# Who Must Join England's Landlord Register?

> Landlords of assured and regulated tenancies in England must register. What about lodgers, holiday lets, company lets, HMOs, social housing and empty homes? Sourced answers.

- Canonical URL: https://landlordregister.uk/who-must-register/
- Source: [Renters' Rights Act 2025, section 63](https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2025/26/section/63)
- Checked: 2026-10-26
- Structured data: https://landlordregister.uk/data/who-must-register.json

## The rule

The duty applies to a **residential landlord**: the landlord under a "relevant tenancy" of a home in England that isn't social housing. A relevant tenancy is an assured tenancy under the Housing Act 1988 or a regulated tenancy under the Rent Act 1977 ([Renters' Rights Act 2025, s.63](https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2025/26/section/63)). Since 1 May 2026 almost all new private lets are assured periodic tenancies, so most private landlords are in.

## Case by case

| Situation | Must register? | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Buy-to-let flat or house let to a household | Yes | assured tenancy |
| HMO | Yes, with the licence number | assured tenancies; licence details are part of the entry |
| Empty property between tenants | Not yet | only let properties must be registered during the rollout; future rules will require registration before marketing |
| Lodger in your own home | Probably not | a resident-landlord letting isn't an assured tenancy; guidance doesn't yet confirm it |
| Holiday let | Probably not | holiday lettings aren't assured tenancies; not yet confirmed in guidance |
| Let to a company (company tenant) | Probably not | an assured tenancy needs an individual tenant; not yet confirmed |
| Social housing | No | excluded by s.63 |
| Supported exempt accommodation | No | the one explicit exemption in the draft regulations |

Sources: [s.63](https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2025/26/section/63), [draft regulations, reg 3](https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukdsi/2026/9780348286861), [GOV.UK Housing Hub](https://housinghub.campaign.gov.uk/renting-is-changing/get-ready-to-register/). The "probably not" answers follow from how the Housing Act defines an assured tenancy; check official guidance when it's published before relying on them.

## One landlord entry, one entry per property

You create one landlord entry for yourself, then one property entry for each home you let. A landlord with five flats makes one landlord entry and five property entries, paying the fee on each property.

## Banned landlords

A person subject to a banning order can't be entered on the database, and their existing entries are deactivated ([draft regulations, reg 4](https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukdsi/2026/9780348286861)).

## Not in England?

Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland have their own, separate landlord registers. See [registration outside England](https://landlordregister.uk/scotland-wales-northern-ireland/).

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Landlord Register Guide · Contact: contact@landlordregister.uk