Landlords face £65 charge for EACH rental property
Landlords face a three-month window to sign up once their area is called forward and face a fine if they miss the deadline.
Every landlord renting out a home in England will have to pay £65 a year, per property, to be on the new mandatory landlord register.
The scheme is called ‘Register your rental property’, and it goes live on 15 December this year, starting in the West Midlands before rolling out nationwide.
Landlords face a three-month window to sign up once their area is called forward and face a fine if they miss the deadline.
Registration costs
For a landlord with a small portfolio, the maths adds up fast – as 10 properties means a charge of £650 a year – every year – just to stay listed and compliant.
It is the latest registration cost facing landlords, with selective licensing fees around £700 a property on average in areas where councils run their own schemes.
The fee will be pro-rated during the rollout, meaning that those registering early are not charged more than those signing up later. The charges will then reset annually.
Non-compliant landlords
Officials claim the charges are required to cover the cost of running the scheme.
They say that the funds will also be used to run enforcement work against non-compliant landlords, rather than simply covering admin costs.
Landlords with properties in more than one region can register everywhere at once from 15 December, rather than waiting for each area’s deadline.
Only properties currently let, or let during the rollout, need registering for now. Unoccupied properties will need registering before marketing once the public-facing side of the service launches.
Registration will require a GOV.UK One Login and details required will include rent charged, number of occupants, and copies of gas, electrical and energy performance certificates.
Letting agents can upload some of that information on a landlord’s behalf, but landlords remain responsible for starting and completing the process themselves.
