Propertymark has confirmed that the long-anticipated national database for privately rented homes in England will begin its phased rollout on 15 December 2026, marking one of the most significant administrative shifts to hit the private rented sector in a generation. The register, a central pillar of the Renters' Rights Act, will require every landlord letting property in England to record themselves and their properties on a government-run database before they can lawfully advertise, let, or serve certain notices on tenants. For a sector that has operated for decades with minimal central oversight — Propertymark estimates roughly 2.3 million landlords currently manage the UK's 4.6 million private rented homes, many via informal arrangements — this represents a fundamental change in how the market is regulated and monitored.