Software supplier Veco has pledged to help letting agents and landlords prepare for the new Private Rented Sector Database, while questioning whether landlord registration will identify rogue landlords who deliberately operate outside the rules.
The company will keep developing its Veco and Veco Plus platforms to help agents manage the extra administration and compliance duties the regime introduces. Founded in 1990, Veco serves more than 2,000 offices across the UK.
Registration begins in the West Midlands on 15 December 2026, with other English regions following in stages until August 2027. Landlords will have three months to register properties in each region, paying an annual fee of £65 per property.
Veco’s chief executive believes the legislation has positive intentions, but the burden of landlord registration could fall hardest on landlords and agents who already operate responsibly.
“I support measures that raise standards in the Private Rented Sector, but there is an obvious question: will registration really flush out rogue landlords, or will those determined to operate outside the rules simply choose not to register?” said Richard Murray, chief executive of Veco (pictured).
“My concern is that the immediate cost and administrative burden will fall most heavily on good landlords who already do the right thing, and on reputable letting agents managing properties professionally on their behalf.
“The real test will be whether local authorities have the resources and determination to identify and pursue those who fail to register. Otherwise, we risk creating another layer of administration for the compliant majority without effectively tackling the minority who cause the problems.”
Veco’s landlord registration pledge
Under its new PRS Registration Pledge, Veco has committed to keeping clients informed as further government guidance emerges and to adapting its technology to help agents prepare for registration and ongoing compliance.
The company is developing functionality to identify affected properties, highlight missing information and record registration details, including identification numbers and relevant dates. Planned warnings, reminders and workflows will help agents track registration deadlines, compliance documents and changes to property or tenancy information that may need reporting. Veco will also explore integrating Veco Plus with the government’s registration service once the technical requirements and integration options become clear.
Murray sees the information already held in professional property management systems as one of the biggest opportunities to cut the administrative burden.
“For fully managed properties, much of the information required for registration is already held within Veco and Veco Plus,” he said. “Agents are maintaining landlord details, property records, tenancy information and compliance documentation as part of their everyday operations.
“It makes little sense for professional agents to have to duplicate information they already maintain.
“Our pledge is that Veco will continue adapting our technology to support the regulations, help agents understand what needs to be done and when, and make the best possible use of information already held within our systems.
“Technology should be reducing the administrative burden of compliance, not adding to it.”
Preparing for registration
Veco is encouraging letting agents to start reviewing their landlord, property, tenancy and compliance records ahead of the phased rollout, rather than waiting until registration becomes mandatory in their region. Legal responsibility for registration remains with landlords, although agents may be able to provide certain information on their behalf.
Murray links the pledge to Veco’s longstanding approach to customer relationships, which combines software development with personal support and a practical understanding of the businesses using its systems.
“Regulatory change is never straightforward, particularly for agents managing hundreds or thousands of properties on behalf of different landlords,” he added.
“Our responsibility is to support those businesses through the changes, both through the technology we provide and the relationships we have built with our clients.
“Good landlords and professional agents shouldn’t be disadvantaged for doing things properly. Our job is to make sure the technology helps them.”
