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The new landlord database is coming to the West Midlands first — here’s what Wolverhampton landlords need to know

The new landlord database is coming to the West Midlands first — here’s what Wolverhampton landlords need to know

If you let property in Wolverhampton, Walsall, or anywhere else in the West Midlands, there’s a new compliance date to put in the diary: 15 December 2026. That’s when the government’s new landlord register — officially called the ‘Register your rental property’ service — goes live in our region first, ahead of the rest of the country.

This is part of the second phase of the Renters’ Rights Act, and it’s a significant one. Here’s what it means in practice, and what we’d suggest doing now rather than waiting until the deadline is looming.

What is the PRS Database?

Better known to most as the PRS Database, the ‘Register your rental property’ service is a new national register for landlords and their properties in England. If you have an assured or regulated tenancy, you’ll need to register yourself and every rental property you own on it, and keep that information up to date every year.

The idea behind it is straightforward enough: it gives tenants, councils and the government one place to check that a landlord and their property are meeting their legal obligations. For landlords who already run things properly, it’s another way to demonstrate that — and it should, over time, make it easier to distinguish compliant landlords from those cutting corners.

Why the West Midlands is going first

The rollout isn’t happening all at once. It’s being staged region by region to avoid the whole system grinding to a halt on day one, and the West Midlands has been chosen as the first area to go live from 15 December 2026.

Once your region’s start date arrives, you’ll have a three-month window to get registered before local councils can begin enforcement action. For West Midlands landlords, that means:

  • Registration opens: 15 December 2026
  • Deadline to register: 14 March 2027

 

One detail worth flagging: it’s the property’s location that determines your deadline, not where you personally live. So if you live outside the region but own a rental property in Wolverhampton or Walsall, you’ll still need to register against the West Midlands date.

If you own properties in more than one region, you don’t have to wait for each area’s date to come round — you can register everything from 15 December onwards, all in one go.

What you'll need to provide

For each property, you’ll be asked for:

  • The address, property type, and number of bedrooms
  • Whether it’s currently let, and how many people and households live there
  • The rent charged, and whether that includes any utilities
  • Whether the property needs an HMO, additional, or selective licence
  • Copies of your gas safety record, EICR (or EIC), and EPC, along with the relevant dates
  • Your own details as landlord — name, date of birth, address, phone number and email (organisational landlords will need a bit more, including company or charity details)

 

There’s an annual fee of £65 per property, renewable each year.

If you use a letting agent

This is the bit that catches people out: even if Fleming Lettings manages your property day-to-day, you as the landlord are still responsible for starting the registration yourself. What you can do is authorise your agent to upload certain information on your behalf — the government is publishing separate guidance for agents on exactly how this will work ahead of launch, and we’ll be keeping a close eye on it so we can support our landlords through the process.

What happens if you don't register

Once your deadline passes, councils will be able to take enforcement action. Beyond that, letting or advertising an unregistered property can affect your ability to rely on certain possession grounds later down the line — so it’s not something worth leaving to the last minute, particularly with the West Midlands leading the way on timing.

What we'd suggest doing now

  • Make a list of your properties and check you have current gas, electrical and EPC certificates for each
  • Note the 15 December 2026 start date and the 14 March 2027 deadline
  • If we manage your property, get in touch so we can talk through what we’ll need from you and what we can help with once agent guidance is published

The database itself isn’t something to worry about if your paperwork is already in order — it’s simply making that visible. For landlords who’ve been doing things properly all along, this should be a formality rather than a headache.

Need help or advice? Get in touch with us.

The new landlord database is coming to the West Midlands first — here’s what Wolverhampton landlords need to know

If you let property in Wolverhampton, Walsall, or anywhere else in the West Midlands, there’s a new compliance date to put in the diary: 15 December 2026. That’s when the government’s new landlord register — officially called the ‘Register your rental property’ service — goes live in our region first, ahead of the rest of the country.

This is part of the second phase of the Renters’ Rights Act, and it’s a significant one. Here’s what it means in practice, and what we’d suggest doing now rather than waiting until the deadline is looming.

What is the PRS Database?

Better known to most as the PRS Database, the ‘Register your rental property’ service is a new national register for landlords and their properties in England. If you have an assured or regulated tenancy, you’ll need to register yourself and every rental property you own on it, and keep that information up to date every year.

The idea behind it is straightforward enough: it gives tenants, councils and the government one place to check that a landlord and their property are meeting their legal obligations. For landlords who already run things properly, it’s another way to demonstrate that — and it should, over time, make it easier to distinguish compliant landlords from those cutting corners.

Why the West Midlands is going first

The rollout isn’t happening all at once. It’s being staged region by region to avoid the whole system grinding to a halt on day one, and the West Midlands has been chosen as the first area to go live from 15 December 2026.

Once your region’s start date arrives, you’ll have a three-month window to get registered before local councils can begin enforcement action. For West Midlands landlords, that means:

  • Registration opens: 15 December 2026
  • Deadline to register: 14 March 2027

 

One detail worth flagging: it’s the property’s location that determines your deadline, not where you personally live. So if you live outside the region but own a rental property in Wolverhampton or Walsall, you’ll still need to register against the West Midlands date.

If you own properties in more than one region, you don’t have to wait for each area’s date to come round — you can register everything from 15 December onwards, all in one go.

What you'll need to provide

For each property, you’ll be asked for:

  • The address, property type, and number of bedrooms
  • Whether it’s currently let, and how many people and households live there
  • The rent charged, and whether that includes any utilities
  • Whether the property needs an HMO, additional, or selective licence
  • Copies of your gas safety record, EICR (or EIC), and EPC, along with the relevant dates
  • Your own details as landlord — name, date of birth, address, phone number and email (organisational landlords will need a bit more, including company or charity details)

 

There’s an annual fee of £65 per property, renewable each year.

If you use a letting agent

This is the bit that catches people out: even if Fleming Lettings manages your property day-to-day, you as the landlord are still responsible for starting the registration yourself. What you can do is authorise your agent to upload certain information on your behalf — the government is publishing separate guidance for agents on exactly how this will work ahead of launch, and we’ll be keeping a close eye on it so we can support our landlords through the process.

What happens if you don't register

Once your deadline passes, councils will be able to take enforcement action. Beyond that, letting or advertising an unregistered property can affect your ability to rely on certain possession grounds later down the line — so it’s not something worth leaving to the last minute, particularly with the West Midlands leading the way on timing.

What we'd suggest doing now

  • Make a list of your properties and check you have current gas, electrical and EPC certificates for each
  • Note the 15 December 2026 start date and the 14 March 2027 deadline
  • If we manage your property, get in touch so we can talk through what we’ll need from you and what we can help with once agent guidance is published

The database itself isn’t something to worry about if your paperwork is already in order — it’s simply making that visible. For landlords who’ve been doing things properly all along, this should be a formality rather than a headache.

Need help or advice? Get in touch with us.

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