Renters’ Rights Bill · Property News
Renters' Rights Act Phase 2: West Midlands Landlords Go First
Being first in line for new regulation rarely feels like a privilege. But that is where every landlord in the West Midlands now stands. On 15 December 2026, the government’s new landlord database opens, and our region goes first. Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire, Birmingham, Wolverhampton, Coventry: if you let a home here, you have until 14 March 2027 to put yourself, your property and your certificates on the record.
The short answer: Phase 2 of the Renters’ Rights Act is the landlord database and, later, a compulsory landlord ombudsman. The database costs £65 per property per year, and the fine for not registering can reach £7,000. Ninety days sounds like plenty. It is, if you start with your paperwork rather than the website.
Key points
- The landlord database (GOV.UK calls it “Register your rental property”) opens on 15 December 2026, starting with the West Midlands.
- West Midlands landlords must register by 14 March 2027. The rest of England follows region by region, with every let property registered by 14 November 2027.
- The fee is £65 per property per year, pro-rated during the rollout. GOV.UK’s own example: register on 15 December and you pay £5.34.
- Penalties run up to £7,000 for not registering and up to £40,000 for false information or repeated breaches.
- Joining the new landlord ombudsman is expected to become compulsory in 2028. There is nothing to do for it yet.
What is Phase 2 of the Renters’ Rights Act?
The Act became law on 27 October 2025. The government’s implementation roadmap (opens in a new tab) brings it in over three phases:
- Phase 1 (1 May 2026, done): section 21 abolished, every tenancy periodic, rent increases once a year through section 13, no rental bidding, pets, and tougher council enforcement. Our guide to what changed in May covers it in full.
- Phase 2 (from 15 December 2026): the landlord database, then the landlord ombudsman.
- Phase 3 (later): the Decent Homes Standard for private rentals, which the government has confirmed will apply from 2035 (opens in a new tab), and Awaab’s Law for damp and mould, which is still out to consultation.
Which councils are in the West Midlands wave?
The draft database regulations list them by name: Birmingham, Coventry, Dudley, Herefordshire, Sandwell, Shropshire, Solihull, Staffordshire, Stoke-on-Trent, Telford and Wrekin, Walsall, Warwickshire, Wolverhampton and Worcestershire. What counts is where the property is, not where you live. A landlord in Manchester with a house in Hanley registers in the West Midlands window.
The other regions follow a month apart: the East of England from 15 January 2027, the East Midlands from 15 February, and so on, ending with the South West, whose window closes on 14 November 2027.
How do I register on the landlord database?
You register online through GOV.UK, using a GOV.UK One Login. There is a paper route for anyone who can’t use the digital service. Based on the GOV.UK guidance for landlords (opens in a new tab), published on 29 October:
- Set up a GOV.UK One Login if you don’t already have one. Every joint landlord registers separately.
- Create your landlord entry. This part is free.
- Add each property you let and pay the fee for it: £65 a year, pro-rated during the rollout, with no VAT.
- Complete the tenancy details within 28 days: occupants, rent, licences, and your gas, electrical and energy certificates. Your letting agent can supply these, but you stay responsible for them.
- Keep it current. Anything that changes or expires has to be updated within 28 days, and each entry renews every 12 months.
During the rollout you only register homes that are let, or that become let. Later, empty properties will have to be registered before they are advertised. Putting your registration number on adverts isn’t required yet, though you can choose to.
What happens if I don’t register?
Three things, and the third is the one that bites:
- A civil penalty of up to £7,000 for failing to register.
- Up to £40,000 for knowingly or recklessly giving false or misleading information, or for repeated breaches, plus the possibility of a rent repayment order.
- No possession order. The Act stops a court granting possession while a landlord is in breach of the database rules, except on the antisocial behaviour grounds. With section 21 gone, an unregistered property is one you may not be able to get back.
One honest caveat: the final database regulations and the commencement order that switches all this on had not been formally made when we checked on 1 November. The 15 December date comes from GOV.UK and hasn’t moved, but read the official guidance again before you register.
What about the landlord ombudsman?
It is coming, but not yet. The rules for approving a scheme came into force on 17 September 2026. The House of Commons Library says the government expects the service to be ready in 2028, after the database. The fee hasn’t been set; the government has only said to expect “a small annual fee per PRS property”. Once it runs, the ombudsman will be able to make a landlord apologise, take action or pay compensation. That includes, according to the NRLA, how you handled a request to keep a pet.
What’s changing locally in Stoke-on-Trent and Staffordshire?
The database is national. Enforcement is local, and our councils have been busy.
- Stoke-on-Trent, small HMOs. An Article 4 Direction (opens in a new tab) came into force on 23 October 2026. Turning a family home into a small HMO now needs planning permission. It still has to go through statutory consultation before it is confirmed.
- Stoke-on-Trent, HMO licensing. The council has proposed a citywide additional licensing scheme (opens in a new tab) for HMOs, subject to consultation. If you own or are buying an HMO in the city, watch this one closely.
- East Staffordshire. A new selective licensing scheme (opens in a new tab) starts on 1 January 2027 for five years, covering 16 streets in Burton upon Trent. A licence for a single property costs £400 plus £300.
- Rent increase challenges go to the First-tier Tribunal’s Midlands office in Birmingham, which covers Stoke-on-Trent and Staffordshire. The government plans to move these decisions to HMRC’s Valuation Office in future, with no date set yet.
Councils also have new money and new training behind them. They shared £18.2 million in late 2025 and another £41.12 million in April 2026, about £60 million in total, according to the government (opens in a new tab), with more promised each year. Expect enforcement teams that know the new rules well.
A tip from our own checks: some council web pages haven’t caught up. The East Staffordshire licensing page still mentions penalties of up to £30,000, but the maximum has been £40,000 since 1 May 2026. When a local page and GOV.UK disagree, trust GOV.UK, and check the date on both.
What we’d do now
Registration itself takes an evening. Finding a missing gas certificate, an expired EICR or an EPC that doesn’t match the property is what takes weeks. So start with the paperwork: one folder per property, every certificate in date, every tenancy detail to hand. Then register early in the window, while the fee is lowest and before everyone else is learning the system in March.
Keeping that folder complete is a large part of what our hands-free service does for investors. If you’d like a second pair of eyes on a property before 15 December, ask us a question.
Questions landlords are asking
When did the Renters’ Rights Bill become law?
It received Royal Assent on 27 October 2025 and became the Renters’ Rights Act 2025. The main tenancy changes took effect on 1 May 2026.
What is the Renters’ Rights Act implementation roadmap?
It is the government’s plan for bringing the Act in over three phases. Phase 1 (the tenancy reforms) took effect on 1 May 2026. Phase 2 is the landlord database, from 15 December 2026, and the landlord ombudsman, expected in 2028. Phase 3 brings the Decent Homes Standard to private rentals from 2035, with Awaab’s Law to follow.
What changed in May 2026?
On 1 May 2026, section 21 “no-fault” evictions ended and existing assured shorthold tenancies became periodic. Rent increases now go through the section 13 process once a year, with two months’ notice. Rental bidding and discrimination against tenants with children or on benefits became unlawful, and tenants gained the right to ask to keep a pet.
What is Phase 3 of the Renters’ Rights Act?
Phase 3 covers property standards. The Decent Homes Standard will apply to private rentals from 2035. Extending Awaab’s Law, which sets deadlines for fixing damp, mould and other hazards, to private rentals is out to consultation until 18 December 2026; the options for a start date are 2027, 2028 or 2029.
How much does it cost to register on the landlord database?
£65 per property per year, with no VAT. During the rollout the first fee is pro-rated: GOV.UK’s example is £5.34 for registering on 15 December 2026. Creating your landlord entry is free.
Can my tenant keep a pet?
Tenants can ask in writing, and you must reply in writing within 28 days. You cannot refuse unreasonably; a ban in your superior landlord’s lease is a reasonable reason. Plans to let landlords require pet insurance, and later a separate pet deposit, were both dropped before the Act was passed, so the usual five-week deposit cap applies.
What is the PBSA exemption?
Since 1 May 2026, tenancies in purpose-built student accommodation are not assured tenancies if the tenant is a student and the provider belongs to an approved code (the ANUK/Unipol code for larger developments). Those providers can also use the student possession ground for existing tenancies. Student lets outside an approved code are covered by the normal rules.
What is Operation Jigsaw?
It is a council network, funded by the government, that trains local authority officers on the Renters’ Rights Act and helps them share intelligence. It is named in the official roadmap. It is not a scheme landlords sign up to; it is why your council’s enforcement team will know the new rules well.
What is new burdens funding?
It is money the government gives councils to carry out new duties. For the Renters’ Rights Act, councils received £18.2 million for 2025/26 and £41.12 million in April 2026, about £60 million in total, with further yearly funding promised.
Do I have to register an empty property?
Not during the rollout. Until 14 November 2027 you only register properties that are let or become let. In future, empty properties will need to be registered before they are marketed.
First in line, then, but not unprepared. The landlords who register calmly in December will be the ones who spent November in their filing cabinet.
Checked against GOV.UK, legislation.gov.uk, the House of Commons Library and the councils named, on 1 November 2026. Dates can change; always check the latest GOV.UK guidance before you act. The cover photo shows Church Terrace, Fenton, Stoke-on-Trent, by Rept0n1x (Wikimedia Commons (opens in a new tab), CC BY-SA 2.0, cropped). This article is general information, not legal advice; for a specific case, speak to a property solicitor.
