PRS database
How to check the PRS database
Short answer: renters can’t search it yet. Landlords register first, and public access follows later, with no date published. Here’s what you can find out about a landlord and a home today, and what the database will add when it opens.
Landlord registration opens on 15 December 2026, starting with the West Midlands. Every actively let property in England must be registered by 14 November 2027.
England only · Guidance checked September 2026. The dates come from the draft Private Rented Sector Database Regulations 2026 and the government’s rollout table. The Regulations are still in draft, so dates could change.
What you can check today
- Who owns the home
- HM Land Registry records the registered owner of a property. A company owner is named, and you can check it on Companies House. Complete RenterCheck does both for an address. Check a landlord or agent company
- Whether the council requires a licence
- Larger shared homes need a licence everywhere, and some councils require one for smaller shared homes or for every rented home in an area. Councils publish registers of licensed properties. Check licensing for a postcode
- The energy certificate
- Every home let in England needs a valid EPC, and one rated F or G generally can’t be let. The register is public and searchable by address. Look up an EPC
- Whether your deposit is protected
- Your deposit must be protected in one of the three government-approved schemes within 30 days, and each scheme lets you search for your deposit. How to check your deposit
- The landlord’s name and address
- You’re entitled to your landlord’s name, and an address in England or Wales where notices can be sent. The tenancy agreement should give both. Six ways to find the landlord
- What the tenancy agreement says
- Fees, deposits, rent in advance and terms written on old templates are all checkable before you sign, and none of them depend on the database. What to check in a tenancy agreement
What the database will add
Everything above is scattered across separate registers, and none of it confirms that a landlord is allowed to let the home. The database brings the landlord, the property and its safety certificates into one record, and makes letting an unregistered home unlawful. What renters will see of it hasn’t been published, so treat any list you read elsewhere as a guess.
What the database is, and when it starts · If your landlord isn’t registered
Questions renters ask
How do I check the PRS database?
You can’t yet. Landlord registration opens on 15 December 2026, region by region, and the government says public access will follow the launch of registration. No date has been published for a tenant search, and no list of what renters will be able to see.
When can tenants search the landlord database?
The government has not said. Its roadmap says public access and data sharing will be enabled after landlord registration launches, and that the information the public can see will be published later.
How do I check if my landlord is registered in the meantime?
Until the public can search the database, check what already exists: the registered owner at HM Land Registry, the company at Companies House, the council’s licensing register, the EPC register, and your deposit protection scheme.
Will the database tell me if a landlord has been fined?
The database records banning orders, offences and financial penalties against landlords. Whether renters will see that part has not been confirmed: the government says it will publish what the public can access nearer the time.
Does the database replace council licensing?
No. Licensing is a council scheme covering certain homes in certain areas, and it continues. Registration on the database applies to nearly every private tenancy in England, and the database records whether a home needs a licence and its licence number.
Sources: the implementation roadmap and the government’s rollout information.