Landlords are being invited to help shape the government’s new private rented sector database by joining a pilot scheme starting this month. The portal, a central plank of the Renters’ Rights Act, will eventually require all landlords and rental properties in England to be registered – and ministers want feedback before it goes live later this year.
The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) is recruiting volunteers to test the system, which has already been trialled in Birmingham, Gateshead and Nottingham. From mid-February, a wider pool of landlords will be able to join and provide feedback on how the database works in practice.
What the landlord database will do
The government has positioned the database as a “one-stop shop” for landlords, providing a single access point for guidance, compliance information and updates on regulatory changes. Officials say it will help landlords understand their obligations and demonstrate they are meeting them.
In practice, landlords will need to complete a three-part registration covering personal details, property information and compliance documentation such as gas safety certificates. Local council enforcement officers will have access to the data, though MHCLG says information submitted during the pilot will not be used for enforcement purposes.
The database is expected to roll out regionally from late 2026, with landlord registration requirements phased in over subsequent months.
Who can take part in the pilot
MHCLG is looking for landlords who fall into several categories:
- Individual or joint landlords
- Landlords living overseas with rental properties in England
- Organisational landlords, including companies, trusts and charities
- Landlords using letting agents to manage properties
- Landlords who need assistance using digital services
- Landlords who cannot use digital services at all
Testing is expected to run for four to six weeks, with feedback collected through surveys at the end of the registration process and again at the close of the pilot.
Industry concerns remain
The National Residential Landlords Association has raised questions about how effective the database will be at tackling rogue or criminal landlords. Ben Beadle, NRLA chief executive, has previously noted that detailed information about exactly what the database will contain has not been forthcoming.
There are also practical concerns about enforcement capacity. Councils already struggle to pursue non-compliant landlords, and adding a registration requirement without matching resources could simply create another administrative burden for those who already operate within the rules.
Landlords interested in participating can email the NRLA, which will pass contact details to the relevant council to support the registration process.
Editor’s view
Databases only work if they are used – and enforcement follows registration. Landlords who volunteer for the pilot have a chance to flag practical problems before the system locks in. Whether that feedback is acted on remains to be seen, but silence guarantees nothing changes.
Author: Editorial Team – UK landlord & buy-to-let news, policy, and finance
Published: 3 February 2026
Sources: NRLA; MHCLG
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