing authority where the landlord is subject to a banning order and where none of the landlord’s properties are occupied.
Regulation 12 sets out who may reactivate inactive landlord and dwelling entries, which mirrors the requirements as to who may make an entry. Where a dwelling entry is reactivated after the previous renewal date, or the new renewal date is after the previous renewal date, a fee must be paid.
Regulation 13 allows the database operator or local housing authorities to verify, correct or remove entries.
Regulation 14 delegates the setting of fees to be charged for making, renewing or reactivating a dwelling entry to the database operator.
An impact assessment has not been prepared for this instrument as a full assessment was produced in relation to the 2025 Act. Copies may be obtained at https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/bills/cbill/59-01/0127/amend/Renters_Rights_Bill-IA.pdf or from the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government at 2 Marsham Street, London, SW1P 4DF.