Renters’ Rights Act: Landlords face new registration requirements and a new rent dispute regime

The Government has announced the next phase of implementation of the Renters’ Rights Act, introducing a mandatory national landlord registration scheme and significant changes to the way rent increase challenges will be determined. According to the Government, these measures are intended to improve transparency, strengthen enforcement against rogue landlords and create a faster, more streamlined process for resolving rent disputes.

For landlords, the message is clear: compliance is becoming increasingly visible, increasingly digital and increasingly important.

A new national landlord register

From 15 December 2026, landlords in England will begin to be brought within a new mandatory “Register your rental property” service, with the rollout taking place region by region over a 12-month period. Landlords in each area will be given a three-month window to register once their region is called forward. The Government has stated that all landlords actively letting property must be registered by 14 November 2027. Failure to do so may result in financial penalties.

Initially, the requirement will apply to occupied rental properties. However, the Government has confirmed that future legislation will require landlords to register vacant properties before they are marketed for letting. Registration numbers will also need to be included in property advertisements by landlords and letting agents.

Importantly, tenants will eventually be able to check whether a landlord has registered, creating a public-facing compliance mechanism that is likely to influence letting decisions and landlord reputation. The Government has expressly stated that the scheme is intended to help responsible landlords demonstrate good standards while helping councils identify and take action against rogue operators.

Although the registration scheme will not formally launch until December 2026, it is not being introduced without preparation. The Government has been running a private beta-testing programme throughout 2026, inviting landlords to use an early version of the “Register your rental property” service and provide feedback on the registration process. Testing began in May 2026 and continued over the summer.

Feedback from participants and industry commentators suggests that the Government is aiming for a relatively straightforward digital registration process. Landlords involved in the beta testing reported being asked to create both a landlord record and a property record and to provide information about themselves, their properties and their tenancies. The process appears designed to bring together key compliance and ownership information in a central location.

From a strategic perspective, the beta testing indicates that the Government is serious about delivering a functioning digital system rather than merely creating a statutory register on paper. The fact that landlords have already been testing the platform suggests that the December launch date is more credible than some previous implementation timetables under the Renters’ Rights Act.

A new route for rent increase challenges

The Government has also announced that responsibility for determining challenges to rent increases will move from the First-tier Tribunal to HMRC’s Valuation Office. The stated aim is to provide faster decisions and reduce pressure on the tribunal system.

For now, tenants wishing to challenge a rent increase must continue to apply to the First-tier Tribunal and, where such a challenge is made, they will not have to pay the increased rent until a final determination has been reached.

Although many practical details remain to be published, landlords should expect rent review processes to become more accessible to tenants and potentially more administrative in nature.

What does this mean in practice?

This announcement is another step towards a more heavily regulated private rented sector in which compliance obligations are easier for tenants and local authorities to monitor.

Three themes stand out:

Compliance will become more visible

Historically, many landlord obligations have operated largely behind the scenes. The proposed register moves in the opposite direction. Prospective tenants will be able to verify whether a landlord has complied with registration requirements before deciding whether to rent a property.

For professional landlords this may be a positive development, enabling them to demonstrate good management standards. For others, failures in compliance may become harder to conceal.

Enforcement is likely to become easier

The Government has confirmed that local authorities will have access to registration data in order to identify rogue landlords and take action more quickly.

The register is therefore likely to become an important enforcement tool, enabling councils to cross-reference landlord information more effectively and target non-compliance.

Rent setting will require greater evidence

Although the transfer of jurisdiction to the Valuation Office is intended to speed up disputes, landlords should assume that rent increases may continue to be scrutinised, particularly in areas experiencing higher rental growth.

Landlords will be in a stronger position if they can demonstrate that proposed rents are supported by market evidence and have been implemented in accordance with statutory requirements.

Landlord action checklist

Landlords should consider taking the following steps now:

Review your property portfolio

• Identify all residential properties that will require registration.
• Check ownership and management records are accurate and up to date.
• Ensure records are consistent across agents and internal systems.

Prepare for registration

• Monitor announcements regarding the rollout timetable for your region. NB the Government has suggested that it will be possible to register before the roll out in your region.
• Allocate responsibility for registration within your organisation.
• Put systems in place for maintaining registration information once submitted.

Review letting procedures

• Consider how registration numbers will be incorporated into marketing materials.
• Speak with letting agents about their plans for compliance.
• Update internal onboarding processes for new properties.

Audit wider compliance

• Check that safety certificates, deposit protection arrangements and prescribed information are up to date.
• Ensure property management records can be easily produced if required.
• Address any legacy compliance issues before registration becomes mandatory.

Prepare for rent challenges

• Keep evidence supporting rental values, including comparable market data.
• Maintain a clear audit trail for rent review decisions.
• Consider how rent increase proposals are communicated to tenants.

Looking ahead

The Government is presenting these reforms as part of a wider move towards a more transparent and accountable private rented sector. While many landlords will view the registration requirement as an additional administrative burden, it is clear that the direction of travel is towards greater visibility of compliance and more active regulatory oversight.

For well-managed portfolios, early preparation should minimise disruption. However, landlords who wait until rollout begins may find themselves dealing with new registration requirements, advertising obligations and rent dispute processes simultaneously.

The key message is simple: treat landlord registration as a compliance project rather than an administrative formality. Those who prepare early are likely to be best placed when the new regime comes into force.

How we can help

If you would like to discuss how this may affect you, please do contact our commercial real estate team.

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