All landlords in England must begin registering their properties on the government's new national database from December, with the West Midlands first in line.
The rest of the country will follow over the next 12 months.
Alongside the announcement, the government has also revealed that HMRC will take over rent disputes from the First-tier Tribunal.
The 'Register your property’ service will become a legal requirement, with landlords facing a fine if they fail to sign up within the registration window for their region.
For individual landlords, the process will also mean supplying their personal address and date of birth, while those with properties in more than one part of England will need to keep track of different registration dates.
The first deadline for landlords in the West Midlands is when registration opens on 15 December, and the final deadline is 14 March 2027.
All landlords actively letting a property in England must be registered by 14 November 2027.
Registration timetable confirmed
The next deadline is for landlords in the East of England on 15 January 2027 and the East Midlands on 15 February.
The South East follows in March, Yorkshire and Humber in April, the North West in May and the North East in June.
London landlords will be called forward from 15 July, with the South West completing the rollout from 15 August 2027.
Landlords will have three months from the start date in their region to register properties which are already let or become occupied during the rollout.
Future legislation will extend the requirement to unoccupied properties before they are advertised.
And all landlords and letting agents will eventually have to include registration numbers in property adverts.
Database risks selective licensing duplication
Simon Thompson, the managing director of Accommodation for Students, said: "For landlords, the immediate implication is another compulsory registration regime, with deadlines to track and financial penalties for getting it wrong.
"The concern is that the new database appears to replicate much of what selective licensing already does in areas where landlords are required to register themselves and their properties with the council.
"That creates a real risk of duplication, particularly for landlords operating across several local authority areas or with student properties in different parts of the country."
He added: "It also raises the question of why compliant landlords should have to provide similar information more than once when government and councils could potentially share it.
"The test will be whether this develops into a genuinely useful national compliance system or simply becomes another administrative layer for landlords."
Property sector reaction to the landlord database
Scott Goldstein, a property disputes partner from Payne Hicks Beach, warned that the new system will operate alongside existing local licensing requirements.
He said: "The scheme will run parallel with existing registration schemes such as selective licensing, making it theoretically possible for the landlord to be liable for multiple fines of up to £7,000 each for a single property if he or she fails to register for more than one scheme."
He added: "These hefty penalties may well drive more and more small private landlords out of the market."
Ben Beadle, the chief executive of the National Residential Landlords Association, said the timetable provides landlords with certainty but questioned whether the database would become more than a national directory for councils.
He said: "Rather than just a list of local landlords, the database should be a genuine compliance tool that helps tenants and councils check that homes meet required standards, while enabling responsible landlords to demonstrate that they are meeting their obligations.
"Instead of simply requiring landlords to upload documents, the database should make intelligent use of existing data to verify compliance and ownership."
HMRC takes over rent disputes
Landlords will also see HMRC's Valuation Office take over responsibility for making initial decisions when tenants challenge rent increases.
Until that new system is introduced, tenants who dispute an increase must continue to apply to the First-tier Tribunal.
Where a challenge is made, the tenant will not have to pay the higher rent until the Tribunal reaches its final decision.
Housing Minister Matthew Pennycook said: "By transferring responsibility for making initial rent determinations to HMRC's Valuation Office, we will ensure that challenges to proposed rent increases are determined faster and pressure on the tribunal system is reduced, giving tenants and landlords confidence that rent disputes will continue to be resolved efficiently and effectively."
The NRLA has welcomed the move and Mr Beadle said: "A quicker, specialist rent determination service should benefit both tenants and landlords while easing pressure on an already stretched Tribunal system."
More information for landlords There's more information to help landlords about what they need to do on the government's 'Get ready: Register your rental property' page.
