PRS Database and Landlord Ombudsman: What Landlords Need to Know
The tenancy reforms that landed on 1 May 2026 were only Phase 1 of the Renters’ Rights Act. Phase 2 brings two new systems that change how landlords are regulated, how tenants complain — and whether a landlord can get a possession order at all.
The first is the PRS Database: a mandatory national register, delivered through the government’s ‘Register your rental property’ service, 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 giving tenants a free route to binding complaint resolution. The dates and fees are now confirmed — and the preparation window is open.
The PRS Database (Private Rented Sector Database) is a mandatory national register of private landlords and rented homes in England under the Renters’ Rights Act 2025. Registration opens on 15 December 2026 via the ‘Register your rental property’ service, costs £65 per property per year, and — crucially — an unregistered landlord cannot obtain a possession order except on anti-social-behaviour grounds.
Key takeaways
- The PRS Database and Landlord Ombudsman are Phase 2 reforms under the Renters’ Rights Act 2025.
- Registration opens 15 December 2026 (West Midlands first), rolls out region by region, and every landlord must register by 14 November 2027.
- The fee is £65 per property per year; registering as a landlord is free.
- An unregistered landlord cannot obtain a possession order on any ground except anti-social behaviour (s.90).
- Penalties reach £7,000 for initial breaches and £40,000 for offences, with Rent Repayment Orders of up to 24 months’ rent.
In this guide
What is the PRS Database?
A mandatory national register of private landlords and rented homes in England, created by Part 2, Chapter 3 of the Renters’ Rights Act 2025. Every landlord must register themselves and each dwelling — providing contact details, property characteristics, and current safety certificates.
The Database is operated by MHCLG and accessed through the ‘Register your rental property’ service (via GOV.UK One Login). At registration, landlords must provide:
- Their contact details (including all joint landlords).
- Each property’s full address, type and bedroom count.
- Occupation status, plus copies of three certificates: Gas Safety Certificate, Electrical Installation Condition Report (EICR) and Energy Performance Certificate (EPC).
The exact dataset is set by the Private Rented Sector Database Regulations 2026, but those are the confirmed minimum fields. Tenants and prospective tenants will be able to search a public-facing subset; local authorities get full access for enforcement. The Database replaces the old Database of Rogue Landlords but runs alongside HMO 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. 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 the operational branding. The Ombudsman can order a landlord to apologise, explain, carry out repairs or pay compensation. It can’t order possession (that stays with the County Court) and it can’t override a First-tier Tribunal rent determination. 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 the 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?
Registration opens on 15 December 2026, starting in the West Midlands and rolling out region by region. Every landlord actively letting must be registered by 14 November 2027. The Ombudsman becomes mandatory in 2028.
The Private Rented Sector Database Regulations 2026 come into force on 15 December 2026. You can register from that date, but you must register before the deadline for your property’s region. When your area is called forward you get a three-month window to sign up:
| Region | Registration opens | Deadline to register |
|---|---|---|
| West Midlands | 15 December 2026 | 14 March 2027 |
| East of England | 15 January 2027 | 14 April 2027 |
| East Midlands | 15 February 2027 | 14 May 2027 |
| South East | 15 March 2027 | 14 June 2027 |
| Remaining regions | Rolling, monthly | All landlords by 14 November 2027 |
The fee is confirmed: £65 per property per year, set on a cost-recovery basis (pro-rated during rollout so early registrants aren’t penalised). Registering as a landlord is free; the fee is charged per dwelling and again each year on renewal — an entry that isn’t renewed becomes inactive. Broader Phase 2/3 milestones follow: the Decent Homes Standard extends to the PRS in 2035, and Awaab’s Law (damp and mould) will extend from social housing to the PRS at a date still to be confirmed. See the MHCLG Implementation Roadmap.
What happens if a landlord doesn’t register?
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: a £7,000 ceiling for initial breaches of the registration duty, and a £40,000 ceiling for offences (knowingly providing false information, continuing a breach beyond 28 days, or repeat breaches) as an alternative to criminal prosecution. Rent Repayment Orders of up to 24 months’ rent also apply — see the civil penalties guidance.
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 duty to enforce, and their investigatory powers have been live since 27 December 2025.
What happens if a landlord doesn’t join the Ombudsman scheme?
The same penalty structure — up to £7,000 for initial breaches, up to £40,000 for offences, plus Rent Repayment Orders. But one critical difference: non-membership does not block possession.
The Section 90 possession gateway applies only to Database registration. 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 many 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 judge complaints about conditions and repairs. In both cases, a professional condition record gives the landlord defensible evidence when the data is challenged or a complaint escalates.
The Database’s property-characteristics fields (type, bedrooms, floor area, occupation status) presuppose an evidence base. Where bedroom count or HMO category is disputed, a measured building survey resolves it. For condition, though, most landlords have nothing beyond phone photos and informal notes — and Ombudsman outcomes will turn on who has the better evidence.
Deposit adjudication already shows this: dated, independent condition records consistently outperform informal documentation. A RICS Schedule of Condition or Level 3 building survey establishes a legally defensible baseline at a fixed point in time, signed by a regulated professional. Looking ahead, the Decent Homes Standard extends to the PRS in 2035 with a condition-based test including a specific damp-and-mould criterion — so a baseline recorded now, backed where needed by a defects and damp inspection, does triple duty: Database evidence, Ombudsman defence, and Decent-Homes readiness.
What should landlords do now to prepare?
Get your safety certificates current, compile your property data, and consider a professional condition record. The Database requires all of this on registration, and the Ombudsman rewards landlords who can prove they acted before a complaint was made.
- Get certificates current. Gas Safety Certificate, EICR and EPC filed and in date — expired certificates at registration count as non-compliance.
- Compile property characteristics for each dwelling: type, bedrooms, floor area, occupation status, HMO and 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 each let property — particularly older stock or anything with a history of damp or disrepair.
- Set up a written two-stage complaints procedure with a named contact and response timescales — the Ombudsman will require tenants to exhaust an internal procedure before escalating.
- Keep a dated communication log of every repair request and response. Informal conversations don’t count when an investigation asks for the paper trail.
- Budget £65 per property per year for the Database fee, and check your region’s registration deadline on GOV.UK.
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” | Registration opens 15 December 2026 and rolls out by region to 14 November 2027. |
| “The Ombudsman replaces the courts” | It handles complaints, not possession or rent disputes. Courts and the FTT keep jurisdiction. |
| “Only multi-property landlords register” | Every private landlord must register, including single-property and accidental landlords. |
| “Registration is free” | Registering as a landlord is free, but each property costs £65 per year. |
| “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, not a possession bar. |
| “Awaab’s Law already applies to private landlords” | Social housing only for now; the PRS extension is a later phase, timing to be confirmed. |
Frequently asked questions
The Private Rented Sector Database is a mandatory national register of private landlords and rented homes in England, created by the Renters’ Rights Act 2025. Landlords register through the government’s ‘Register your rental property’ service, providing contact details, property characteristics and current safety certificates.
Registration opens on 15 December 2026, starting in the West Midlands and rolling out region by region. Each region gets a three-month registration window, and every landlord actively letting must be registered by 14 November 2027.
£65 per property per year. Registering as a landlord is free; the fee is charged for each dwelling and again each year on renewal. During the rollout the fee is pro-rated so early registrants aren’t penalised.
Two things. A civil penalty of up to £7,000 for an initial breach, rising to £40,000 (or criminal prosecution) for offences, plus Rent Repayment Orders of up to 24 months’ rent. And, under Section 90, you cannot obtain a possession order on any ground except anti-social behaviour until you have an active Database entry.
No. The Database is a register of landlords and properties; the Ombudsman is a redress scheme for tenant complaints about conduct, conditions and repairs. Both are mandatory, but only failure to register on the Database blocks possession — failing to join the Ombudsman triggers penalties only.
Yes. Every private landlord in England must register themselves and each dwelling they let, including single-property and ‘accidental’ landlords. Using a letting agent does not remove the landlord’s personal registration duty.
A dated RICS Schedule of Condition or Level 3 building survey gives you an independent, defensible record of a property’s condition at a fixed point. It supports disputed Database characteristics, strengthens your position in an Ombudsman complaint, and creates the baseline you’ll want before the Decent Homes Standard reaches the PRS in 2035.
Build your condition evidence before the Database opens
Blackacre’s RICS-regulated surveyors produce independent condition records — Schedules of Condition and Level 3 building surveys — that stand up for Database data, Ombudsman complaints and Decent-Homes readiness. Across London, Surrey and Sussex.