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Do landlords have to join a landlord association?
By the VoxaMTD team. Last verified 31 October 2026
No. Joining a landlord association is a choice, not a legal duty. The memberships the Renters' Rights Act makes compulsory in England are registration on the PRS database and joining the Private Rented Sector Landlord Ombudsman, neither of which is a trade body.
An association such as the NRLA is a separate organisation that landlords pay to join. The NRLA describes itself as the UK's largest membership organisation for private residential landlords, with over 110,000 members across England and Wales, and offers advice, templates, discounts and representation. Its membership is annual and can be cancelled at any time.
Whether it is worth paying depends on how much help you want. A landlord with one let and a good letting agent may need little, while someone with several properties may value an advice line and documents. Compare what each body offers, including price, before you join, and treat anything an association says about the law as a summary to check against GOV.UK.
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