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Landlord database checker: when to register and what to upload
England's new landlord database opens on 15 December 2026, region by region. Pick your region, tick what you already have, and get your dates and a list of what to gather before your window closes. Free, no sign-up, nothing stored.
Is your home ready to register?
Essex landlords: your window is 15 January to 14 April 2027
Every private landlord in England will need an entry for themselves and for each home they let, as part of the Renters' Rights Act. Essex is in the East of England. Registration itself opens for every region on 15 December 2026, so you can register early.
You register on GOV.UK and pay the government's fee there. Letting agents cannot register for a landlord. A home can be entered before every detail is ready, but everything must be added within 28 days.
Dates and the fee come from the 2026 regulations as reported by the NRLA and Goodlord. Confirm them on GOV.UK when you register.
Messages about the database: five warning signs
The only place to register is GOV.UK, and the only fee is the one you pay there. Be wary of any email, text, call or letter that:
- asks you to pay by phone, bank transfer or gift card, or to pay anyone other than GOV.UK;
- links to a page whose address does not end in .gov.uk;
- offers to fast-track, pre-register or secure your place for a fee;
- says you have already been fined, or will be within days, before your region's window has even opened;
- asks for your GOV.UK sign-in password, security codes or bank details.
Nobody from the government will phone you to take a payment. If in doubt, close the message and type gov.uk into your browser yourself. Forward suspicious emails to report@phishing.gov.uk, forward texts to 7726 (free) and report fraud to Action Fraud on 0300 123 2040. This page never says a message is genuine; it only lists the signs of a false one.
What you will need to upload or enter to register your rental property
About you. An individual gives their name, date of birth, home address, phone number and email. A company, charity or trust gives its name, legal type, address, phone and email, its Companies House or charity number (or its directors or trustees), the person making the entry and a nominated contact.
About each home. Address, the landlord's name and an address for notices, ownership type, freeholder or property manager details, the type of home, bedrooms, and whether it is let now.
The tenancy. Rent, how often it is paid, whether bills are included, how many people and households live there, whether it is an HMO and whether a licence is needed and held, and whether it is furnished.
Safety. The gas safety record and its date, the electrical report and its expiry, the latest EPC and whether the tenant has it, and any registered energy-efficiency exemption.
Source: the Private Rented Sector Database Regulations 2026. Changes to any detail must be recorded within 28 days.
Database ready
Want it checked before you register?
SYND goes through the list above with you, checks each certificate and date, and prepares the entry so you can register on GOV.UK in one sitting. You register and pay the government's fee yourself.
Database ready costs £99 for the first home and £35 for each additional home. It is included in full management. Buy it, then sign up for full management within three months, and the first-home fee comes off your first SYND fee.
Sign-up credits (one per landlord): the £400 upgrade credit, the £49 Renters' Rights credit and the £99 Database ready credit do not stack. Each landlord gets one sign-up credit, and the largest one that applies is used. A credit never takes a month's fee below £0 and is never paid as cash.
SYND Properties is a trading name of SYND LTD, a member of Property Redress (no. PRS044043). No VAT is charged because SYND LTD is not VAT registered. Full fees on our fees page.
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Questions
The landlord database, answered
When do Essex landlords have to register?
Essex is in the East of England. Registration opens for everyone on 15 December 2026; the East of England requirement starts on 15 January 2027 and every home there must be entered by 14 April 2027. The checker above shows the dates for any other region.
Do I have to register if I only let one home?
Yes. Every private landlord in England who lets a home needs a landlord entry and a dwelling entry for each home, once their region's requirement starts. Registration opens for every region on 15 December 2026, so you do not have to wait for your window.
Can my letting agent register for me?
No. The regulations require the landlord to make the entry, with a few exceptions such as an attorney or the personal representative of a landlord who has died. An agent can help you gather and check the information first, which is what SYND's Database ready service does.
What if I have homes in two regions?
Each home follows the window for the region it is in, not where you live. You can enter all of them from 15 December 2026.
What does registration cost?
The fee is reported as £65 a year for each home, paid to the government when you register and renewed on the anniversary of your first entry. The NRLA says it should be an allowable expense against rental profit. Confirm the figure on GOV.UK when you register.
What happens if I do not register?
Once your region's requirement is in force, a court cannot grant a possession order while you lack active landlord and dwelling entries, except in anti-social behaviour cases. Councils will be able to issue civil penalties, rising for continued breaches, and tenants may be able to apply for a rent repayment order. The NRLA notes that further legislation is needed before councils can use these powers.
Does the database replace my council's licensing scheme?
No. HMO, additional and selective licensing continue, and the database asks whether a licence is needed and held. Check your council's licensing page as well.
Facts on this page checked on 12 October 2026 against the GOV.UK guide to the Renters' Rights Act, the 2026 regulations and the NRLA and Goodlord summaries of them. England only. General information, not legal advice.