Landlords will have to register on national database from this year under Renters' Rights Act

Landlords will have to register on a national database starting from December this year, the Government has announced.The mandatory database which landlords will need to sign up to is part of the Renters' Rights Act, which came into force on 1 May this year. It will require every landlord in England to register with their local authority and list details of every property they let. The aim is to give councils and renters a single source of information about who owns and manages each property.Landlords who fail to register will be unable to legally let their properties and face fines for not doing so.The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government confirmed the register will launch on 15 December this year, starting in the West Midlands. New rules: Landlords in each region across England will be gradually asked to sign up and register all their rental propertiesIt will then be gradually rolled out region by region, with the final part completed in mid-November 2027.Housing minister Matthew Pennycook said: 'The rollout of a national landlord registration service is an important first step toward establishing our new innovative database of private rented sector properties which will empower tenants, support responsible landlords and help councils enforce our transformative Renters’ Rights Act.'The MHCLG said it will initially only apply to landlords with properties that are let, and not empty ones. But under future legislation, landlords will also be required to register any unoccupied properties before marketing them for let and letting agents and landlords will need to include registration numbers on adverts. When an area is called forward to register, landlords with properties in the region will have a three-month period in which to sign up. All landlords actively letting property will need to have registered by 14 November 2027. Ben Beadle, chief executive of the National Residential Landlords Association said he is concerned the private rented sector database will be little more than a list of all the landlords in a local area. He said: 'Rather than just a list of local landlords, the database should be a genuine compliance tool that helps tenants and councils check that homes meet required standards, while enabling responsible landlords to demonstrate that they are meeting their obligations.'Instead of simply requiring landlords to upload documents, the database should make intelligent use of existing data to verify compliance and ownership.'In rushing to launch a stripped-back minimum viable product, the Government risks building the database quickly rather than building it properly.'Beadle also fears there is also a real risk of duplication with local licensing schemes. 'In many parts of the country landlords already pay for local licensing schemes which collect much of the same information,' he added.'The Government needs to explain how these systems will work together – compliant landlords should not have to pay twice to provide the same information.'Clara Collingwood, director at the Renters' Reform Coalition said that once set up, the landlord database would be the cornerstone of the Renters' Rights Act. She said: 'Without it, renters would be in the dark about who we rent from, and councils would struggle to protect our new rights and crack down on landlords breaking the law. 'While the government has now set out a timeline for rolling out the landlord side of the database, we still need to know when the public-facing renters' side of the database will be complete. 'This needs to be a publicly available tool that tenants can use to make sure their rights aren't being ignored, and to help drive awareness among tenants and landlords alike of the new requirements for landlords.'Update on challenging rent increases The Housing Ministry's announcement also gave some details of how tenants can use their new powers to challenge rent increases.It said that HMRC's Valuation Office Agency will be made responsible for this process and that legislation will be brought forward for it 'when Parliamentary time allows.'Under the new act landlords are limited to only one rent increase a year and at a level that matches the going market rate.Tenants are able to appeal excessive above-market rents, which are purely designed to force them out and can challenge their rent at a tribunal within six months of moving in to a property.Pennycook added: 'By transferring responsibility for making initial rent determinations to HMRC’s Valuation Office, we will ensure that challenges to proposed rent increases are determined faster and pressure on the tribunal system is reduced, giving tenants and landlords confidence that rent disputes will continue to be resolved efficiently and effectively.'Best mortgage rates and how to find them Mortgage rates have shot up again due to inflation triggered by the conflict with Iran reversing hopes that the Bank of England would cut rates. 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