For the first time ever, England is going to keep a single list of who lets property and where. Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland have had one for years. Now it's our turn, and it comes with a fee, a deadline and a lot of paperwork.
So what's happening?
The new Private Rented Sector Database, better known as the landlord register, opens in the West Midlands on 15 December 2026. Other English regions follow in stages until August 2027, according to Property Reporter (16 October). Landlords will have three months to register once their region opens, and the fee is £65 a year per property.
To register, you'll need each property's gas safety record, electrical safety report and EPC. Property Reporter's guest piece from Logan Ransley of Landlord Studio (12 October) makes the point that this is where many landlords will discover something missing or out of date. That gas certificate buried in an old email. The electrical report that quietly expired last spring.
And there's teeth. Tenants will be able to check whether their landlord is registered, and once the rules are fully in force a tenant renting from an unregistered landlord can apply to get back up to 24 months' rent. Two years' rent. That should focus a few minds.
Councils are also being funded to enforce the Renters' Rights Act. Ransley's FOI request found Newham's funding more than doubled in a year, from around £169,000 in 2025/26 to more than £364,000 in 2026/27, even though Newham landlords won't have to register until next summer.
It all lands in a busy year. Making Tax Digital started in April for landlords with qualifying income over £50,000, most of the Renters' Rights Act came into force in May, and Property Reporter (12 October) noted only 35% of landlords can name their own MTD start date. TwentyCi found around 560 rental properties a day were sold in Q3 2026, up from around 500 a day a year earlier and fewer than 170 in 2020.
But what does it mean for Clapham, Brixton and surrounds?
Our patch straddles Lambeth, Wandsworth and Southwark, with Streatham and Brixton in Lambeth, Battersea in Wandsworth and Dulwich mostly in Southwark. If Newham's "next summer" is a guide, London landlords probably have a few months yet. Registration for Lambeth, Wandsworth and Southwark landlords is expected in 2027.
Bear in mind that your deadline depends on where the property is, not where you live. If you live in Dulwich but own a flat in Birmingham, you could be registering that one first, from 15 December.
Think about who lets in our area. Accidental landlords who kept a flat in Clapham Old Town when they moved out to start a family. Long-term investors with a few conversions off Streatham Hill. Owners of new-build flats around Battersea Power Station. The professional, fully managed landlord will barely notice. It's the one-flat, do-it-yourself landlord who is most likely to be caught out.
Quick numbercrunch for a landlord with three flats:
- Registration: 3 x £65 = £195 a year
- Risk of not registering: up to 24 months' rent per tenancy
Not a hard choice.
Who wins and who loses?
- Good landlords. Mostly fine. As Dirk Dette of Campions Group put it via Property Reporter, the information requested largely relates to obligations landlords should already be meeting. The difference is that gaps become visible.
- Disorganised landlords. Expired certificates and missing paperwork will show up quickly.
- Rogue landlords. That's the theory, anyway. Veco's chief executive Richard Murray asks the obvious question: will those determined to operate outside the rules simply choose not to register?
- Tenants. A public way to check their landlord is legitimate, and a powerful remedy if not.
My take
I'll be honest, I share Veco's scepticism. The compliant majority will dutifully pay their £65 and upload their certificates, while the cowboys at the bottom of the market carry on as before unless councils have the people and the will to chase them. The Newham funding figures suggest the money is starting to arrive. Whether that becomes enforcement on the ground in Lambeth and Wandsworth is another matter.
That said, I'm not going to pretend this is a disaster. Another layer of admin, yes. Another £65 per property, yes. But for good landlords it's a chance to prove they do things properly, and in a market where tenants have more choice than ever, being visibly compliant could become part of what you're selling.
Practical steps for now, borrowing Ransley's three-step plan: check which region each of your properties sits in; pull all certificates, expiry dates and tenancy agreements into one place per property; and start logging rent, costs and tenant messages as they happen rather than at year end. An hour a month beats a lost week when the council or HMRC comes knocking.
In summary
So there you have it. The register opens on 15 December, costs £65 a year per property, and the penalty for ignoring it could be two years' rent. London's turn looks like 2027, but the paperwork you'll need is paperwork you should already have.
Are you a landlord in Clapham, Brixton or Streatham, and is your certificate folder in order, or more of a shoebox? I'd genuinely like to hear how it's playing out on your street. Drop me a line at jeroen@claphampropertyblog.com or call 07837 093554.
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07837 093 554
Sources: Property Reporter (12 and 16 October 2026), Landlord Studio, Veco, Campions Group, TwentyCi.
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