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PRS Database Launches 15 December 2026

PRS Database - What Every Landlord in England Must Know

The PRS Database automatically checks your EPC when you register. See what it will find for your property before your regional deadline.

PRS Database launches 15 December 2026

The PRS Database - officially named "Register your rental property" - launches 15 December 2026. Every private landlord in England must register every rental property on the PRS Database. When you register, the PRS Database automatically checks your EPC from the government register. Local councils will use PRS Database data for enforcement. Here's what to check before your regional PRS Database deadline.

What is the PRS Database?

The Private Rented Sector Database - the PRS Database - was created under the Renters' Rights Act 2025 and launches on 15 December 2026 under the service name "Register your rental property."

Every private landlord in England must register themselves and each rental property on the PRS Database. PRS Database registration costs £65 per property per year and must be renewed annually.

Once registered on the PRS Database you receive a unique Property Registration Number. From launch you must include this PRS Database registration number on all property adverts and tenancy agreements. Letting agents and portals including Rightmove and Zoopla will need to verify your PRS Database registration number before they can market your property.

Failure to register on the PRS Database is a criminal offence. A landlord not registered on the PRS Database cannot serve a valid Section 8 notice - now the only legal route to possession following the abolition of Section 21. Civil penalties for non-registration on the PRS Database start at £7,000 for a first offence, rising to £40,000 for repeat or deliberate non-compliance.

PRS Database Regional Deadlines

The PRS Database rolls out on a regional basis from 15 December 2026 starting with the West Midlands. Once your region's PRS Database regulations commence, you have a three-month window to register before enforcement begins. Your PRS Database deadline is based on where your rental property is located - not where you live as a landlord.

Region PRS Database opens Deadline to register
West Midlands15 December 202614 March 2027
East of England15 January 202714 April 2027
East Midlands15 February 202714 May 2027
South East15 March 202714 June 2027
Yorkshire and Humber15 April 202714 July 2027
North West15 May 202714 August 2027
North East15 June 202714 September 2027
London15 July 202714 October 2027
South West15 August 202714 November 2027

You can register on the PRS Database before your regional deadline from 15 December 2026 - including if you have properties across multiple regions.

What Does the PRS Database Check About Your EPC?

This is the section most landlords haven't thought about. When you register on the PRS Database, the system automatically checks the government EPC register and displays the certificate it finds for your property. You then confirm whether this is correct - or provide a more recent certificate if one exists.

This means the PRS Database will find whatever is currently on the government EPC register for your property - including an expired certificate or a rating below the minimum standard - before you have a chance to update it.

The government's own PRS Database guidance confirms three separate EPC-related fields at registration:

PRS Database Field 1 - Current EPC

Whether you were required to give the current tenant a valid EPC and if so a copy of the most recent certificate. The PRS Database pulls this automatically from the government EPC register.

PRS Database Field 2 - Expired EPC

If your most recent EPC is no longer valid, the PRS Database requires you to declare the date the current tenancy started. This is how the PRS Database captures landlords whose EPC expired during a long-term tenancy - a situation previously invisible to enforcement authorities. The PRS Database makes it visible for the first time.

PRS Database Field 3 - Below minimum standard

If your EPC rating is below the minimum energy efficiency standard, the PRS Database requires you to declare whether a MEES exemption is registered and what type applies. Declaring a below-standard rating on the PRS Database without a registered exemption means declaring non-compliance directly to the government.

The Three EPC Scenarios on the PRS Database

Valid EPC - PRS Database registration straightforward

The PRS Database finds your certificate automatically, you confirm it and proceed. No immediate EPC issue - though your D or E rating is now visible to your local council through the PRS Database as the 2030 EPC C requirement approaches.

Expired EPC - PRS Database flags this to councils

The PRS Database finds your expired certificate and flags it. You must declare when your tenancy started. Your expired certificate is now visible to local authorities through the PRS Database. While an expired EPC during a continuing tenancy has historically been legal, the PRS Database makes this visible to councils for the first time. Resolve your EPC before PRS Database registration.

F or G rating - urgent PRS Database action required

This is the most urgent PRS Database scenario. If the PRS Database finds an F or G rating and you have no registered MEES exemption, you are declaring non-compliance directly to the government. Local councils have direct PRS Database access and enforcement budgets to act on exactly this. Maximum fine: £40,000. Either improve to E or above, or register a valid MEES exemption before PRS Database registration.

Why the PRS Database Changes Everything for EPC Enforcement

The PRS Database is explicitly designed as an enforcement tool. The government's own announcement states the PRS Database will give councils access to information to help them identify rogue landlords and take quicker action.

For the first time, every landlord's EPC compliance status - including their current rating, whether it has expired, and whether a MEES exemption is registered - is held in the PRS Database and visible to local councils.

Before the PRS Database

  • An expired EPC during a long tenancy was largely invisible to authorities
  • An F or G rating without an exemption was only discoverable through proactive local authority inspection
  • Enforcement was reactive and resource-intensive for councils

After the PRS Database launches

  • Councils can cross-reference the PRS Database against the EPC register instantly
  • Expired EPCs are visible across every registered property simultaneously
  • F and G ratings without exemptions are immediately identifiable for enforcement action

The PRS Database doesn't create new obligations. But it makes existing non-compliance visible and actionable at scale for the first time.

£7,000
PRS Database non-registration fine - first offence
£40,000
Maximum fine for serious or repeat breach
14 Nov 2027
Final PRS Database deadline - all English landlords

The 2029 Opportunity Within the PRS Database Deadline

For landlords who need to resolve their EPC before PRS Database registration - whether because it has expired or because the rating needs improving - there is a narrow window of opportunity most are missing.

The current EPC methodology - RdSAP 10 - will be replaced by the new Home Energy Model from 1 October 2029. Under HEM, reaching EPC C is harder and more expensive for many properties - particularly those with gas boilers, solid walls or poor airtightness.

Properties that achieve EPC C before 1 October 2029 under RdSAP 10 have their rating grandfathered - protected for up to 10 years regardless of what HEM says about the same property.

The PRS Database practical choice: a landlord who needs a new EPC before PRS Database registration has two options.

Option A - Meet the PRS Database minimum

Get a basic assessment - achieve E, complete PRS Database registration, move on. Compliant for now but exposed to the 2030 EPC C requirement and the stricter HEM methodology when your certificate next needs renewal.

Option B - Landlord Friendly EPC

Get a Landlord Friendly EPC - achieve C under current RdSAP 10 rules, complete PRS Database registration, grandfather rights secured for 10 years, protected before HEM takes over. Our Landlord Friendly EPC resolves your PRS Database EPC issue and secures grandfather rights in one visit.

The cost difference between meeting the PRS Database E minimum and reaching C is often smaller than landlords expect - particularly where hidden assessor assumptions are holding the rating back. Our free compliance check shows you the gap before you spend anything.

PRS Database FAQ

The PRS Database - officially named the Private Rented Sector Database and launched under the service name 'Register your rental property' - is a new mandatory national register of private landlords and rental properties in England, created under the Renters' Rights Act 2025. Every private landlord in England must register themselves and each rental property on the PRS Database from 15 December 2026. The PRS Database gives local councils direct access to landlord and property compliance information including EPC status, gas safety and electrical certificates.

The PRS Database launches on 15 December 2026, starting with the West Midlands. It rolls out on a regional basis across England through 2027, with all landlords required to have registered on the PRS Database by 14 November 2027. West Midlands landlords must register by 14 March 2027, followed by East of England (14 April), East Midlands (14 May), South East (14 June), Yorkshire and Humber (14 July), North West (14 August), North East (14 September), London (14 October) and South West (14 November 2027).

When you register your property on the PRS Database, the system automatically checks the government EPC register and displays the certificate it finds for your property. You then confirm whether this is correct or provide a more recent certificate. The PRS Database requires you to declare whether your EPC is valid, and if it has expired, the date your current tenancy started. If your EPC rating is below the minimum energy efficiency standard, the PRS Database requires you to declare whether a MEES exemption is registered.

If the PRS Database finds an expired EPC for your property, you must declare the date your current tenancy started. Your expired certificate becomes visible to your local council through the PRS Database. While an expired EPC during a continuing tenancy has historically been legal, the PRS Database makes this visible to enforcement authorities for the first time. The practical advice from compliance experts is to resolve your EPC before completing PRS Database registration.

PRS Database deadlines are based on where your rental property is located - not where you live as a landlord. West Midlands: 14 March 2027. East of England: 14 April 2027. East Midlands: 14 May 2027. South East: 14 June 2027. Yorkshire and Humber: 14 July 2027. North West: 14 August 2027. North East: 14 September 2027. London: 14 October 2027. South West: 14 November 2027. You can register on the PRS Database before your regional deadline from 15 December 2026.

PRS Database registration costs £65 per property per year, renewed annually. The PRS Database fee will be pro-rated for landlords registering early in the rollout period so those signing up first do not pay more than those registering later.

Yes. A landlord not registered on the PRS Database cannot serve a valid Section 8 notice - now the only legal route to possession following the permanent abolition of Section 21 under the Renters' Rights Act 2025. This makes PRS Database registration essential for every actively letting landlord in England.

Yes. The PRS Database opens for all regions from 15 December 2026 and you can register before your regional deadline if you wish. This is particularly useful for landlords with properties in multiple regions who want to complete all PRS Database registrations at the same time.

If the PRS Database finds an F or G EPC rating for your property, you must declare this and confirm whether a valid MEES exemption is registered on the PRS Exemptions Register. F and G rated properties cannot be legally let without a registered exemption. Declaring an F or G rating on the PRS Database without a valid exemption means declaring non-compliance directly to the government - local councils have direct PRS Database access and enforcement budgets to act on exactly this. Maximum fine: £40,000.

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On this page
  1. What is the PRS Database?
  2. Regional Deadlines
  3. What It Checks About Your EPC
  4. The Three EPC Scenarios
  5. Why Enforcement Changes
  6. The 2029 Opportunity
  7. Check Your EPC
  8. How We Help
  9. FAQ

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