Three in four landlords don't know the register is coming. Block managers will hear about it first

That is the gap that worries me most. It's the part of the Act that comes with a deadline, a fee and a public record. And for anyone managing blocks, it's the part most likely to arrive in your email inbox.

Why this lands on the block manager's desk

The government's Register your rental property service opens on 15 December. Every landlord of an assured or regulated tenancy in England must register themselves and each property they let. For each dwelling, the landlord has to give the name and email address of the freehold owner, any superior landlord and any property manager.

Put simply, every let flat in a block you manage will carry your details on a national register. The landlord filling in the form may be someone you've only ever dealt with through service charge demands. If three quarters of them don't know the register exists, many will find out late, in a hurry, and come to the managing agent for the details they need.

Agents and property managers can upload some information on a landlord's behalf. But the landlord must start the registration and stays responsible for it. That distinction will matter when a leaseholder asks you to "just sort it".

The timetable

Registration rolls out region by region, a month apart, with three months to register in each. The West Midlands goes first, opening on 15 December 2026 with a deadline of 14 March 2027. London opens on 15 July 2027 and closes on 14 October 2027. The South West is last, with a deadline of 14 November 2027.

The deadline follows the property's location, not where the landlord lives. That matters for the many leaseholder-landlords who let a flat in one region and live in another.

The fee is £65 per property per year, pro-rated during the rollout. For now, only let properties have to be registered. Registration also has teeth. Landlords who fail to register face civil penalties and will be unable to rely on most possession grounds.

The ombudsman comes next

The other half of that 23% finding is the PRS Landlord Ombudsman, which every private landlord in England will have to join. The government's implementation roadmap expects membership to become mandatory in 2028.

For blocks, the interesting question is repairs. A tenant's complaint about a roof leak, damp in a stairwell or a broken door entry system will be made against their landlord. But in a leasehold flat, the landlord rarely controls the common parts. Leaseholder-landlords will need clear evidence of what they reported to the managing agent and when, so agents should expect more requests for repair histories. The government is also consulting on extending Awaab's Law to private renting, which would put firm timescales on damp and mould.

Three things agents can do now

First, know who's letting. Most leases require notice of subletting, but records drift. A quick check of which flats are let, and by whom, tells you how many registration requests to expect and which regions they fall in.

Second, have a standard answer ready. Landlords will need the freeholder's and managing agent's names and email addresses. A short template reply, and a single inbox for these requests, will save hours once your region opens.

Third, tell your leaseholders before the deadline does. A paragraph in the next newsletter or with the service charge demand, giving the regional deadline and the £65 fee, costs nothing. It also makes you the helpful party rather than the one chased at the last minute.

A shared problem

Most of the Renters' Rights Act was written with the landlord and tenant in mind. The database and ombudsman quietly pull a third party into that relationship. Managing agents who prepare now will find the next year easier, and their leaseholder-landlords will be glad someone told them.

Richard Samuel is Chief Executive of August, the HMRC-recognised property management platform for UK landlords.