From 15 December 2026, every private landlord in Birmingham has to register themselves and each rental property on the government’s new Register your rental property service. Birmingham is in the West Midlands, the first region in England to go live, so local landlords are first in the queue. The deadline for let properties is 14 March 2027.
What is the landlord database?
The Renters’ Rights Act 2025 created a national register of private landlords and the homes they let in England, officially called the Private Rented Sector Database. The government service landlords use to sign up is called Register your rental property and it is run by the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government.
The idea is simple. Councils get one place to see who is letting what, whether the safety certificates are in date, and which landlords need a closer look. Over time some of the information is expected to become visible to tenants as well, so they can check a landlord before they sign.
Key dates for Birmingham landlords
| Date | What happens |
|---|---|
| 15 December 2026 | Registration opens. The rules start to apply to let properties in the West Midlands, including Birmingham and Solihull. |
| 14 March 2027 | Deadline to register every let property in the West Midlands. |
| 15 January to 15 August 2027 | The rest of England follows region by region, one month at a time. London starts in July 2027. |
Your deadline depends on where the property is, not where you live. A landlord living in London with a house in Hall Green works to the West Midlands dates. Anyone can register early from 15 December 2026, so landlords with homes in several regions can do them all at once.
Who has to register?
- Private landlords letting a home in England on an assured or regulated tenancy. Since 1 May 2026 that covers almost every private tenancy.
- Joint owners each need to register. One of you registers the property and then invites the others.
- Companies, LLPs, charities and trusts register as an organisation and can then add team members to manage the properties.
- Properties with a Birmingham selective licence still need registering. The licence is separate, and you enter its details as part of the registration.
During the rollout only homes that are let, or become let, have to be registered. Empty properties do not need registering yet, but in future you will need to register before you advertise a property to let.
Your letting agent cannot do it for you
This is the part catching a lot of landlords out. The legal duty sits with the landlord, and the landlord must start the registration themselves, using their own GOV.UK One Login. We cannot create your account or register your property from scratch, even if we fully manage it.
What an agent can do is help once you have registered. After the property is on the system and occupied, you can give your agent access with a secure link, and they can add the tenancy details and safety certificates and keep them up to date. You are still responsible for the record being complete and correct.
The only times someone else can register on a landlord’s behalf are limited cases set out in the regulations, such as when a landlord has died, when someone holds a power of attorney, or when a mortgage lender is taking possession.
How registration works, step by step
- Sign in with GOV.UK One Login. Create an account if you do not already have one. You will be given the option to verify your identity. If you cannot get online, a paper application will be available.
- Register yourself as a landlord. This part is free. Individuals give their name, date of birth, home address, phone number and email. Companies give their company details, Companies House number and a nominated contact.
- Add each property. You will need the address, how you own it, the property type and number of bedrooms, whether it is let, a correspondence address in England or Wales, and contact details for your managing agent. For leasehold flats you also need the freeholder’s details.
- Pay the fee for each property. Once paid you get a rental property number, and you will also have a landlord number.
- Finish the details within 28 days. This covers the rent and how often it is paid, whether bills are included, how many people and households live there, whether it is furnished, any HMO or selective licence, and your gas safety record, electrical safety certificate (EICR) and EPC.
If the details are not completed within 28 days, the registration can be made inactive, which puts you in breach if the property is let.
Have these ready before you start: your GOV.UK One Login, the tenancy start date and rent, the number of occupiers, your latest gas safety record, your EICR and its expiry date, your EPC, and your selective or HMO licence number if you have one.
What it costs
The fee is £65 per property, per year. There is no VAT, it should be tax deductible, and registering yourself as a landlord and updating your records is free.
During the rollout the first payment is reduced so nobody pays more for signing up early. The government’s own example is that a property registered on 15 December 2026 costs just £5.34 for its first payment. After that, all of your properties renew together once a year, on the anniversary of your first registration.
Keeping it up to date
Registering is not a one-off job. You need to update the record within 28 days whenever something changes, for example a new tenancy, a change in the number of occupiers, a rent increase, or a renewed gas safety record, EICR or EPC. The registration then renews every year.
What happens if you do not register
- Fines of up to £7,000 from the council for failing to register yourself or a let property.
- Fines of up to £40,000 for knowingly or recklessly giving false or misleading information, or for repeated breaches.
- Rent repayment orders. Tenants can apply to the tribunal to claim back rent in certain cases.
- No possession orders. A landlord who is not registered cannot get a court order for possession on most grounds.
- No advertising. In future you will not be able to market a property to let unless it is registered, and adverts will have to show your landlord and property numbers.
What else is coming
The database is separate from the new landlord ombudsman, which every private landlord will also have to join. The government currently expects membership to become compulsory in 2028, with advance notice before it starts. We will keep our landlords posted.
How Point Four can help
If we manage your property, register yourself and the property first, then send us the access link. We can add the tenancy details and certificates for you and keep them updated whenever something changes. If you are not sure which documents you have or whether they are in date, give us a call and we will check for you.
Questions about registration? Call the office on 0121 733 3300 or pop in to see us at 2 Solihull Lane, Hall Green.
Sources: GOV.UK, Register your rental property service: guidance for landlords and the Private Rented Sector Database Regulations 2026. This article is general guidance, not legal advice, and is correct as of November 2026.