How do I find the landlord of a property I rent?

Ask in writing whoever collects your rent, usually the letting agent. Under section 1 of the Landlord and Tenant Act 1985 they must give you the landlord’s name and address in writing within 21 days, and failing to do so without a reasonable excuse is an offence. It costs nothing.

Can I find the landlord of a property for free?

Yes, if you rent it: write to whoever collects your rent and they must give you the landlord’s name and address within 21 days, under section 1 of the Landlord and Tenant Act 1985. If you don’t rent it, HM Land Registry charges £7 for the title register, which names the owner, whether a person or a company. If the owner is a company, Companies House is free.

The person or company you rent from, named in your tenancy agreement. For a tenancy that started on or after 1 May 2026, the landlord must also give you their name and an address in England or Wales for notices before you agree it. If an agent signs for them, your landlord is whoever the agent acts for. If you still don’t know, ask whoever collects your rent in writing: they must tell you within 21 days.

How do I check who owns a home before I rent it?

Ask the agent who the landlord is, then check the registered owner on HM Land Registry’s title register, which costs £7, and that the two match or are clearly linked, such as a landlord who owns the flat’s lease. RenterCheck’s ownership check reads the Land Registry data for the address, on its own for £2.99 or as part of Complete RenterCheck.

Is the owner on the title register always the landlord?

No. A flat is often let by its leaseholder while the building’s freehold is registered to someone else. A company can rent a home from its owner and let it on (“rent-to-rent”), and land that hasn’t changed hands for a long time may not be registered at all. The landlord is the person or company named in your agreement.

Can I look my landlord up on a register?

Not yet in England. Landlords must register on the Private Rented Sector Database region by region from 15 December 2026, under draft regulations, but no date has been published for when renters can search it.

Guide

How to find the landlord of a property

If you rent the home, ask in writing: whoever collects your rent must give you the landlord’s name and address within 21 days, free. If you don’t, the HM Land Registry title register names the owner for £7. The owner is usually the landlord, but not always, so check the two match.

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Start from your situation

You rent the home now

Write to the agent or whoever takes the rent and ask for the landlord’s name and address (route 1). Use the request below.

You’re about to rent it

Ask the agent who the landlord is before you pay a holding deposit, then check it matches the registered owner: route 3, or our ownership check.

You don’t rent it

A neighbouring flat, an empty house or a building nobody manages: buy the title register (route 3), and if the owner is a company, look it up at Companies House (route 4).

Six ways to find the landlord, quickest first

1. Ask in writing: you have a legal right to be told: If you are a tenant, write to whoever demands or receives your rent and ask for the landlord’s name and address. Under section 1 of the Landlord and Tenant Act 1985 they must supply it in writing within 21 days, and failing to do so without reasonable excuse is a criminal offence. This is free, it is enforceable, and it is the route most people skip.
2. Read the paperwork you already have: For a tenancy that started on or after 1 May 2026, the landlord must give you written information before you agree to it, including the landlord’s name and a postal address in England or Wales for notices. The prescribed information served with your deposit protection names the landlord too. If an agent signed “on behalf of the landlord”, the landlord is the party they act for, not the agency.
3. Buy the title register from HM Land Registry: The title register costs £7 online and names the registered owner, whether that’s a company or a private individual, along with the price last paid and whether there is a mortgage. It is the official record of ownership, but the registered owner and the landlord are not always the same person: see below.
4. Look the company up at Companies House: If the owner or the agent is a limited company, Companies House gives you its status, registered address, incorporation date, directors and filing history, free. A dissolved company, or one in liquidation, letting a property is worth knowing about before you pay anything.
5. Check the council licensing register: If the property needs an HMO or selective licence, the council keeps a register of licences open to the public, which names the licence holder. Councils publish these differently, and not all of them online.
6. Check who is registered for council tax or utilities: A last resort and an unreliable one. Neither utility companies nor the council will disclose another person’s details to you, so this only helps where a previous bill or letter has been left at the property.

A request you can send today

Copy it into an email or letter to the agent, or whoever you pay rent to, and keep a copy with the date you sent it.

Dear [agent or person who collects the rent],

I am the tenant of [address]. Under section 1 of the Landlord and Tenant Act 1985, please give me the full name and address of my landlord in writing within 21 days.

Yours faithfully,
[your name]
[date]

Separately, section 48 of the Landlord and Tenant Act 1987 says your landlord must give you an address in England or Wales where notices can be served. Until they do, rent and service charges are treated as not due. That isn’t a reason to stop paying: the rent becomes due once the address is given. What a section 48 notice is. If nobody replies within 21 days, your council’s private housing team or a housing adviser can help.

The registered owner is not always the landlord

This trips up almost everyone who goes straight to the title register. Four common reasons the names differ:

A leasehold flat. The building’s freehold is registered to one owner, and each flat’s long lease to its leaseholder, who is usually the one letting it. Make sure you’re reading the flat’s own title, not the building’s.
Rent-to-rent or a company let. A company can rent a home from its owner and let it on to you. Your landlord is then the company, not the owner.
A recent sale or a company owner. The owner may have just changed, or a company may own the home while a person manages it.
Unregistered land. HM Land Registry holds titles for more than 90% of the land in England and Wales, so a small share isn’t registered: usually land that hasn’t changed hands for a long time. Then there’s no title register to buy.

Example (made up)

Sam is offered a flat through an agent. The building’s title register names a property company as the freeholder. The flat’s own title names a private individual as leaseholder, and that’s the name in the draft agreement, so the two match. If the agreement had named a third company, Sam would ask the agent what gives it the right to let the flat.

Check who owns a home you’re about to rent

Our ownership check reads HM Land Registry data for the address. If a company owns it, we name the company and check it on Companies House, and flag one that is dissolved or insolvent. If a private individual owns it, we say so but don’t name them: the title register does, for £7, and we link to it. For a flat, the data sometimes links only the building’s freehold, and the report says when it does.

It isn’t in the free check. It’s in Complete RenterCheck, which also compares the landlord named in your tenancy agreement with the owner on record, or on its own for £2.99.

Get Complete RenterCheck — £9.99 Just the ownership check — £2.99 Or check the property free first

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Is there a landlord register I can search?

Not yet in England. Under draft regulations, landlords must register on the Private Rented Sector Database region by region, starting with the West Midlands on 15 December 2026, with every let home registered by 14 November 2027. No date has been published for when renters can search it. Can I check whether my landlord is registered? explains what you can check now, and the rollout dates by region are on our PRS database pages.

Where to go next

How to find out who owns a property — what HM Land Registry shows free, and what the £7 title register adds, for any property.
Check a landlord or letting agent — a free Companies House lookup for the company name you have been given.
Does the property need a licence? — if it does, the council register names the licence holder.
Check the tenancy agreement — including whether it names the landlord and gives an address for notices.
Is my deposit protected? — the scheme’s certificate names the landlord too.
Renting in a city — rents and licensing in ten of England’s biggest cities, and the rent checker for anywhere else.
Search property information at HM Land Registry — the title register, £7 · Search Companies House, free

Finding a landlord: common questions

How do I find the landlord of a property I rent?: Ask in writing whoever collects your rent, usually the letting agent. Under section 1 of the Landlord and Tenant Act 1985 they must give you the landlord’s name and address in writing within 21 days, and failing to do so without a reasonable excuse is an offence. It costs nothing.
Can I find the landlord of a property for free?: Yes, if you rent it: write to whoever collects your rent and they must give you the landlord’s name and address within 21 days, under section 1 of the Landlord and Tenant Act 1985. If you don’t rent it, HM Land Registry charges £7 for the title register, which names the owner, whether a person or a company. If the owner is a company, Companies House is free.
Who is my landlord?: The person or company you rent from, named in your tenancy agreement. For a tenancy that started on or after 1 May 2026, the landlord must also give you their name and an address in England or Wales for notices before you agree it. If an agent signs for them, your landlord is whoever the agent acts for. If you still don’t know, ask whoever collects your rent in writing: they must tell you within 21 days.
How do I check who owns a home before I rent it?: Ask the agent who the landlord is, then check the registered owner on HM Land Registry’s title register, which costs £7, and that the two match or are clearly linked, such as a landlord who owns the flat’s lease. RenterCheck’s ownership check reads the Land Registry data for the address, on its own for £2.99 or as part of Complete RenterCheck.
Is the owner on the title register always the landlord?: No. A flat is often let by its leaseholder while the building’s freehold is registered to someone else. A company can rent a home from its owner and let it on (“rent-to-rent”), and land that hasn’t changed hands for a long time may not be registered at all. The landlord is the person or company named in your agreement.
Can I look my landlord up on a register?: Not yet in England. Landlords must register on the Private Rented Sector Database region by region from 15 December 2026, under draft regulations, but no date has been published for when renters can search it.

Sources: the Landlord and Tenant Act 1985, section 1; the Landlord and Tenant Act 1987, section 48; the Housing Act 2004, section 232, on legislation.gov.uk; and, on GOV.UK, written information that must be given to tenants, search property information and about HM Land Registry. This guide covers common private tenancies in England and is general information, not legal advice. Different rules apply in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, and to lodgers, social housing and some specialist accommodation.

Check the landlord

Check who owns the home before you pay anything.

How to check a landlord