Do I need to register my rental property? What Shipley landlords need to know

By Sean Moore, Director, Hunters Bingley & Shipley

Yes, if you let a home in England on an assured tenancy, which covers most private lets. The government’s new “Register your rental property” service opens on 15 December 2026. For homes in Shipley and Saltaire, you’ll need to register between 15 April and 14 July 2027, and it costs £65 per property per year.

The government published its guidance for letting agents on 29 October, so I’ve spent a happy afternoon with it (and a spreadsheet, obviously). Here’s what it means for you, and what I’d sort out over the winter.

What is the register?

The Renters’ Rights Act 2025 set up a national register of private landlords and the homes they let. Officially it’s the private rented sector database, or PRS database, but the service you’ll use is called “Register your rental property”.

For the council, it’s a way to see who lets what and whether the paperwork’s in order. Later on, tenants will be able to check whether a landlord meets the main legal requirements before they sign.

When do I need to do it?

It goes by where the property is, not where you live. A flat in Shipley follows the Yorkshire and the Humber dates, even if you’ve since moved to Manchester.

• The rules start applying here on 15 April 2027.

• The deadline to register is 14 July 2027.

• After that, the council can start enforcing it.

The West Midlands go first, on 15 December 2026, and anyone can register early from that date. The fee is pro-rated during the rollout, so getting in early shouldn’t cost you more.

For now, you only need to register homes that are let, or become let during the rollout. Empty properties can wait. Later, you’ll need to register a home before it’s advertised, and the registration numbers will have to go on the advert.

What does it cost?

£65 per property, every year. Four rentals means £260 a year. And if you’ve several homes, you’ll register them one at a time, because there’s no bulk upload.

As a landlord myself, I’ll be paying it too, and yes, it already has its own row in my spreadsheet, next to the insurance and the gas safety check.

What will I need to have ready?

A GOV.UK One Login, plus your name, date of birth, address, phone number and email. Then, for each home:

• the address, the type of property and the number of bedrooms

• how many people live there, and how many households

• whether it’s furnished, part furnished or unfurnished

• any HMO, additional or selective licence numbers

• the rent, how often it’s paid, and whether any bills are included

You’ll also upload your certificates: the gas safety record if there’s gas, the electrical safety report (the EICR), and the EPC if you had to give one to your current tenant. If the EPC rating is below the legal minimum, you’ll need to say whether you have a registered exemption.

When we take on a new landlord, the forms are rarely the problem. It’s the electrical report that’s either out of date or in a drawer somewhere.

“The most common issue I see with self-managing landlords is how much time accurate record keeping takes,” says Alex Harrison, our lettings manager. “They get the certificate done the first time, but don’t realise how long it can take to renew it with a tenant in the property. So the new certificate is often done after the old one has expired, and gaps in the certificate history can be a risk.”

Joint owners and landlords abroad

If you own a rental with someone else, each of you has to register as a landlord. Then one of you registers the property and invites the others to join that registration. So a couple who own a house in Saltaire together need two landlord registrations and one property registration. That includes a partowner who isn’t named on the tenancy agreement. I think this is the one people will miss, so agree now who’s doing what.

If you live abroad, you’ll give your overseas home address when you register as a landlord. Each property also needs a correspondence address in England or Wales, and it can’t be a PO box. Sort that out before you start.

One more thing: data protection

This isn’t part of the register, but it often gets missed. If you keep your tenants’ details on a computer or phone, you’ll probably need to register with the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) and pay its yearly data protection fee. The ICO has a short online checker that tells you whether you need to.

If you’d rather register your homes yourself and want us to send you your tenancy details, we’ll ask to see your ICO registration first.

The 28-day rule

If I had a red pen, this is the bit I’d circle. You can start a property’s registration before you’ve got everything together, but the rest has to be in within 28 days. If it isn’t, the registration can be deactivated, and if the home is let, you could be in breach of the rules.

The same 28 days applies whenever something changes: a new tenant, a rent increase, a renewed gas certificate.

I use a letting agent. Can you do it for me?

Partly. Under the government’s guidance for agents, you register yourself, start each property’s registration and pay the fee. You can then nominate your agent by giving their email address. The government sends the agent a link for that property, and they can fill in the licensing, occupancy, furnishing and rent details and upload the gas, electrical and EPC certificates.

You’ll get a notification whenever your agent adds something, but you’re still responsible for making sure the record is complete within 28 days, so it’s worth agreeing in writing who does what.

If we manage your property and you’d rather we handled the upload, we can.

“If landlords want our help to upload the information to the database, we’ll be happy to do so,” says Alex. “That includes uploading all certificates, rent information and details of any licences. We’ll upload new certificates as they come in, and update the rent and tenant details during the year as anything changes.”

It’s an optional extra rather than part of standard management, since you can do it yourself: £180 plus VAT in the first year, then £90 plus VAT a year after that. You’d still start the registration and pay the government’s £65 fee yourself.

What should I do this winter?

1. Check your gas safety record, EICR and EPC are in date, and get digital copies of each.

2. Write down the rent, the number of people living there and any licence numbers for each home.

3. Set up a GOV.UK One Login if you haven’t got one.

4. Put 15 April 2027 in your diary.

5. If you use an agent, ask them now what they’ll do for you.

And if you manage your own lets, Alex has one more piece of advice:

“Make sure you have all your certificate dates logged, and make a note to start renewing them around four weeks before they’re due. If you haven’t already, keep all your information in one place where it’s easy to find, and make use of your diary!”

How we can help

If you’d like a second pair of eyes before next spring, Alex, our lettings manager, has 13 years in lettings and is a member of Propertymark, and she and the lettings team are offering a free compliance check. We’ll go through everything you need to have in place as a landlord, including the changes from the Renters’ Rights Act and what you’ll need ready for the register. To book, call the Shipley team on 01274 594040 or email [email protected].

Where this comes from: the government’s guidance for landlords and guidance for letting agents, checked 2 November 2026. This is a general guide, not legal advice, and the rules may change before registration opens.