The PRS Database and Landlord Ombudsman: What’s Coming Before 2028

Most coverage of the Renters’ Rights Act focused on what changed on day one: the end of Section 21, periodic-only tenancies, the new Section 13 process. Behind them sits a second wave the Act enables but has not yet switched on, and none of it is optional to plan for.

The Private Rented Sector Database

The government’s roadmap sets out a phased rollout: a regional launch expected from late 2026, ahead of a fuller national database with public access and data-sharing expected in 2027. Once live, landlords are expected to register themselves and their properties before marketing or letting, giving councils and eventually tenants a way to check registration and compliance history in one place.

Keep a single, accurate record of every property you let, its certificates, and the entity that owns it. A database rollout exposes exactly the inconsistencies that go unremarked today: a property let under a slightly different landlord name, a certificate that expired without anyone noticing.

The Landlord Ombudsman

A new redress scheme, along the lines of the social-sector Housing Ombudsman, is expected to follow the database rather than launch beside it, with mandatory membership for private landlords from around 2028. Once mandatory, it is expected to investigate complaints and order remedies, including compensation, without a tenant needing to go to court first. Treat it as a reason to formalise how you handle complaints now: the scheme rewards a documented, timely response and penalises the absence of one, whatever the underlying outcome.

The Decent Homes Standard, extended

The Decent Homes Standard has set social-housing minimums for two decades: freedom from Category 1 hazards, a reasonable state of repair, reasonably modern facilities, and effective insulation and heating. The government has confirmed a private-sector version, with full compliance required by 2035. A long runway, but the widest physical scope, touching insulation, heating, kitchens and bathrooms in properties never assessed against a formal standard. A 2035 deadline is not a reason to defer: the properties most likely to need capital works are the ones you plan years ahead, not weeks.

Why the order matters

The database gives the state visibility, the Ombudsman gives tenants a low-friction way to escalate, and the Decent Homes Standard sets the bar both end up measuring against. A landlord who is registered, has a clean complaint record, and can already evidence Decent Homes condition is well placed whenever each piece switches on. One starting from nothing when the database reaches their region is several steps behind.