The Private Rented Sector Database: Are You Ready For It?
With just over a month to go until the rollout of the Private Rented Sector (PRS) Database begins, as a landlord, are you ready for it?
For landlords with property in the East of England, this is especially important as the region is second on the rollout programme, with landlords required to register any actively let properties in the region required between 15 January and 14 April 2027. If you're already compliant with current legislation this shouldn't be too demanding - the government's One Login portal will require you to answer a series of questions relating to yourself, your property and your tenancy and to provide evidence of your EPC, EICR and (where applicable) your gas safety certificate. But where you've got missing documents or you're unaware of the details of your tenancy, it's best to start to gather information now. Failure to register within the registration period or within 28 days of starting the registration process could result in a fine of up to £7,000. Knowingly providing false information could result in a fine of up to £40,000. And penalties for failing to abide by existing compliance requirements could apply too.
So, what do you need?
The database will comprise of four parts:
- Your details - name, address. contact details...
- The property details - ownership, tenure, number of bedrooms...
- Tenancy information - rent & whether bills are included, number of occupiers, whether furnished or not...
- Health and safety compliance - EPC, EICR, and where applicable, gas safety certificate
You will need to provide physical evidence of your safety certificates, and it's worth checking that these are in date in advance of registration. Other documents may be relevant for information gathering - your title deeds or mortgage details, tenancy agreement, and if your rental property is held by an organsiation, your registration with Companies House.
You'll also need contact details for any joint landlord so that you're both attached to the register for the property, and a preferred email for your letting agent if you have agreed that they will support you with your registration. Check this in advance as they may have a specific designated email address for database-related communications.
Registration of a property should only take around 20 minutes, but only if you have all the information you need to hand. With just 28 days to complete a registration you don't want to be chasing for a supplier to provide certifications or to discover that an email has gone to the wrong place, so being proactive now reduces the risk of a stumbling block when it matters most.
Where to get the information you need
Whether you self-manage or use a letting agent, if you've followed the correct procedure with your tenancy, you should already have everything in place. Nothing new is being added to a landlord's responsibilities via the database.
However, it's possible that things may have lapsed and it will be vital to correct this before registering your property. If you need to instruct a contractor for an EICR, EPC* or gas safety certificate, make sure that they're accredited and provide you and your tenants with the documents you need. (*If your EPC has expired, but was valid when your current tenants moved into the property, you do not need to instruct a new EPC until the property is marketed again for re-let.)
Or you can appoint a letting agent. As a Propertymark-accredited agency, at Brittons Lettings complaince with legislation is at the heart of everything we do. Not only do we have access to reliable, accredited contractors, and hold all documents on file, we also ensure that you and your tenants receive copies of all required documents, making it easy for you to complete your registration. We will also be able to support our fully-managed landlords in completing their registration and ensuring that records are maintained throughout the tenancy.
Can my letting agent do it all for me?
In a word, no.
The purpose of the database is to increase landlord awareness and compliance, so deferring all responsibility to a letting agent won't help you determine whether your agent is operating correctly. As you retain legal responsibility for compliance, even if appointing an agent, it's therefore essential that you're happy with the information provided. You will therefore be required to start and finish the registration yourself within 28 days and to verify that you believe all information to be correct.
Your letting agent, however, can support your registration, by providing tenancy information and uploading safety certificates directly to your record.
You may find that your letting agent may charge you for this. At Brittons Lettings we believe that your compliance is inherently part of the service we provide, so our participation will be covered by our full management fee.
What happens next?
Every property on the database will receive a unique reference number, provided at the point of registration. This will eventually be required when marketing the property to let and prospective tenants will be able to access compliance information to determine whether they want to rent before applying for a property.
From 15 April 2027 local councils in the East of England will be able to access the database to check the compliance of properties under their jurisdiction, and to take enforcement action where requirements have not been met.
It will be your responsibility as a landlord to ensure that any record is maintained as changes occur (a change of tenants, renewed safety certificates, etc) even if you delegate the actual task of doing this to your managing agent.
At Brittons Lettings we're here to help landlords with property in King's Lynn and West Norfolk ensure that they're ready for the PRS database. If you've got any questions or would like to know more about our management services, call us on 01553 692828, email
[email protected] or pop into our office on the Tuesday Market Place in King's Lynn and we'll be happy to talk it through with you.
