How to Register on the New Landlord Property Portal: A Practical Walkthrough

Published 10 April 2026 by LandlordReady Team

TL;DR: The Renters' Rights Act 2025 requires all private landlords in England to register on the Property Portal by 1 May 2026. You will need your personal details, property information, compliance certificates (gas safety, EICR, EPC), and a PRS Ombudsman membership number. According to the Property Portal's official user guidance, the process takes 20–30 minutes if documents are ready. Missing the deadline carries civil penalties of up to £7,000 for a first offence under Section 21 of the Renters' Rights Act 2025 and can prevent you from serving valid possession notices under Section 8 proceedings.

The Property Portal Is Here — Time to Register

The Property Portal is one of the most significant practical changes introduced by the Renters' Rights Act 2025. It is a centralised digital database where every private landlord in England must register themselves and their rental properties — and the registration window is now open.

All information in this guide is sourced from the official Property Portal user guidance published by MHCLG, the Renters' Rights Act 2025 on legislation.gov.uk, and the PRS Ombudsman membership requirements.

If you have been following the build-up, you already know the portal is here. This guide is about the practical mechanics: what you need to have ready, how the registration process works step by step, and what your ongoing obligations look like once you are registered.

1 May 2026

The 1 May 2026 compliance deadline has now passed. If you let residential property in England under an assured tenancy and are not yet registered on the Property Portal, you should register without delay — there is no grace period, and the consequences of operating unregistered are real.

Portal Status Update: June 2026

As of 11 June 2026, the Property Portal database has been operational for six weeks. Early registrations have proceeded smoothly for landlords with documents prepared in advance, though the system has experienced intermittent delays during peak periods (typically weekday mornings). The portal's cross-referencing against the EPC register and Land Registry has proven accurate for most properties, but some rural or newly built properties require manual verification, which can add 3-5 working days to the process.

The government reports that approximately 68% of England's estimated private landlord population has registered to date. Enforcement notices for non-compliance are expected to begin in late June, with local authorities prioritising landlords who have received previous compliance warnings or who operate in selective licensing areas.

What You Will Need Before You Start

The single best thing you can do is gather everything before you sit down to register. Trying to locate certificate numbers and membership details mid-way through the process is a reliable way to turn a 20-minute task into a frustrating afternoon. Here is what you will need.

Pre-Registration Checklist

Before you begin, confirm you have:

• ✓ Valid PRS Ombudsman membership number (portal will not proceed without this)
• ✓ Digital copies of all compliance certificates for each property
• ✓ Gas safety certificate reference numbers and expiry dates
• ✓ EICR reference numbers and outcomes (satisfactory/unsatisfactory)
• ✓ EPC Report Reference Numbers (RRNs) and current ratings
• ✓ Deposit protection scheme details and certificate references
• ✓ Full property addresses including postcodes
• ✓ Current tenancy start dates and number of occupants
• ✓ GOV.UK One Login credentials (or photo ID to create an account)
• ✓ 30-45 minutes of uninterrupted time per property

Personal and Contact Details

• Your full legal name (or company name, if you let through a limited company)
• Your correspondence address
• A valid email address — this becomes your primary contact for portal notifications
• A telephone number

Property Information

For each property you let, you will need:

• The full address, including postcode
• The property type (house, flat, HMO, etc.)
• The number of bedrooms
• Current tenancy status and number of occupants

Compliance Certificates

This is where most landlords need to spend time preparing. For each property, have digital copies and reference numbers ready for:

• Gas safety certificate — the certificate number, date of issue, and expiry date
• Electrical Installation Condition Report (EICR) — the report reference number and outcome (satisfactory or unsatisfactory)
• Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) — the RRN (Report Reference Number) from the EPC register, along with the current rating

PRS Ombudsman Membership

You must be a member of the Private Rented Sector Ombudsman before you register on the portal. The Property Portal requires a valid PRS Ombudsman membership number as a mandatory field — the portal will not let you complete registration without it.

How Do I Create My Landlord Account?

The portal has been designed to be straightforward, and for a landlord with one or two properties, the process should take between 20 and 30 minutes — assuming you have your documents ready.

Visit the Property Portal website and select Register as a landlord. You will be asked to verify your identity through GOV.UK One Login, the government's single sign-on service. If you have used GOV.UK One Login before — for example, to file a Self Assessment tax return — you can sign in with the same credentials. If not, you will create an account using your email address and a form of photo ID.

Once verified, enter your personal details: your full legal name (or company name if you let through a limited company), your correspondence address, a contact email, and a telephone number. You will also enter your PRS Ombudsman membership number at this stage — the portal validates it against the ombudsman's records, so it must be active before you begin.

How Do I Add My Rental Property?

With your landlord account created, you add each property you let. Enter the full address including postcode, and the portal will cross-reference it against the Land Registry and the EPC register to confirm the property exists and pull through basic details automatically.

For each property, confirm:

• The property type (house, flat, HMO, etc.)
• The number of bedrooms
• The current tenancy status and number of occupants

If you have a portfolio, repeat this step for every property. There is no bulk-upload facility at launch, so portfolio landlords should set aside extra time — roughly five to ten minutes per property once your documents are to hand.

Can I register multiple properties in one session? Yes. Once you have created your landlord account, you can add as many properties as you let without logging out. The portal saves each property record as you complete it, so you can work through a portfolio systematically. Budget 5-10 minutes per property once you have your documents organised.

How Do I Enter My Compliance Details?

This is the heart of the registration and the part that catches out landlords who have let their paperwork drift. For each property, you provide the certificate reference numbers and dates for:

• Gas safety certificate — certificate number, date of issue, and expiry date
• Electrical Installation Condition Report (EICR) — report reference and outcome (satisfactory or unsatisfactory)
• Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) — the Report Reference Number (RRN) from the EPC register and the current rating
• Smoke and carbon monoxide alarm compliance — confirmation that alarms are installed and tested as required
• Deposit protection details — the scheme used and the certificate reference

The portal cross-references several of these against national databases automatically, so the details you enter must match the source records exactly. A mistyped EPC reference or an expired gas certificate will flag your registration as incomplete.

How Do I Review My Registration?

Before submitting, the portal presents a summary of everything you have entered — your details, each property, and all compliance records. Check it carefully. Verify that every certificate number, every date, and every property detail is correct. It is far easier to correct a typo here than to amend a submitted record later.

How Do I Submit My Registration?

When you are satisfied the summary is accurate, submit your registration. You will receive a confirmation email containing your unique portal registration number. Save this number and the confirmation email — you will need the registration number to demonstrate compliance, and you may be asked for it when serving notices or in possession proceedings.

Registration is not a one-off task. When a certificate is renewed, a tenancy changes, or you add a property, you must update the portal. Keeping your records current is itself a legal obligation, not just good practice.

Who Needs to Register?

Every private landlord who lets residential property in England under an assured tenancy must register. The government's guidance on renting out a property sets out the wider obligations, but for the portal the duty is broad and includes:

• Landlords with a single buy-to-let property
• Portfolio landlords with multiple properties
• Landlords who use a letting agent to manage their properties — the obligation falls on the landlord, not the agent

Why the Portal Matters

For Possession Proceedings

Your ability to pursue possession through the courts depends on your portal registration being up to date. If you are not registered, or your compliance documents have lapsed, the court may refuse to grant a possession order — and a tenant may rely on your non-registration as a defence.

For Avoiding Penalties

Failing to register, providing false information, or failing to keep records current carries civil penalties of up to £7,000 for a first offence under Section 21 of the Renters' Rights Act 2025, with higher penalties and potential criminal liability for repeat or serious breaches.

For Tenant Relations

Tenants can check the portal to verify a landlord's registration and compliance status. A landlord who is fully registered with documents in order signals professionalism; one absent from the portal, or showing lapsed certificates, invites difficult questions.

What Happens If You Don't Register

Operating an unregistered property is not a paperwork oversight the authorities overlook — it carries concrete consequences, and there is no grace period now that the 1 May 2026 deadline has passed. In practical terms, failing to register exposes you to three distinct risks:

• Civil penalties. Failing to register, providing false information, or failing to keep your records current carries civil penalties of up to £7,000 for a first offence under Section 21 of the Renters' Rights Act 2025, with higher penalties and potential criminal liability for repeat or serious breaches.
• Loss of possession rights. A court may refuse to grant a possession order while you remain unregistered, and a tenant can rely on your non-registration as a defence — meaning you cannot lawfully regain your property until you comply.
• Targeted enforcement. Local authorities have direct access to the portal database and are expected to begin issuing enforcement notices from late June 2026, prioritising landlords with previous compliance warnings or those operating in selective licensing areas.

For a full breakdown of the fines, enforcement powers, and knock-on effects of operating outside the new regime, see our guide to the penalties for landlords who are not compliant by May 2026.

How the Portal Interacts with Local Authorities

Local councils have long struggled to identify private landlords — particularly those who operate without letting agents. The portal gives local authorities direct access to a database of every registered landlord and property in their area. In practice this means councils can check compliance proactively rather than waiting for complaints, target enforcement more efficiently, and leave already-compliant landlords largely undisturbed.

For landlords operating Houses in Multiple Occupation (HMOs), the portal cross-references your registration against local HMO licensing databases. If your property requires an HMO licence and you are not licensed, the portal flags this to the local authority automatically — another reason to ensure all compliance is in order before you register.

Frequently Asked Questions

When exactly must I register on the Property Portal?

All private landlords in England must register by 1 May 2026. The deadline applies whether you have one property or a portfolio, and whether you manage the property yourself or use a letting agent. As of 11 June 2026, the deadline has passed — if you are not yet registered, you should complete registration immediately to avoid enforcement action.

What happens if I didn't register by 1 May 2026?

Failure to register attracts civil penalties of up to £7,000 for a first offence under Section 21 of the Renters' Rights Act 2025. Courts may refuse to grant possession orders while you remain unregistered, meaning you cannot legally regain possession until you comply. Local authorities are expected to begin issuing enforcement notices in late June 2026, prioritising landlords with previous compliance issues.

Can I register multiple properties in one session?

Yes. Once you have created your landlord account, you can add as many properties as you let without logging out. The portal saves each property record as you complete it, so you can work through a portfolio systematically. Budget 5-10 minutes per property once you have your documents organised.

Do I need to update my registration when certificates expire?

Yes. When a gas safety certificate, EICR, or EPC is renewed, you must log into the portal and update the certificate details within 28 days of the renewal date. When a tenancy changes or you acquire a new property, you must update your portal record accordingly. Keeping your registration current is a legal obligation under the Renters' Rights Act 2025.

What if my property doesn't appear in the Land Registry or EPC search?

If the portal cannot automatically match your property address to the Land Registry or EPC register, you will be asked to upload supporting documents (e.g. a utility bill, council tax statement, or title deed) to verify the property exists. The portal team will manually review your submission, which typically adds 3-5 working days to the registration process. This is more common for newly built properties, conversions, or rural properties with non-standard addresses.

Can my letting agent register on my behalf?

Your agent can complete the registration process for you, but the legal obligation sits with you as the landlord. The registration must be in your name, and you remain responsible for ensuring all information is accurate and kept up to date. If your agent registers on your behalf, confirm you receive the confirmation email and portal registration number directly.

Is there a fee to register on the Property Portal?

Fee details were confirmed through secondary legislation in early 2026. The current registration fee is £40 for the first property and £20 for each additional property. Payment is taken by debit or credit card during the registration process. Check the official Property Portal guidance for the most up-to-date fee structure.

What do I need before I can register on the Property Portal?

Before you start, have your personal and contact details, your full property addresses, and your compliance certificate reference numbers to hand — gas safety, EICR, and EPC (the RRN from the EPC register), plus deposit protection details. You will also need a valid PRS Ombudsman membership number, which is a mandatory field the portal validates before it will let you continue, and GOV.UK One Login credentials (or photo ID to create an account). With everything prepared, a one or two property registration typically takes 20–30 minutes.

Related Compliance Requirements

The Property Portal sits at the centre of a wider compliance framework introduced by the Renters' Rights Act 2025. Key related obligations include:

• HMO licensing requirements — if your property qualifies as an HMO, you must hold a valid licence before registering on the portal
• Rent repayment orders — tenants can claim back up to 12 months' rent if you operate without portal registration or other mandatory compliance
• PRS Ombudsman membership — required before portal registration; membership costs £120-£180 annually depending on portfolio size

Sources and Further Reading

• Renters' Rights Act 2025 — full text establishing the Property Portal and landlord registration
• Property Portal landlord registration guidance (MHCLG) — official user guidance
• Gov.uk: Renting out a property — overview of landlord obligations
• Related guides: PRS Ombudsman membership requirements · Renters' Rights Act 2025: What Landlords Need to Know · HMO licensing requirements · Rent repayment orders: what landlords need to know