The PRS database in the South West: dates, deadline and licensing
The South West is the last region in England to open on the PRS database. Registration opens on 15 August 2027, and every rented property in the region needs an entry by 14 November 2027.
On this page
- When do you have to register in the South West?
- Which councils are in the South West region?
- Which South West councils run selective or additional licensing?
- Do any South West licensing schemes start or end during the registration window?
- What have South West councils said about the database and the Renters’ Rights Act?
- What should letting agents in the South West do before 15 August?
- Where can you read each council’s licensing rules?
- How much does registration cost, and what do you need to provide?
- What’s changed
- Frequently asked questions
When do you have to register in the South West?
Landlords in the South West must register each rented property between 15 August 2027 and 14 November 2027. The deadline depends on where the property is, not where the landlord or agent is based. A portfolio that spans more than one region has more than one deadline, set out in the national rollout table.
The window is 92 days and contains 64 working days once the August bank holiday is taken out. It opens eight months after the first region, the West Midlands, so agents here can watch how the service behaves, what councils ask for and where landlords get stuck before their own window starts. The deadline falls on a Sunday, so Friday 12 November 2027 is the practical last working day for anything that needs a colleague, a landlord’s reply or a council’s answer.
The window opens in mid-August, which is when many student tenancies in Bristol, Bath, Exeter and Plymouth are agreed or start, and during peak holiday weeks in Devon and Cornwall. We read that as a reason to start early: it is our inference from the calendar, not a figure from the government.
The region borders three others. Gloucestershire sits beside the West Midlands, whose window runs from 15 December 2026 to 14 March 2027. Wiltshire, Swindon and Dorset sit beside the South East, whose window runs from 15 March 2027 to 14 June 2027. A portfolio that crosses either boundary has its other-region work finished first. Agents who also manage in London face overlapping windows, because London’s runs from 15 July 2027 to 14 October 2027. The database covers England only.
The date to register by is the end of the three-month window the government publishes on the Housing Hub, after which councils in the region can begin enforcement. The draft Regulations fix when each region opens, not a date to register by. The dates were announced by the government (GOV.UK, 9 September 2026).
Which councils are in the South West region?
The South West region has 27 local authorities. The draft Regulations list the councils in each region (Schedule 1), by the council areas as they stood on 15 December 2026. It is the largest region in England by area. It combines 13 unitary councils, among them Bristol, Plymouth, Cornwall and Wiltshire, with the district councils of Devon and Gloucestershire. Most of it is rural or coastal, and two councils hold a live discretionary licensing scheme on our data.
| Area | Councils | Licensing beyond mandatory HMO |
|---|---|---|
| Bristol and the West of England | Bath and North East Somerset, Bristol, North Somerset, South Gloucestershire | Bristol. None in Bath and North East Somerset, North Somerset and South Gloucestershire |
| Devon | East Devon, Exeter, Mid Devon, North Devon, Plymouth, South Hams, Teignbridge, Torbay, Torridge, West Devon | None live |
| Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly | Cornwall, Isles of Scilly | None live |
| Dorset | Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole, Dorset | None live |
| Somerset | Somerset | None live |
| Wiltshire and Swindon | Swindon, Wiltshire | None live |
| Gloucestershire | Cheltenham, Cotswold, Forest of Dean, Gloucester, Stroud, Tewkesbury | Gloucester. None in Cheltenham, Cotswold, Forest of Dean, Stroud and Tewkesbury |
Which South West councils run selective or additional licensing?
Two of the South West’s 27 local authorities run live selective or additional licensing on Kamma’s data at 6 October 2026: Bristol, with four schemes, and Gloucester, with one additional scheme. The other 25 councils require a licence only for mandatory HMOs, which applies in every council.
Selective licensing covers most privately rented homes in a designated area. Additional licensing covers smaller HMOs that the national mandatory rule leaves out. Both matter for the database, because each registration records the property’s licence type and number (what that means for enforcement). Coverage below is as recorded in our data; check the council’s own map before relying on a specific street.
| Council | Scheme | Runs to | Coverage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gloucester | Additional | 20 September 2031 | Whole city (every ward) |
| Bristol | Selective | 5 April 2027 | Brislington West and part of Bedminster |
| Bristol | Additional | 5 April 2027 | Brislington West, Horfield and part of Bedminster |
| Bristol | Selective | 5 August 2029 | Bishopston and Ashley Down, Cotham and Easton |
| Bristol | Additional | 5 August 2029 | Whole council area |
Bristol has two generations of scheme
Bristol’s first schemes, selective and additional, started in April 2022 and end on 5 April 2027, four months before the registration window opens. The selective scheme covers Brislington West and part of Bedminster. The additional scheme covers Brislington West, Horfield and part of Bedminster. The second generation started in August 2024: a selective scheme in Bishopston and Ashley Down, Cotham and Easton, and a citywide additional scheme for smaller HMOs, both running to 5 August 2029. The citywide additional scheme takes in the wards of the first, so additional licensing carries on everywhere in the city. Our data holds no new selective designation for Brislington West or Bedminster, which means those two wards are likely to have no selective scheme from 6 April 2027. That is our reading of the designations, and Bristol City Council is the authority for it.
Gloucester has designated additional licensing
Gloucester City Council consulted on additional licensing for smaller HMOs from 2 March 2026 to 11 May 2026. On 15 July 2026 it announced a citywide scheme (council news), and its licensing page says the designation “shall come into force on 21 September 2026” and that the scheme “covers every ward in Gloucester” (council page). It applies to HMOs occupied by three or four people forming two or more households. Agents with Gloucester stock should read the Gloucester guide.
Do any South West licensing schemes start or end during the registration window?
No licensing scheme in Kamma’s data starts or ends between 15 August 2027 and 14 November 2027, and none ends in the year after the deadline. The nearest change is earlier: Bristol’s first-generation schemes end on 5 April 2027. A licence is still needed while a scheme runs, and a council that wants to introduce a new one must consult and designate first. A consultation is not a scheme, and nothing here applies until a council designates.
| When | What | Council |
|---|---|---|
| 5 April 2027 | Bristol’s selective and additional schemes of the first generation end | Bristol |
| 15 August 2027 | Registration opens | |
| 14 November 2027 | Registration deadline |
What have South West councils said about the database and the Renters' Rights Act?
Few councils here have published detail yet. Torbay’s page on the database says that “All private sector landlords need to register for the Database” and that it is not yet live (Torbay Council). Bristol consulted from 16 February 2026 to 30 March 2026 on its civil penalty policy for the offences and breaches the Renters’ Rights Act introduced (Bristol City Council); the page does not mention the database. Cornwall’s page for landlords encourages them to join the free Cornwall Responsible Landlord Scheme (Cornwall Council), which is a voluntary scheme and not licensing. We did not find a South West council that has said how it will use registration data.
What should letting agents in the South West do before 15 August?
Work out which of your managed properties sit inside a live licensing scheme, and gather each licence number before your landlords are asked for it. Each registration asks for licence type and number under a false-information warning, so a missing or wrong licence record becomes a problem at the point of declaration. Licensing offences on or after 1 May 2026 carry civil penalties of up to £40,000 (Housing Act 2004, s.249A) and rent repayment orders of up to 24 months’ rent.
- Match every Bristol address to the first-generation and second-generation wards above, and note which licences end on 5 April 2027
- Check every Gloucester HMO of three or four occupants against the city’s additional scheme
- Confirm what the other 25 councils’ properties need: mandatory HMO licences only
- Flag properties in Gloucestershire, Wiltshire, Swindon and Dorset first: their neighbouring regions’ windows close before yours opens
- Start before the summer lettings rush, using the workload calculator
- Read what you need to gather before invitations start arriving
For the agent’s role in the process, see what a letting agent can and cannot do on the PRS database.
Where can you read each council's licensing rules?
Kamma publishes a licensing guide for the two South West councils with a scheme in force or newly designated. Each guide sets out the scheme, wards covered, fees and how to apply.
How much does registration cost, and what do you need to provide?
Registration costs £65 per property per year, and each entry asks for landlord, property, tenancy and compliance details. The full answers sit in the national guides, so they are not repeated here: see how much the PRS database costs and which information registration asks for.
What's changed
-
Page published. Licensing data checked against council sources on 6 October 2026.
Frequently asked questions
The region has 27 local authorities, as listed in Schedule 1 of the draft Regulations. That includes Bristol, Bath and North East Somerset, Plymouth, Cornwall, Dorset, Somerset, Wiltshire, Swindon and the district councils of Devon and Gloucestershire. A property’s council decides its region.
Gloucester’s council says its citywide additional licensing designation came into force on 21 September 2026, covering HMOs of three or four people forming two or more households. Registration asks for the licence the property needs, so check the council’s page on the day you submit.
Not on the dates we hold. No scheme starts or ends between 15 August 2027 and 14 November 2027, though a council can designate a new one at any time after consulting. Keep your entry up to date if a property becomes licensable.
No. The service opens on 15 August 2027 for the South West. The national guide covers early registration and the full rollout.
Find out which of your South West properties are licensable before 15 August.
Get the licensing gaps in your portfolio before your region’s deadline.
