More details revealing what information landlords will have to provide to the looming Property Portal have been published by the Government.

Ministers have told MPs that the digital platform, which will cover all privately rented properties within England and has been in testing since February, will include much more information than was previously thought and be used to apply penalties to landlords who do not conform to the new rules.

Nevertheless, the Government says it want to “minimise the burdens on private landlords submitting information”.

Required information will include gas and electrical safety certificates asking landlords to certify on the portal that their properties meet the Decent Homes Standard.

“We want the Portal to hold other information, including the property’s energy performance level, and the landlord’s membership of the new Private Rented Sector Landlord Ombudsman,” the Government says.

Responsibilities

“The Privately Rented Property Portal will provide clear and comprehensive information on landlord duties and responsibilities, helping landlords to demonstrate compliance and navigate their responsibilities.

“A new, consistent dataset of privately rented properties and their ownership arrangements will support local councils to enforce against unscrupulous landlords who undercut the responsible majority.”

It has also been confirmed that the information on the portal will be shared with local authorities, who will be empowered to penalise landlords who provide false or misleading information.

“We expect there will be a tiered penalty system with different penalties for different offences,” the Government says.

The portal will also replicate some of the functions of the existing Database of Rogue Landlords and Property Agents “to improve the quality of offence data available to local councils and support their enforcement against criminal landlords”.