The PRS database and property licensing: what changes for enforcement
The PRS database will not license a single property. It will show councils which properties should be.
Does registering on the PRS database replace a property licence?
No. Registering a property on the PRS database and licensing it with the council are separate legal duties. A home inside a selective, additional or mandatory HMO licensing scheme still needs that licence, and still pays the council’s licence fee, whether or not it is registered. The database duty comes from the Renters’ Rights Act 2025, Part 2 Chapter 3; licensing comes from Parts 2 and 3 of the Housing Act 2004. Neither replaces the other.
| PRS database | Property licence | |
|---|---|---|
| Who runs it | Central government (GOV.UK service) | Your local council |
| Which homes | Every home let on an assured or regulated tenancy in England | Homes inside a council’s licensing scheme, plus larger HMOs everywhere |
| Cost | £65 per property, per year | Set by each council: selective £350 to £1,100 (median about £764); additional median £1,100, up to £1,861 |
| Renewal | Every year | When the licence expires, usually after five years |
| Maximum civil penalty | £7,000, or £40,000 for false information or continued breach (once in force) | £40,000 per offence, plus a rent repayment order of up to 24 months’ rent |
Licence fees are the headline new-application fee on each council’s own page, across 34 councils with selective licensing and 21 in England with additional licensing, from Kamma’s fee dataset. Medians are across councils, not licences. Renewals and discounts are excluded, and some additional fees are charged per let or per room, so check the council’s own fee page for your property.
What licensing information does the PRS database ask for?
The full list of information asked is here. Each registration asks which type of licence the property needs: selective, mandatory HMO, additional HMO, or none. It then asks for the licence number or application reference. The landlord confirms the answer under a warning that giving false information is an offence.
This turns licensing into a declared fact on a government record. Until now, whether a property needed a licence was something a council had to work out for itself, street by street.
- Licence type: selective, mandatory HMO, additional HMO, or not required
- Licence number, or the reference for an application in progress
- Confirmed under a false-information warning
Who can see the information?
Councils can. The Renters’ Rights Act gives local housing authorities access to the database’s restricted information for their area, including the property details, the number of occupants and households, and the licensing answers. Access follows each region’s deadline, so councils in the West Midlands will be the first to see their area’s registrations, from March 2027, as shown to industry by MHCLG; subject to change.
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15 March 2027Councils in West Midlands get a full picture
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15 April 2027Councils in East of England get a full picture
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15 October 2027Councils in London get a full picture
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15 November 2027Councils in South West get a full picture
Will councils use the PRS database for licensing enforcement?
No council has yet said it will use the PRS database for licensing enforcement, but councils in the first region are already describing it as intelligence. Telford & Wrekin Council, in the West Midlands, said the region’s registration “will provide further intelligence to ensure stronger protection and greater confidence for renters”, in a statement that also set out its approach to standards: “educate, encourage but ultimately enforce” (council statement, 15 September 2026).
The statement does not say how the council will use the register, and it does not mention licensing. Our reading is that licensing is where the database helps a council most. A council running a licensing scheme can compare every registered home in a designated area with its own list of licences. Any home declared as “licence not required” inside a scheme area, or with a licence number that does not match, becomes a short list for its enforcement team.
What are the risks for a licensable property that is not licensed?
The risks increase once a property is registered. An unlicensed property in a licensing area already risks a civil penalty of up to £40,000, a rent repayment order of up to 24 months’ rent, or prosecution. Registration does not change those penalties. It makes the gap easier to find, and it adds a second exposure if the licensing answer given at registration is wrong. What happens if a property is not registered? The database penalties are in the Renters’ Rights Act 2025 but not yet in force.
| If the property is… | Licensing exposure | Database exposure |
|---|---|---|
| Licensable, unlicensed, declared “not required” | Up to £40,000 or prosecution; rent repayment order | False information: up to £40,000 or prosecution (once in force) |
| Licensable, unlicensed, declared accurately | Up to £40,000 or prosecution; rent repayment order | None, but the council can now see it |
| Licensed, declared with the correct number | None | None |
For licensing offences committed on or after 1 May 2026, the maximum civil penalty rose from £30,000 to £40,000 (Housing Act 2004, Housing Act 2004, s.249A, as amended), and rent repayment orders now cover up to 24 months’ rent.
What should letting agents do before their region opens?
Find out which properties in your portfolio are licensable before your landlords are asked to declare it. What the database means for letting agents’ workload. The registration question has three honest answers: licensed, application in progress, or not required. A property that is licensable but has none of these is better found by your team now than by a council after the deadline.
- Check every managed property against the licensing schemes in force at its address
- Record licence numbers and expiry dates where your team can find them
- Start applications for licensable properties that have none
- Note schemes that start or end during your region’s registration window
Frequently asked questions
Yes. Registration and licensing are separate. A property inside a licensing scheme needs both.
The registration asks for the licence number or an application reference, so an application in progress can be declared as such.
You must keep your entry up to date. If a property becomes licensable, update the licensing answer once you have applied.
Councils decide how to use the data. The Act gives them access to it, and Telford & Wrekin has described the register as a source of further intelligence.
See which of your properties are licensable before your landlords have to declare it.
Find the licensing gaps in your portfolio before your region’s deadline.
