The New Rental Property Register: What Landlords Need to Know
Sasha Scott
created on 17th September 2026
Another important change is coming for landlords under the Renters’ Rights Act 2025.
The government has announced the rollout of its new “Register your rental property” service, which will require landlords of assured or regulated tenancies to register themselves and each rental property they own.
For landlords across Cambridgeshire, Huntingdonshire and the Fens, the key date isn’t until 15 January 2027 – so there is no need to rush to do anything today.
But there are some things worth knowing now.
What is the new rental property register?
The new service forms part of the next phase of the Renters’ Rights Act reforms.
It will create a national registration system containing information about landlords, their rental properties and certain aspects of their compliance.
The government says the system is intended to help responsible landlords demonstrate that they are meeting their obligations, while giving local authorities better information to identify and tackle poor practice.
In the future, tenants will also be able to use the service to check whether a landlord is complying with key legal requirements.
When do East of England landlords need to register?
The register is being introduced region by region rather than to every landlord in England simultaneously.
For rental properties in the East of England, which includes our local area:
15 January 2027 – registration requirements begin
14 April 2027 – deadline to complete registration
The overall service begins rolling out nationally from 15 December 2026, starting in the West Midlands.
Landlords will be able to register properties before their own region’s requirement begins if they wish. This may be particularly useful for landlords with portfolios spread across several regions.
Importantly, the deadline relates to where the rental property is located, rather than where the landlord lives.
How much will registration cost?
The government has confirmed an annual registration fee of:
£65 per property, per year.
So, for example, a landlord with one qualifying rental property would pay £65 annually, while a landlord with four would pay £260.
Registration will also need to be renewed each year.
The government has said fees will be adjusted on a pro-rata basis during the initial rollout so that landlords registering earlier aren’t disadvantaged.
What information will landlords need?
This is more than simply entering your name and property address.
The government has published a fairly detailed list of the information landlords should expect to provide.
For an individual landlord, this includes personal information such as your name, date of birth, residential address, telephone number and email address.
You’ll also need information about the rental property itself, including its address, ownership and dwelling type and number of bedrooms.
Tenancy information will include details such as the number of occupants, whether the property requires a relevant licence and whether it is furnished, part-furnished or unfurnished.
You’ll also need to provide information about the rent being charged.
Your compliance documents will matter too
One particularly important part of the registration process concerns health and safety information.
Depending on the property and circumstances, landlords may need to provide documents and information relating to:
Gas safety
Electrical safety, including the EICR or relevant electrical certificate
The property’s Energy Performance Certificate (EPC)
Any applicable Minimum Energy Efficiency Standards exemption
This is another reason why good property records are becoming increasingly important.
A certificate sitting in an old email somewhere might not feel like a problem today.
When you’re suddenly required to find and upload it as part of a registration process, it can become one.
Can Ellis Winters register the property for me?
This is an important distinction.
Under the government’s current plans, landlords will remain responsible for starting and completing their own registration.
That means your letting or managing agent cannot simply take the entire process off your hands.
However, the government intends to provide a way for letting agents and property managers to upload certain information on a landlord’s behalf.
Exactly how this will work has not yet been confirmed.
Further guidance for agents is due to be published ahead of the rollout.
Once we have that guidance, we’ll review it carefully and establish what support Ellis Winters can provide our managed landlords with the parts of the process we’re permitted to assist with.
Do I need to register an empty property?
Not necessarily – at least initially.
During the first stage of the rollout, the requirement applies to properties that are currently let or become let during the rollout period.
The government has said that future legislation will extend this so that relevant unoccupied properties will need to be registered before they are marketed for rent.
At that stage, landlords and letting agents will also need to include the relevant landlord and property identifiers on rental advertisements.
Further guidance is expected before those requirements take effect.
What should landlords do now?
The most important message is:
Don’t panic – and don’t try to register yet.
For properties in our part of the East of England, the legal registration requirement doesn’t begin until January 2027.
However, this is a useful opportunity to get organised.
Check that you know where your current gas safety record, electrical documentation and EPC are kept.
Make sure your contact and property information is accurate.
And if you own several rental properties, consider whether your records are organised in a way that will make providing information for each one straightforward.
For landlords using a fully managed service, much of the property compliance information required may already form part of the records being maintained as part of that management.
Another reason to keep good property records
The private rented sector has changed significantly during 2026, and this new register is another example of the increasing importance of accurate records and ongoing compliance.
For many responsible landlords, the information being requested won’t be unfamiliar.
The difference is that landlords will now need to bring that information together and formally register it with the new government service.
At Ellis Winters, we’ll continue to follow the government’s guidance as further details are published.
We’ll also be contacting our landlords again ahead of the East of England registration period, when we know more about how letting agents will be able to assist.
So for now, there’s no registration action you need to take.
But with January 2027 approaching, it makes sense to know what’s coming – and make sure your rental property paperwork is in good order.
If you have a rental property in Cambridgeshire, Huntingdonshire or the Fens and would like to talk to us about our property management services, contact your local Ellis Winters lettings team.
Sasha is a marketing specialist with 20 years experience. Her career has spanned marketing, counselling, and even funeral care - giving her a uniquely people-centred approach to every brief she takes on. She thrives in roles where she can use the written word and where empathy and clarity matter. Outside of work, she fosters animals (including a skunk and a sphynx!) and volunteers with local charities.
