PRS Database and Landlord Ombudsman: What's Coming After 1 May 2026
The tenancy reforms landing on 1 May 2026 are only Phase 1. Phase 2 brings two new systems that will change how landlords are regulated, how tenants raise complaints, and whether a landlord can get a possession order at all.
The first is the PRS Database: a mandatory national register where every private landlord in England must register themselves and each property they let.
The second is the PRS Landlord Ombudsman: a mandatory redress scheme that gives tenants a free route to binding complaint resolution on everything from damp to communication failures.
Neither is live yet. But the statutory framework is enacted, the MHCLG Implementation Roadmap sets the timeline, and the preparation window is open now.
Quick Takeaways
- The PRS Database and Landlord Ombudsman are Phase 2 reforms under the Renters’ Rights Act 2025, not yet live as of April 2026
- Database regional rollout begins from late 2026; every private landlord must register themselves and each property
- The Ombudsman becomes mandatory in 2028 and handles tenant complaints about landlord conduct, conditions, and repairs
- An unregistered landlord cannot obtain a possession order on any ground except anti-social behaviour
- Penalties reach £7,000 for initial breaches and £40,000 for offences, with Rent Repayment Orders of up to 24 months’ rent
What is the PRS Database?
A mandatory national register of private landlords and rental properties in England, created by Part 2, Chapter 3 of the Renters’ Rights Act 2025 (Sections 75–96). Every landlord must register themselves and each dwelling, providing contact details, property characteristics, and current safety certificates.
The Database is operated by MHCLG and will be accessed through GOV.UK One Login. At registration, landlords must provide;
- Their contact details (including all joint landlords)
- The property’s full address, type, and bedroom count
- Occupation status, and copies of three certificates: Gas Safety Certificate, Electrical Installation Condition Report (EICR), and Energy Performance Certificate (EPC).
The exact dataset will be confirmed in regulations under Section 77, but those are the confirmed minimum fields from the MHCLG Roadmap.
Tenants and prospective tenants will be able to search a public-facing subset of the Database. Local authorities get full access for enforcement. The Database replaces the existing Database of Rogue Landlords but runs alongside HMO licensing and selective licensing. It doesn’t replace either.
What is the PRS Landlord Ombudsman?
A mandatory redress scheme for all private landlords in England, created by Part 2, Chapter 2 of the Act (Sections 64–74). Tenants can complain about landlord conduct, property conditions, and repair failures. The service is free for tenants and binding on landlords, with decisions enforceable as a court order.
The Act calls it a “landlord redress scheme” (Section 64). “PRS Landlord Ombudsman” is MHCLG’s operational branding. The Government’s preferred provider is the Housing Ombudsman Service, but formal designation under Section 65 hasn’t happened yet.
The Ombudsman can order a landlord to apologise, provide an explanation, carry out repairs, or pay compensation. It can’t order possession (that stays with the County Court under Section 8), and it can’t override a First-tier Tribunal rent determination (that’s covered by Section 13). It’s a complaints route, not a court.
It’s worth knowing which scheme covers what, because most landlords interact with more than one:
Scheme | Covers | Key distinction |
PRS Landlord Ombudsman (new) | Private landlords: conduct, conditions, repairs | Mandatory for all PRS landlords from 2028 |
Housing Ombudsman Service | Social housing tenants | Separate scheme; may also deliver PRS Ombudsman |
The Property Ombudsman / PRS | Letting and estate agents | Agent conduct only, not landlord conduct |
TDS / DPS / MyDeposits | Deposit disputes | Sum-in-dispute only, end of tenancy |
When does the PRS Database launch?
Neither is live yet. The Database begins regional rollout from late 2026 and becomes mandatory across England during 2027. The Ombudsman becomes mandatory in 2028. Both are Phase 2 of the Implementation Roadmap.
Reform | Expected date | Status (April 2026) |
PRS Database regional rollout | From late 2026 | Pilot completed (Nottingham, Sep 2025). Not commenced |
PRS Database mandatory nationally | During 2027 | Secondary legislation pending |
PRS Landlord Ombudsman mandatory | 2028 | Administrator not yet designated |
Decent Homes Standard in PRS | 2035 | Policy statement issued Jan 2026 |
Awaab’s Law in PRS | TBC | Social housing only since Oct 2025 |
Both systems carry an annual fee per property. Neither fee has been confirmed. The Roadmap says both will be set “closer to launch” on a cost-recovery basis. Speculative figures circulating online aren’t sourced from MHCLG and shouldn’t be relied on.
What happens if a landlord doesn't register on the PRS Database?
Two consequences. Civil penalties of up to £7,000 for initial breaches, escalating to £40,000 or criminal prosecution for continued or repeated breaches. And an unregistered landlord cannot obtain a possession order on any ground except anti-social behaviour.
The penalty framework mirrors the rest of the Act. Section 91 covers initial breaches of the registration duty under Section 82, with a civil penalty ceiling of £7,000. Section 92 covers offences: knowingly providing false information, continuing a breach for more than 28 days after a penalty, or repeated breaches.
The ceiling is £40,000 as an alternative to criminal prosecution (unlimited fine on conviction). Rent Repayment Orders of up to 24 months’ rent apply under Section 98.
The possession gateway is the consequence that matters most in practice. Section 90 of the Act blocks the court from making a possession order unless the landlord has an active Database entry.
The only exceptions are Grounds 7A and 14 (anti-social behaviour). Every other Section 8 ground is blocked: sale (Ground 1A), family occupation (Ground 1), rent arrears (Ground 8), breach of tenancy (Ground 12). No registration, no possession.
Local authorities have a statutory duty to enforce under Section 107, and their investigatory powers have been live since 27 December 2025.
What happens if a landlord doesn't join the Ombudsman scheme?
Same penalty structure: up to £7,000 for initial breaches (Section 66), up to £40,000 for offences (Section 67), plus RROs of up to 24 months’ rent. But there’s one critical difference: non-membership does not block possession.
The possession gateway under Section 90 applies only to Database registration. Sections 64–74 (the Ombudsman provisions) contain no equivalent restriction. A landlord who hasn’t joined the Ombudsman scheme faces financial penalties and RRO exposure, but can still obtain a possession order through the court.
This is a point most competitor guides get wrong. They treat Database registration and Ombudsman membership as a single gateway. They aren’t. The penalties are similar, but the possession consequence belongs to the Database alone.
Why does property condition evidence matter for both?
The Database requires property characteristics and safety certificates. The Ombudsman will handle complaints about property conditions and repairs. In both cases, a professional condition record gives the landlord defensible evidence when the data is challenged or a complaint is escalated.
The Database’s property-characteristics fields (type, bedrooms, floor area, occupation status) presuppose an underlying evidence base. Where bedroom count or HMO category is disputed, a measured survey resolves it. Where a safety certificate is questioned, the certificate itself is the evidence. But for property condition, most landlords have nothing beyond phone photos and informal notes.
Ombudsman complaint outcomes will turn on who has the better evidence. Deposit ADR already demonstrates this: dated, independent condition records consistently outperform informal documentation. A RICS Schedule of Condition establishes a legally defensible baseline at a fixed point in time, signed by a regulated professional with insurance behind the opinion.
Looking further ahead, the Decent Homes Standard extends to the PRS in 2035 with a new condition-based test including a specific damp-and-mould criterion. A Schedule of Condition prepared now creates the baseline evidence before that standard bites. One inspection, three purposes: Database evidence, Ombudsman defence, and DHS-readiness.
If you want a professional condition record before the Database opens, our residential survey team can talk you through the options.
What should landlords do now to prepare?
Get your safety certificates current, compile your property data, and consider a professional condition record. The Database will require all of this on registration, and the Ombudsman will reward landlords who can prove they acted before a complaint was made.
- Ensure your Gas Safety Certificate, EICR, and EPC are current and filed. Expired certificates at the point of registration will count as non-compliance.
- Compile property characteristics for each dwelling: type, bedrooms, floor area, occupation status, HMO and selective licensing references. Verify the correct landlord legal entity (critical for companies and joint owners).
- Commission a Schedule of Condition or mid-term condition survey for every let property, particularly older stock or properties with a history of damp or disrepair.
- Implement a written two-stage complaints procedure with named contact and response timescales. The Ombudsman will almost certainly require landlords to exhaust an internal procedure before tenants can escalate.
- Keep a dated communication log of every repair request and response. Informal conversations don’t count when an Ombudsman investigation asks for the paper trail.
- Budget for annual Database and Ombudsman fees per property. Amounts are not yet confirmed, but assume a cost per dwelling.
Monitor GOV.UK for commencement announcements and regional rollout dates.
What are the most common misconceptions?
That the Database is already live, that the Ombudsman replaces the courts, and that failing to join the Ombudsman blocks possession. None of these are true.
Myth | Reality |
“The Database is already live” | Phase 2. Regional rollout from late 2026. Not commenced as of April 2026 |
“The Ombudsman replaces the courts” | Handles complaints, not possession or rent disputes. Courts and FTT retain jurisdiction |
“Only multi-property landlords register” | Every private landlord must register, including single-property and accidental landlords |
“Registration is free” | Annual fee per property expected. Amount not yet confirmed |
“My agent handles it, so I don’t register” | Registration is personal to the landlord. Agents have separate obligations |
“Not joining the Ombudsman blocks possession” | Only Database non-registration blocks possession (s.90). Ombudsman non-membership triggers penalties but not a possession bar |
“Awaab’s Law already applies to private landlords” | Social housing only since October 2025. PRS extension is Phase 3, timing TBC |
The Database and the Ombudsman aren’t here yet, but the preparation window is. Safety certificates, property data, and condition evidence all take time to assemble. Landlords who build that foundation now will register faster, defend complaints better, and avoid the penalties that catch those who wait.
For the full picture of the Renters’ Rights Act, start with our complete guide.
What happens if the tenant challenges at the First-tier Tribunal?
The tenant applies before the new rent takes effect. Rent freezes. The tribunal determines open-market rent, applies it from its decision date, and can defer by a further two months for hardship.
The challenge process step by step
- Tenant applies via the GOV.UK market-rent-determination page. Fee: £47. Must apply before the Form 4A start date.
- FTT acknowledges (roughly 10 working days) and registers the case.
- Directions issued. Deadlines for evidence exchange. Possible case management conference.
- Paper determination or hearing. The tribunal decides the format; either party can request a hearing. The panel may inspect the property.
- Decision. Rent confirmed or reduced. Written decision typically within 4 to 6 weeks of hearing.
- New rent takes effect from the determination date (or up to two months later if hardship deferral applies). No backdating.
- Appeal on a point of law to the Upper Tribunal (Lands Chamber) within 28 days.
Current average wait times run 18 to 27 weeks. Caseload is widely expected to increase from 1 May.
That means a challenged increase could be suppressed for 4 to 9 months, and the next Form 4A can’t take effect until 52 weeks after the tribunal’s determination date. Effective cadence: closer to 22 months, not 12.
What are the most common mistakes landlords make with rent increases?
Using void review clauses, underestimating the challenge incentive, relying on portal screenshots, and serving with insufficient notice. All of them avoidable.
What landlords assume | What’s actually true |
“My CPI clause still works” | Void from 1 May 2026. Form 4A is the only lawful route. |
“The tribunal might raise it above what I asked” | It can only confirm or reduce. Zero upside risk for tenants. |
“One month’s notice is enough” | Two months from 1 May. One month = defective notice. |
“I can increase twice in 12 months if the tenant agrees” | Once per 52 weeks, no exceptions. |
“Rightmove listings are good enough for tribunal” | Asking rents aren’t evidence of achieved rents. RICS: treat with caution. |
“Tenants won’t bother challenging” | £47, no hearing fee, frozen rent, no s.21 retaliation risk. 22% plan to challenge regardless. |
“I can set the initial rent high and they can’t touch it” | Tenants can challenge the starting rent within 6 months. Same test, same “can only reduce” rule. |
“The tribunal will backdate any upheld increase” | No backdating. Effective from determination date only. |
Every rent increase from 1 May 2026 is a contained valuation dispute. The landlord who serves Form 4A without defensible comparable evidence is handing the tenant a free option to cut the rent, freeze it for months, and push the next increase to almost two years away.
If you need a market rent appraisal ahead of a Form 4A notice, contact our valuation team.