Changes log
What has changed in UK short-let rules?
This log lists every change to short-term let and holiday let rules in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland that the UK Short-Let Rules team has recorded: licensing, planning, visitor levies, council tax premiums and registration. Each entry links to its official source. There are 58 entries so far, the latest dated 2 Nov 2026; see the council pages or the visitor levy map for the rules in force now.
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November 2026
- England Added council pages for six English holiday-let hotspots: Canterbury, Thanet, Folkestone and Hythe, Rother, Chichester and King's Lynn and West Norfolk. All six charge a 100% second homes council tax premium, so 200% council tax, from 1 Apr 2025; holiday lets valued for business rates instead do not pay it. None has a short-let licence or an Article 4 direction on holiday lets. Draft local plans in Canterbury and Rother propose new limits on turning homes into holiday lets (not yet in force), and neighbourhood plans in West Wittering (Chichester), Heacham and Burnham Market (King's Lynn and West Norfolk) already require new homes to be principal residences.
Council pages: Canterbury, Chichester, Folkestone and Hythe, King's Lynn and West Norfolk, Rother, Thanet · Official source - Wales Now tracked: Eryri National Park Authority's Article 4 direction, in force since 1 June 2025, on the Gwynedd and Conwy pages. Inside the National Park, planning permission is needed to change a main home (C3) into a second home (C5) or short-term holiday let (C6), and to switch between C5 and C6. Homes already used as a second home or holiday let before 1 June 2025 are not affected. Cyngor Gwynedd's own direction stays quashed, and Conwy County Borough Council has not confirmed one for the area outside the park.
Council pages: Conwy, Gwynedd · Official source
October 2026
- Wales Pembrokeshire: the council has confirmed the second-home council tax premium stays at 125% from 1 April 2027 (2027-28), the same as 2026-27. Its premium page was revised on 29 Oct 2026 to add the 2027 rate.
Council page: Pembrokeshire · Official source - UK Budget 2026 (28 Oct 2026): the property income tax rates starting 6 April 2027 will be 2 points higher than previously announced, at 24% basic, 44% higher and 49% additional, in England, Wales and Northern Ireland (was 22/42/47%). Holiday-let profits count as property income. To be legislated in Finance Bill 2026-27; Scotland and Wales can set their own property rates.
Official source - England Budget 2026: from 1 April 2027, Small Business Rate Relief thresholds for retail, hospitality and leisure properties in England rise from £12,000 to £18,000 (100% relief) and from £15,000 to £21,000 (tapered relief). Whether self-catering holiday lets count as hospitality for this is UNVERIFIED; check when the detailed guidance is published. The Budget also repeats the plan to legislate so Strategic Authorities can bring in an Overnight Visitor Levy.
Official source - Scotland East Lothian Council did not approve a visitor levy on 27 Oct 2026. It agreed an independent review of its evidence and further assessment, with scheme options and recommendations to come to a later council meeting.
Council page: East Lothian · Official source - Scotland Confirmed from Highland Council: on 28 Sep 2026 its Economy and Infrastructure Committee agreed to submit two proposed short-term let control areas to Scottish Ministers, Inverness City and Highland Rural (several rural areas, including Aird and Loch Ness, Lochaber, Skye and Raasay, and Sutherland). Not in force until Ministers decide.
Council page: Highland · Official source - Wales Confirmed from the official minutes: Isle of Anglesey full Council kept the 100% second-home council tax premium for 2026/27 on 5 Mar 2026.
Council page: Isle of Anglesey · Official source - England Confirmed from the official minutes: Brighton & Hove Budget Council approved serviced accommodation as an exception to the second homes council tax premium on 26 Feb 2026, in force from 1 Apr 2026.
Council page: Brighton & Hove · Official source - England Liverpool's Submission Draft Local Plan 2043 (Regulation 19) keeps Policy TC7 on short-term lets: converting a home would not be supported where 10% or more of properties within 100m are HMOs or where it would over-concentrate short-term lets, and a management plan would be required. Not yet examined or adopted.
Council page: Liverpool · Official source - England Liverpool's consultation on a replacement selective landlord licensing scheme (current scheme ends March 2027) closed on 5 Oct 2026; no decision published yet. Selective licensing covers rented homes, not holiday lets.
Council page: Liverpool · Official source - Wales Now tracked: the Development of Tourism and Regulation of Visitor Accommodation (Wales) Act 2026 (2026 asc 10) received Royal Assent on 27 April 2026. It sets up licensing by the Welsh Ministers for self-contained self-catering lets, with standards on fire safety, electrical and gas checks, carbon monoxide alarms and public liability insurance. The licensing duty and offences are not in force: the legal default start is 4 March 2030, after consultation on regulations (fees are not set yet). Registering with the Welsh Revenue Authority by 31 March 2027 is a separate requirement.
Official source - Wales The Welsh Government has extended its consultation on the 182-day self-catering rule for local tax, and the 5 proposed exemptions, to 11:59pm on Fri 30 Oct 2026. It was due to close at 11:59pm on 23 Oct but the form closed early at 5pm. Email responses sent after 5pm on 23 Oct will still be counted. The current rules still apply.
Official source - Wales Re-checked the Wales 182-day business rates rule against GOV.UK guidance and the Non-Domestic Rating (Amendment of Definition of Domestic Property) (Wales) Order 2026 (WSI 2026/7). Both confirm that from 1 April 2026 a holiday let that wasn't let for 182 nights in the last 12 months can still qualify if its average nights let over the previous 2 or 3 years is at least 182, and that up to 14 nights a year donated to a registered charity (for free use by its beneficiaries) count. The Wales page row is marked verified. The old GOV.WALES self-catering business rates page now returns 404, so we link to the GOV.UK guidance instead.
Official source - Scotland Added the published short-term let licence fees for Glasgow (from April 2026: secondary letting grant £310 for up to 4 guests or £494 for 5 or more), Dundee (£310 to £3,100 by guest capacity, same for every licence type) and Fife (£295 to £826 for a full licence by occupancy). Our licence fee finder now lists fees for all 32 Scottish councils.
Council pages: Dundee City, Fife, Glasgow City · Official source - England Added council pages for Torbay (Torquay, Paignton and Brixham) and Brighton & Hove. Both charge a 100% second homes council tax premium, so 200% council tax, from 1 Apr 2025. Holiday lets valued for business rates instead do not pay it. Neither has a short-let licence or an Article 4 direction on holiday lets; Brighton & Hove says some short lets may need planning permission.
Council pages: Brighton & Hove, Torbay · Official source - England Added council pages for Bath and North East Somerset and New Forest (Hampshire). Both charge a 100% second homes council tax premium, so 200% council tax, from 1 Apr 2025, and still in 2026/27. Holiday lets valued for business rates instead do not pay it. Neither has a short-let licence or an Article 4 direction on holiday lets; the New Forest National Park's draft Local Plan proposes principal residence conditions on new homes.
Council pages: Bath and North East Somerset, New Forest · Official source - England Added council pages for West Devon (Tavistock and Okehampton) and Teignbridge (Newton Abbot, Teignmouth and Dawlish). Both charge a 100% second homes council tax premium, so 200% council tax, from 1 Apr 2025, and still in 2026/27. Holiday lets valued for business rates instead do not pay it. Neither has a short-let licence or an Article 4 direction on holiday lets; Teignbridge's new Local Plan requires new-build homes in five coastal parishes to be primary residences, and Dartmoor National Park conditions new holiday lets to holiday use only.
Council pages: Teignbridge, West Devon · Official source - England Added council pages for City of York and Derbyshire Dales (Matlock, Bakewell and Ashbourne). Both charge a 100% second homes council tax premium, so 200% council tax, from 1 Apr 2025. Holiday lets valued for business rates instead do not pay it. Neither has a short-let licence or an Article 4 direction on holiday lets; York has draft planning guidance on short-term holiday lets awaiting approval, and the York and North Yorkshire visitor levy report is now on both York and North Yorkshire pages.
Council pages: City of York, Derbyshire Dales, North Yorkshire · Official source - England Added council pages for Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole (BCP) and the Isles of Scilly. Both charge a 100% second homes council tax premium, so 200% council tax, from 1 Apr 2025; the Isles of Scilly adds a local exception for staff accommodation. Holiday lets valued for business rates instead do not pay it. Neither has a short-let licence or an Article 4 direction on holiday lets. BCP Council agreed a short-term lets motion on 12 May 2026 (use existing powers, map lets, gather evidence for a possible future Article 4 direction); the Isles of Scilly Local Plan resists turning permanent homes into holiday lets. The visitor levy map now shows the BCP Accommodation BID charge as void (ballot declared void in Jan 2025).
Council pages: Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole, Isles of Scilly · Official source - Wales Added council pages for Blaenau Gwent and Merthyr Tydfil, so all 22 Welsh councils now have a page. Merthyr Tydfil keeps its 100% second-home council tax premium for 2026/27 (full Council, 11 Feb 2026). Blaenau Gwent's own page says a 100% second-home premium starts from April 2026, but its 2026/27 return to the Welsh Government shows none, so we mark it unverified and suggest checking with the council. Neither has a visitor levy or an Article 4 direction on short lets; WRA registration still applies by 31 Mar 2027.
Council pages: Blaenau Gwent, Merthyr Tydfil · Official source - Wales Added council pages for Caerphilly (100% second-home council tax premium since April 2025, still charged in 2026/27; long-term empty premium only after 2 years, up to 300% after 5) and Torfaen (no second-home premium: one of only two Welsh councils not charging one in 2026/27, though the council says it is considering premiums subject to consultation). Neither has a visitor levy or an Article 4 direction on short lets; WRA registration still applies by 31 Mar 2027.
Council pages: Caerphilly, Torfaen · Official source - Wales Added council pages for Neath Port Talbot (100% second-home council tax premium since April 2025, plus a new 6-month premium exception from April 2026 for self-catering lets moved off business rates onto council tax) and Rhondda Cynon Taf (100% second-home premium since April 2024). Neither has a visitor levy or an Article 4 direction; WRA registration still applies by 31 Mar 2027.
Council pages: Neath Port Talbot, Rhondda Cynon Taf · Official source - Wales Added council pages for Bridgend (second-home council tax premium rose to 200%, a triple bill, from April 2026, among the highest in Wales) and Newport (100% second-home premium since April 2025, which the council says can include holiday lets on council tax). Neither has a visitor levy or an Article 4 direction; WRA registration still applies by 31 Mar 2027.
Council pages: Bridgend, Newport · Official source - Wales Added council pages for Wrexham (50% second-home council tax premium, one of the lowest in Wales, unchanged since 2017) and Flintshire (100% second-home premium since April 2023, kept for 2026/27). Neither has a visitor levy or an Article 4 direction; WRA registration still applies by 31 Mar 2027.
Council pages: Flintshire, Wrexham · Official source - Wales Added council pages for Monmouthshire (100% second-home council tax premium, unchanged for 2026/27; a property moving from business rates to council tax is free of the premium for 12 months) and Vale of Glamorgan (100% second-home premium reaffirmed for 2026/27). Neither has a visitor levy or an Article 4 direction; WRA registration still applies by 31 Mar 2027.
Council pages: Monmouthshire, Vale of Glamorgan · Official source - Scotland Added council pages for North Lanarkshire (one licence fee for all types: £315 up to 4 guests, £472.50 for 5 or more; levy feasibility work under way, no consultation yet) and East Dunbartonshire (3-year fee £594 for a secondary let up to 10 guests, same to renew; council decided in 2026 not to introduce a visitor levy). North Lanarkshire has its own levy map row; East Dunbartonshire is shown as 'No levy: decided against'.
Council pages: East Dunbartonshire, North Lanarkshire · Official source - England Added council pages for Torridge (north Devon coast) and East Lindsey (Lincolnshire coast, including Skegness and Mablethorpe areas). Both charge a 100% second homes council tax premium, so 200% council tax, from 1 Apr 2025. Holiday lets valued for business rates instead do not pay it. Neither has a short-let licence or an Article 4 direction on holiday lets.
Council pages: East Lindsey, Torridge · Official source - England Added council pages for Cotswold (Gloucestershire) and East Devon (Devon). Both charge a 100% second homes council tax premium, so 200% council tax, from 1 Apr 2025. Holiday lets valued for business rates instead do not pay it. Neither has a short-let licence or an Article 4 direction on holiday lets.
Council pages: Cotswold, East Devon · Official source - Scotland Added council pages for East Renfrewshire (licence fees by bedrooms, £972 to £1,293 for a new secondary let; no visitor levy proposed) and South Lanarkshire (2026/27 fees by guests, £381.43 to £953.58 for a secondary let, same fee to renew; visitor levy research under way, no formal consultation yet). East Renfrewshire added to the levy map's 'None proposed yet' group; South Lanarkshire has its own row.
Council pages: East Renfrewshire, South Lanarkshire · Official source - Scotland Added council pages for Inverclyde (2026/27 licence fees from £508 for a secondary let; levy decision on hold while the council monitors the national rollout) and Renfrewshire (2026/27 fees by bedrooms, £927 to £1,274 for a secondary let; renewal fee not published; levy proposition being developed). Both added to the levy map's 'None proposed yet' group.
Council pages: Inverclyde, Renfrewshire · Official source - Scotland Added council pages for Midlothian (2026/27 licence fees from £541 for a secondary let; levy to be reassessed in 2026) and West Lothian (planning permission or a certificate of lawfulness needed with every licence application; two conflicting fee tables flagged). Both added to the levy map's 'None proposed yet' group.
Council pages: Midlothian, West Lothian · Official source - England Added council pages for Liverpool and Sefton (second homes pay double council tax since 1 April 2025; holiday lets exempt from selective landlord licensing; Sefton short-term holiday lets planning guidance; Liverpool City Region Overnight Visitor Levy not yet in force).
Council pages: Liverpool, Sefton · Official source - Scotland Added council pages for East Ayrshire (new secondary let licence from £250; visitor levy paused until Aug 2027) and Clackmannanshire (2026/27 fees from £514.30 for a secondary let; no levy proposed). East Ayrshire moved to the 'paused' row on the levy map.
Council pages: Clackmannanshire, East Ayrshire · Official source - England Added council pages for East Suffolk and Somerset (100% second homes council tax premium since 1 April 2025; East Suffolk gives homes for sale up to 24 months' exception; no licensing scheme).
Council pages: East Suffolk, Somerset · Official source - Scotland Added a council page for North Ayrshire, including Arran and Cumbrae (licence £300 or £480 for a new secondary let from 1 April 2026; no control area; visitor levy not yet decided).
Council page: North Ayrshire · Official source - Scotland Added a free "Is your licence renewal due?" checker for Scottish short-term let licences: estimates your expiry date and when to start your renewal, with renewal rules from the 1982 Act, Scottish Government guidance and council pages (Highland, Edinburgh, Argyll and Bute, Na h-Eileanan Siar, Angus).
Council pages: Angus, Argyll and Bute, City of Edinburgh, Highland, Na h-Eileanan Siar (Western Isles) · Official source - Scotland Added council pages for South Ayrshire (visitor levy paused until August 2027 at the earliest; licensing policy and fees under review) and Angus (licence £349 to £588, renewals now up to 6 years; no control area), with licence fees and levy status.
Council pages: Angus, South Ayrshire · Official source - Scotland Added 4 Scottish council pages: Falkirk (5% visitor levy consultation open to 25 Nov 2026), Orkney Islands, Shetland Islands and Na h-Eileanan Siar (Western Isles), with 2026/27 licence fees and levy status. The three island councils are not pursuing an overnight levy.
Council pages: Falkirk, Na h-Eileanan Siar (Western Isles), Orkney Islands, Shetland Islands · Official source - England/Wales Added 8 council pages for holiday-let hotspots: North Norfolk, Dorset, South Hams, North Devon, Isle of Wight (100% second homes premium from 1 Apr 2025), Denbighshire (150%), Carmarthenshire (100%) and Swansea (100%), plus a free licence and registration checker.
Council pages: Carmarthenshire, Denbighshire, Dorset, Isle of Wight, North Devon, North Norfolk, South Hams, Swansea · Official source - Wales Welsh Government consultation on how self-catering properties are classified for local tax (including the 182-day letting threshold and 5 proposed exemptions) closed. No response or decision published yet; current rules still apply.
Official source - Wales GOV.UK Wales business rates guidance corrected: nights in stays over 28 nights don't count towards the 182 let nights, but can count towards the 252 available nights if the property could have been booked for 28 nights or less.
Official source - Wales WRA registration guidance updated: register by 31 Mar 2027.
Official source - England National STL register start pushed to 'expected March 2027'.
Official source - Scotland Argyll and Bute corrects figures in its control area consultation and extends it by two weeks, to 15 Nov 2026.
Council page: Argyll and Bute · Official source - Wales Duty to register visitor accommodation with the WRA starts.
Official source - Scotland Aberdeen (7%) and West Dunbartonshire (5%) visitor levies: bookings made from today are liable for stays from 1 Apr 2027 and 1 Jul 2027.
Council pages: Aberdeen City, West Dunbartonshire · Official source
September 2026
- England Business rates guidance adds rules for owners of 5+ lets and for mixed-use sites (effective 24 Jul 2026).
Official source - Wales Isle of Anglesey decides not to introduce a visitor levy at present; Conwy defers any decision. Cardiff remains the only Welsh council charging the levy.
Council pages: Cardiff, Conwy, Isle of Anglesey · Official source - Scotland Argyll and Bute opens consultation (to 15 Nov 2026) on a proposed short-term let control area covering Mull and Iona; Coll and Tiree; Islay, Jura and Colonsay; and Oban, Lorn and the Inner Isles.
Council page: Argyll and Bute · Official source - England Government announces an Overnight Visitor Levy power for mayors and Foundation Strategic Authorities (percentage of room cost; needs legislation).
Official source - Scotland Highland opens 12-week visitor levy consultation (£5 per room per night proposed).
Council page: Highland · Official source - Scotland Moray opens a consultation on whether to introduce a visitor levy (to 31 Oct 2026).
Council page: Moray · Official source
August 2026
- Scotland Dundee opens a 12-week visitor levy consultation on two options: £5 per room per night or 5% of the room rate, both capped at 7 nights (to 27 Nov 2026).
Council page: Dundee City · Official source - Northern Ireland Belfast City Council consults on draft planning guidance for short-term lets (to 16 Nov 2026).
Official source
July 2026
- Wales Welsh Government opens consultation on the 182-day self-catering rates rule and 5 proposed exemptions (closes Fri 23 Oct 2026).
Official source - Scotland Edinburgh 5% visitor levy goes live.
Council page: City of Edinburgh · Official source
February 2026
- Wales Gwynedd Article 4 direction ends after appeal refused.
Council page: Gwynedd · Official source
General information only, not legal advice. Always check the official source before acting.
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