The landlord database: what it means in Leeds and York
You will read that landlord registration starts on 15 December 2026. That date is the West Midlands. If your property is in Leeds or York, yours is 15 April 2027, and your deadline is 14 July 2027.
The rollout is regional, one region a month
Every private landlord in England will have to register each rented property on a government database, and pay an annual fee to keep it there. It is not optional and it does not replace licensing — it sits on top of it.
The registration service opens region by region. These are the published dates. The first column is when registration opens in that region; the second is the date by which properties there must be registered.
West Midlands
East of England
East Midlands
South East
Yorkshire and Humber
North West
North East
London
South West
Registration follows the property, not the landlord. If you live in York and own a house in Birmingham, that house registers in December 2026 on the West Midlands timetable, not in April 2027 on yours.
What it costs and what you have to provide
The fee is £65 per property per year, renewed annually.
For each property you register your own details, the property address and type, the number of bedrooms and how it is occupied, the tenancy and the rent, and your safety documents — gas safety record, electrical installation condition report and EPC.
Certificates have to be kept current on the register. A gas safety record has to be uploaded within 28 days to keep the property registered.
What happens if you do not register
Two things, and the second is the one that matters.
Councils can issue a civil penalty of up to £7,000 for a single breach — failing to register, failing to keep an entry up to date, or marketing a property without its registration number. For a continuing breach, or for giving false or misleading information, that rises to £40,000.
And if you are not registered, you cannot get a possession order. Section 8 is closed to you, with the only exceptions being the anti-social behaviour grounds. A landlord who has not registered and needs their property back has no route to it.
July 2027 is an awkward deadline if you let to students
Student houses in Leeds and York change over in the summer. The Yorkshire registration deadline is 14 July 2027, which lands in the middle of it — the same weeks you are checking tenants out, turning houses round and checking new ones in.
Register before the summer rather than during it. The service opens on 15 April and there is no advantage in waiting.
What has already changed
The database is the next step, not the first one. Since 1 May 2026 fixed terms have gone and all assured tenancies are periodic, Section 21 has been abolished, rent can be increased only once a year and only through the revised Section 13 notice with two months' warning, rent in advance is capped at one month, rental bidding is banned, and you cannot refuse a tenant because they have children or claim benefits. Pet requests have to be answered within 28 days with a reason if you say no.
A landlord ombudsman is expected after the database, but not before 2028.
What we do about it
For the properties we manage, registration is our job, not yours. We hold the certificates, we know the occupancy, and we will register each property and keep the entries current as certificates are renewed.
If you manage your own and want a hand working out what you need before April, ask us. We will tell you where you stand at no charge.
Ask about your propertyThis is a guide, not legal advice. The dates above are the government's published rollout schedule and could change. Always check your own position before you rely on it.
Rollout dates and fees checked 11 September 2026.