Renters’ Rights Act reforms – guidance ahead of the landlord registration rollout

Following on from my previous blog post regarding rollout of the new private rented sector (PRS) landlord registration service (which can be found here), the Government has now published new guidance ‘Register your rental property service: guidance for landlords’ providing further detail on how the registration regime will work in practice.

The guidance covers a range of key areas including:

• who will be required to register;
• when registration must take place;
• the information landlords will need to provide when registering a property;
• registration fees and how these will be calculated during the initial rollout period;
• annual renewal requirements;
• how landlords can update their registration details;
• penalties and enforcement action for non-compliance;
• the circumstances in which landlords who are subject to banning orders may be prevented from registering; and
• the support available to assist landlords with the registration process. 

Alongside the formal guidance, the Government has also published additional information on its Housing Hub including practical resources designed to help landlords prepare for registration.  

The publication of this guidance provides welcome clarification for landlords ahead of the first regional rollout of the service in the West Midlands in December. Whilst a number of questions will no doubt continue to arise as the new regime is implemented, the guidance offers a useful starting point for landlords looking to understand their obligations and prepare for registration.

For landlords with properties in the PRS (including properties let at a market rent by private registered providers of social housing), now is a good time to review the registration requirements and ensure that the necessary information and documentation is readily available ahead of registration becoming mandatory in their area.

For more information, please get in touch.