The Renters Rights Act has already brought headline changes from May 2025, but two of its most significant structural reforms are still to come. Later in 2026, every private landlord in England will need to register on a national database, and a new Private Rented Sector Ombudsman will open its doors to tenants seeking redress. These are not minor tweaks. They represent a fundamental shift in how the sector is regulated and how disputes are resolved.
The Mandatory Landlord Database
The national landlord database will be a public register holding information about every privately rented property in England. Registration will not be optional. Every landlord who lets residential property privately must join, and letting agents will be required to make sure that the landlords on their books are registered too. That shared responsibility matters: if you use an agent, you cannot assume they will handle it automatically without your input.
When registering, landlords will need to provide details including their name and contact information, the address of each rental property, confirmation that the property meets the required standards, and details of any relevant licences (for example, where HMO licensing applies, meaning houses in multiple occupation that require a separate local authority licence). The exact scope of required information will be confirmed in secondary legislation, so speak to your solicitor or ask our team as the rules are finalised.
Failing to register will be a criminal offence. That is a deliberate policy choice. The government wants to eliminate the category of landlord who operates entirely below the radar, beyond the reach of local councils and unaware of their legal duties. A criminal sanction, rather than a civil penalty, signals that non-registration will be treated seriously. Councils will have enforcement powers, and tenants will be able to check whether their landlord is registered.
The New PRS Ombudsman
The Private Rented Sector Ombudsman will give tenants a free, accessible route to challenge poor landlord behaviour without going to court. At the moment, a tenant who has a legitimate grievance faces a choice between writing letters that are ignored and taking their landlord to the county court, which costs time, money, and confidence. The Ombudsman sits in between. It is designed to be straightforward to approach and free to use.
Tenants will be able to raise complaints about a range of issues, including how a landlord has handled a repair request, whether a deposit has been dealt with properly, poor communication, and failures to meet legal obligations around the condition of the property. The Ombudsman will not replace the courts for every dispute: it will not adjudicate on rent levels, possession proceedings, or complex contractual disagreements that require a judicial decision. But for the day-to-day complaints that tenants currently have no practical way to escalate, it fills a real gap.
To raise a case, a tenant will normally need to show they have already complained to the landlord directly and given them a reasonable chance to put things right. If that has not resolved the matter, the Ombudsman can investigate. Available remedies will include formal apologies, orders to carry out specific actions, and financial compensation. The compensation cap and precise remedy framework will be confirmed in the coming months.
What This Means for the Power Balance
For tenants, this is a meaningful shift. A free, independent body that can award compensation and require action changes the calculation for landlords who might previously have ignored complaints. Tenants in the private rented sector have historically had limited leverage outside court, and many were deterred from using legal routes by cost and complexity. The Ombudsman removes those barriers.
Landlords who already manage their properties well have little to fear. The service is designed to catch the minority who ignore their duties, not to penalise landlords who respond reasonably to problems when they arise.
Compliance Steps for Landlords
There are practical things to do now, before the database goes live. Start by pulling together accurate records for every property you let: addresses, any existing licences, your contact details, and evidence that each property meets current standards. Getting your paperwork in order now makes registration straightforward when the portal opens.
- Register on the national database as soon as the portal opens. Do not wait.
- Keep your property records up to date after registration. Changes to the property or your contact details will need to be reflected promptly.
- Understand what the Ombudsman can adjudicate on, so you know which complaints may be escalated and can handle them properly at the first stage.
- If you use a letting agent, confirm how they will handle your registration requirements and what information they need from you.
How Cooke and Co Can Help
Keeping up with a changing compliance picture is time-consuming, particularly if you own more than one property or manage lettings alongside other commitments. Our fully managed lettings service is designed to take that administration off your hands. We work with landlords to make sure their properties and their records meet current requirements, and we will be supporting clients through the database registration process when it opens.
If you want to understand what these changes mean for your specific situation, get in touch with our lettings team. We are happy to talk through the steps involved and what good compliance looks like in practice.
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