Private renters will benefit from stronger protections, greater transparency and more confidence in the homes they rent under the next phase of the government’s Renters’ Rights Act reforms. 

Through a new national landlord registration service and a clearer route to challenge rent increases in England, renters will be able to make more informed choices about where they live and resolve disputes with their landlord more efficiently. 

Gradually rolling out region by region from December, the new registration service will give councils access to information to help them spot rogue landlords and take quicker action.  

In the future, prospective landlords will also need to register, and tenants will be able to see whether their landlord or prospective landlord has signed up – giving renters more confidence that a landlord is genuine and following the rules.  

This will create a fairer market for landlords, helping good ones demonstrate their strong standards, while stopping rogue ones from undercutting them. 

In addition, HM Revenue and Customs’ (HMRC’s) Valuation Office will become responsible for decisions on challenges to rent increases in England, helping people resolve rent disputes more quickly.  While the government develops these reforms, renters who want to challenge a rent increase must still apply to the First-tier Tribunal. If they do, they will not have to pay the higher rent until the Tribunal has made its final decision.

Housing Minister Matthew Pennycook said:  

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.

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.

James Murray, Financial Secretary to the Treasury and Paymaster General, said:  

The future rent determination service will build on the expertise of HMRC’s Valuation Office in supporting the rental sector, ensuring tenants can exercise their rights quickly and effectively.    

This is an important step towards helping to deliver a modern, digital-first service that works for both tenants and landlords, creating a system that is transparent, accountable and fair.  

Minister for Courts and Legal Services, Sarah Sackman said:   

I am on a mission to continue to modernise our courts and tribunals – from digital improvements to better efficiency – so those using the system can get justice sooner.”  

This change is another step in that plan. By ensuring rental disputes can be resolved through a new dedicated service, this will provide quicker decisions for renters and landlords while relieving future pressure on tribunals.

What landlords need to know  

• Landlords in each region across England will be gradually asked to sign up to the new, straightforward register your rental property service. It will be a legal requirement and risks a fine if not completed.
• These requirements initially only apply to landlords with properties under let, or which become occupied during rollout. Under future legislation, as we roll out the public interface, landlords will also be required to register any unoccupied properties before marketing them for let. Letting agents and landlords will need to include registration numbers on adverts.
• It will launch on 15 December 2026, starting in the West Midlands and onto other areas over 12 months.
• When an area is called forward to register, landlords with properties in the region will have a three-month period to sign up.  All landlords actively letting property will need to have registered by 14 November 2027.