Landlord registration in England, Scotland and Wales compared
England is about to get a landlord register, and three other parts of the UK already have one. They work differently, which matters if you let across a border or search for “the landlord register” and land on the wrong one.
On this page
- Is there one landlord register for the whole UK?
- Which landlord register am I looking for?
- How do the four landlord registers compare?
- How much does each register cost for a landlord with five properties?
- What is the role of a letting agent in each scheme?
- Can anyone search the landlord register?
- Is the PRS database the same as a council licensing register?
- Where do I find a council’s licensing register?
- What’s changed
- Frequently asked questions
Is there one landlord register for the whole UK?
No. The UK has four separate landlord registration schemes, one for each nation, each run by a different body under different law. A landlord who lets homes in more than one nation must register separately in each, and a registration in one nation has no effect in another.
Housing is a devolved matter, so each government built its own scheme and its own enforcement. Scotland’s landlord register began in 2006, Rent Smart Wales in 2015 (with licensing from 2016) and Northern Ireland’s scheme in 2014. England’s database, created by the Renters’ Rights Act 2025, opens from 15 December 2026.
Which landlord register am I looking for?
The right register depends on where the rental property is, not where the landlord lives or where the agent is based. England’s database covers English homes only. Scottish homes belong on the Scottish Landlord Register, Welsh homes on Rent Smart Wales and Northern Irish homes on the Northern Ireland Landlord Registration Scheme.
How do the four landlord registers compare?
The four schemes differ on what is registered, how long it lasts and what it costs. Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland register the landlord, with Scotland adding a fee per property. England registers every property, and the landlord too, and renews each entry every year.
| Scheme | Who must register | Registered per | Renewal |
|---|---|---|---|
| England: PRS database | Landlords of homes let on assured or regulated tenancies | Landlord, and each property separately | Every year |
| Scotland: Landlord Register | Private landlords, with the local authority where the property is | Landlord, with each let property listed | Every 3 years |
| Wales: Rent Smart Wales | The immediate landlord, including joint owners, companies and trusts | Landlord, by ownership arrangement | Every 5 years |
| Northern Ireland: Landlord Registration Scheme | All landlords letting under a private tenancy | Landlord, one registration for all their properties | Every 3 years |
| Scotland: Letting Agent Register | Letting agents doing letting agency work in Scotland, open since 2018 | The letting agent | Every 3 years |
Sources: England, draft Regulations and GOV.UK. Scotland, mygov.scot, Scottish Landlord Register and letting agent registration. Wales, Rent Smart Wales. Northern Ireland, nidirect and renewals.
| Scheme | Registration fee | Penalty for not registering | Other consequence |
|---|---|---|---|
| England: PRS database | £65 per property, per year (the government’s announced figure; draft rules leave the amount to the operator) | Civil penalty up to £7,000; up to £40,000 for false information or continued breach, once in force (Renters’ Rights Act 2025, ss.91 and 92) | Courts cannot make most possession orders while in breach (s.90) |
| Scotland: Landlord Register | £85 principal fee plus £20 per let property; late fee £170 | Criminal offence; fine of up to £50,000 on conviction | Ban on letting for up to 5 years |
| Wales: Rent Smart Wales | £60 online for a new registration, £48 to renew; paper £102 and £87 | Fixed penalty notice of £150 for failing to register, or £250 for letting or managing without a licence; or prosecution | No valid possession notices until registered; rent repayment and rent stopping orders |
| Northern Ireland: Landlord Registration Scheme | £70 online, £80 on paper, one fee for all properties | Fixed penalty up to £500, or a court fine of up to £2,500 | None stated on the scheme page |
Sources: England, the facts file and Renters’ Rights Act 2025 Part 2 Chapter 3. Scotland, fees page (HMO properties carry no per-property fee; joint owners pay one principal fee; applying to several authorities halves the principal fee for each) and about page. Wales, registration page and enforcement page; the £150 and £250 fixed penalties are set by section 29 of the Housing (Wales) Act 2014. Northern Ireland, fees and penalties.
How much does each register cost for a landlord with five properties?
A landlord with five properties pays £325 a year in England, £185 once every 3 years in Scotland, £60 once every 5 years in Wales and £70 once every 3 years in Northern Ireland. England’s fee is the only one that repeats yearly and scales with every property, so it is the only one where a portfolio changes the bill sharply.
| Scheme | Fee for the whole portfolio | Covers | Per year, averaged |
|---|---|---|---|
| England | £325 (5 × £65) | 1 year | £325 |
| Scotland | £185 (£85 + 5 × £20) | 3 years | about £62 |
| Wales | £60 | 5 years | £12 |
| Northern Ireland | £70 | 3 years | about £23 |
Arithmetic from the fees in the table above; each fee is sourced there. England’s £65 is pro-rated during the rollout, and the draft Regulations leave the final amount to the operator. Assumes a new registration, one owner, no HMO, no late fee and no discount.
An agent managing 500 homes for landlords in England is overseeing £32,500 of annual fees on its clients’ behalf. In Wales, the same agent’s cost sits elsewhere: Rent Smart Wales licenses the agent itself, which is a separate fee (see below).
What is the role of a letting agent in each scheme?
A letting agent has a different role in each scheme. In England the landlord registers and the agent supplies property details. In Wales the agent holds its own licence. In Scotland the agent joins a separate Letting Agent Register. In Northern Ireland the landlord stays responsible for registering and the agent can manage the landlord’s account once nominated.
| Scheme | What the agent does | Agent's own registration | Public search |
|---|---|---|---|
| England | Provides property details when the landlord appoints them; the landlord submits, declares and pays | None proposed in the draft Regulations | Not yet decided; councils get full access |
| Scotland | Appears on the landlord’s registration as property manager | Separate Scottish Letting Agent Register, open since 2018, registration lasting 3 years; criminal offence to do letting agency work unregistered | Yes: search by registration number or postcode |
| Wales | Must be licensed; may not register on a landlord’s behalf unless it holds a Power of Attorney | Agent licence, valid 5 years, with training, client money protection and insurance requirements | Yes: by address, landlord, agent or reference number |
| Northern Ireland | May manage the landlord’s account once nominated; the landlord registers first | No agent register; the landlord registers | Yes: by landlord name or by property |
Sources: England, draft Reg 4(5)-(6) via the facts file. Scotland, Scottish Landlord Register search and mygov.scot letting agent registration. Wales, registration, licensing and public register. Northern Ireland, information for landlords who use agents and landlord search.
Wales is the closest model for what English agents might eventually face. Its agent licence is a condition of doing letting and management work at all, and it carries a licence fee, training and insurance. England’s draft Regulations ask nothing like that of an agent. They treat the agent as a delegate of the landlord. For what the English workflow involves, see what the PRS database means for letting agents.
Can anyone search the landlord register?
Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland all run public search tools. The Scottish register can be searched by registration number or postcode and shows who manages a property. Rent Smart Wales searches by address, landlord, agent or reference number. Northern Ireland’s can be searched by landlord name or property. England has not decided what will be public.
Whether the English database will be searchable is not yet decided: will the PRS database be public?
A caution on Wales, from the register’s own page: finding an address there “is no indication that the property is, or has ever been, rented”, because the search covers every Welsh address.
Is the PRS database the same as a council licensing register?
No. The PRS database is a national record held by government, while a council licensing register lists the licences that council has granted, which it must make available for public inspection (Housing Act 2004, s.232). A home in a licensing area needs both: the PRS database and property licensing.
Where do I find a council's licensing register?
A council’s licensing register is normally on the council’s own website, under private sector housing or property licensing, and some councils hold it at their offices only. Search for the council name and “public register of licences”, or ask the housing enforcement team. Kamma’s borough guides explain each council’s schemes, so you know which licences to look for.
Our guides cover each scheme’s areas, fees and how to apply, which is what you need before searching a register for a property. Examples: Croydon and Harrow. For fees across councils, see licence fees by council.
What's changed
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Page published. Reflects the draft Private Rented Sector Database Regulations 2026 and each nation’s scheme as shown on its own website on this date.
Frequently asked questions
No. England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland each run their own scheme. A landlord who lets in more than one nation registers in each of them.
Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland have registers that landlords must use now. England’s database opens region by region from 15 December 2026.
Yes, if you let a home in England. The register that applies follows the property’s location, not the landlord’s address.
It depends on portfolio size and the period you count. For five properties on new registrations, Wales works out lowest per year, and England is highest because the fee is annual and per property. See the worked example above.
No. Rent Smart Wales licenses people who let or manage homes in Wales. An English property needs no Welsh licence, and a Welsh property needs no registration on the English database.
Not yet. What will be public has not been decided. Will the PRS database be public?
No. A council register lists the licences that one council has granted. The landlord register lists landlords and, in England, every let property. A property can need both.
Start with the council’s public register of licences, or check the address with our licensing checker.
Letting across several areas? Know which schemes apply before you register.
Find the licensing gaps in your portfolio before your region’s deadline.
