Short-let rules by council
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Council pages updated since 26 Oct 2026: Pembrokeshire (30 Oct), East Lothian (29 Oct), Liverpool (28 Oct) and 3 more. We check all 89 council pages against official sources.
All councils
Find your council for its own page with official sources and key dates.
England (35)
| Council | Rule | Verified | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bath and North East Somerset | 100% council tax premium on second homes (200% bill) since 1 Apr 2025, with national exceptions. Holiday lets that qualify for business rates (140 nights available, 70 let) pay business rates instead. No licensing or local registration scheme. | ✔ | source |
| Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole | 100% council tax premium on second homes (200% bill) since 1 Apr 2025, with national exceptions. Holiday lets that qualify for business rates (140 nights available, 70 let) pay business rates instead. No licensing or local registration scheme; in May 2026 the council agreed to look at using existing powers on short lets and gather evidence for a possible future Article 4 direction. | ✔ | source |
| Brighton & Hove | 100% council tax premium on second homes (200% bill) since 1 Apr 2025, with national exceptions. Holiday lets that qualify for business rates (140 nights available, 70 let) pay business rates instead. No licensing or local registration scheme. | ✔ | source |
| Canterbury | 100% council tax premium on second homes (200% bill) since 1 Apr 2025, with national exceptions. Holiday lets that qualify for business rates (140 nights available, 70 let) pay business rates instead. No licensing or local registration scheme. The draft Local Plan (2026) proposes tests for changing a home into a short-term holiday let; not in force. | ✔ | source |
| Chichester | 100% council tax premium on second homes (200% bill) since 1 Apr 2025, with national exceptions. Holiday lets that qualify for business rates (140 nights available, 70 let) pay business rates instead. No licensing or local registration scheme. The West Wittering Neighbourhood Plan requires new open-market homes to be principal residences. | ✔ | source |
| Cornwall | 100% council tax second-home premium from 1 Apr 2025, with exceptions (e.g. holiday-only planning conditions). | ✔ | source |
| Cotswold | 100% council tax premium on second homes (200% bill) since 1 Apr 2025, with national exceptions. Holiday lets that qualify for business rates (140 nights available, 70 let) pay business rates instead. No licensing or local registration scheme. | ✔ | source |
| Cumberland | 100% council tax premium on second homes (200% bill) since 1 Apr 2025. Holiday lets that qualify for business rates (140 nights available, 70 let) pay business rates instead. No licensing or local registration scheme. | ✔ | source |
| Derbyshire Dales | 100% council tax premium on second homes (200% bill) since 1 Apr 2025, with national and local exceptions. Holiday lets that qualify for business rates (140 nights available, 70 let) pay business rates instead. No licensing or local registration scheme. | ✔ | source |
| Dorset | 100% council tax premium on second homes (200% bill) since 1 Apr 2025. Holiday lets that qualify for business rates (140 nights available, 70 let) pay business rates instead. No licensing or local registration scheme. | ✔ | source |
| East Devon | 100% council tax premium on second homes (200% bill) since 1 Apr 2025, with national exceptions. Holiday lets that qualify for business rates (140 nights available, 70 let) pay business rates instead. No licensing or local registration scheme. | ✔ | source |
| East Lindsey | 100% council tax premium on second homes (200% bill) since 1 Apr 2025, with national exceptions. Holiday lets that qualify for business rates (140 nights available, 70 let) pay business rates instead. No licensing or local registration scheme. | ✔ | source |
| East Suffolk | 100% council tax premium on second homes (200% bill) since 1 Apr 2025, with homes for sale exempt for up to 24 months. Holiday lets that qualify for business rates (140 nights available, 70 let) pay business rates instead. No licensing or local registration scheme. | ✔ | source |
| Folkestone and Hythe | 100% council tax premium on second homes (200% bill) since 1 Apr 2025, with national exceptions. Holiday lets that qualify for business rates (140 nights available, 70 let) pay business rates instead. No licensing or local registration scheme. No Article 4 direction on holiday lets. | ✔ | source |
| Greater London (all boroughs) | 90 nights per calendar year whole-home cap without planning permission. | ✔ | source |
| Isle of Wight | 100% council tax premium on second homes (200% bill) since 1 Apr 2025. Holiday lets that qualify for business rates (140 nights available, 70 let) pay business rates instead. No licensing or local registration scheme. | ✔ | source |
| Isles of Scilly | 100% council tax premium on second homes (200% bill) since 1 Apr 2025, with national exceptions and a local staff accommodation exception. Holiday lets that qualify for business rates (140 nights available, 70 let) pay business rates instead. No licensing or local registration scheme. The Local Plan resists losing permanent homes to holiday lets. | ✔ | source |
| King's Lynn and West Norfolk | 100% council tax premium on second homes (200% bill) since 1 Apr 2025, with national exceptions, plus local exceptions. Holiday lets that qualify for business rates (140 nights available, 70 let) pay business rates instead. No licensing or local registration scheme. Heacham and Burnham Market neighbourhood plans require new homes to be principal residences. | ✔ | source |
| Liverpool | Second homes pay double council tax since 1 Apr 2025; holiday lets that pass the business rates test (140 nights available, 70 let) pay business rates instead. No short-let licence: holiday lets are exempt from selective landlord licensing. The city centre £2 Accommodation BID charge only covers hotels and serviced accommodation rated £45,000+. No visitor levy yet, but the City Region Mayor is getting the power to bring one in. | ✔ | source |
| New Forest | 100% council tax premium on second homes (200% bill) since 1 Apr 2025, with national exceptions. Holiday lets that qualify for business rates (140 nights available, 70 let) pay business rates instead. No licensing or local registration scheme. | ✔ | source |
| North Devon | 100% council tax premium on second homes (200% bill) since 1 Apr 2025. Holiday lets that qualify for business rates (140 nights available, 70 let) pay business rates instead. No licensing or local registration scheme. | ✔ | source |
| North Norfolk | 100% council tax premium on second homes (200% bill) since 1 Apr 2025. Holiday lets that qualify for business rates (140 nights available, 70 let) pay business rates instead. No licensing or local registration scheme. | ✔ | source |
| North Yorkshire | 100% council tax premium on second homes (200% bill) since 1 Apr 2025, kept unchanged for 2026-27. Holiday lets that qualify for business rates (140 nights available, 70 let) pay business rates instead. No licensing or local registration scheme. | ✔ | source |
| Northumberland | 100% council tax premium on second homes (200% bill) since 1 Apr 2025. Holiday lets that qualify for business rates (140 nights available, 70 let) pay business rates instead. No licensing or local registration scheme. | ✔ | source |
| Rother | 100% council tax premium on second homes (200% bill) since 1 Apr 2025, with national exceptions. Holiday lets that qualify for business rates (140 nights available, 70 let) pay business rates instead. No licensing or local registration scheme (a voluntary scheme has run since 2019). The draft Local Plan 2025-2042 would stop homes being lost to holiday lets in Camber, Rye, Rye Foreign and Icklesham where permission is needed; not in force. | ✔ | source |
| Sefton | Second homes pay double council tax since 1 Apr 2025; holiday lets that pass the business rates test (140 nights available, 70 let) pay business rates instead. Planning guidance since Dec 2024 says letting rooms separately or to oversized groups needs permission, with a 5% cap within 100 m in residential areas. No short-let licence. No visitor levy yet, but the City Region Mayor is getting the power to bring one in. | ✔ | source |
| Somerset | 100% council tax premium on second homes (200% bill) since 1 Apr 2025, including homes with a planning restriction on occupation unless an exception applies. Holiday lets that qualify for business rates (140 nights available, 70 let) pay business rates instead. No licensing or local registration scheme. | ✔ | source |
| South Hams | 100% council tax premium on second homes (200% bill) since 1 Apr 2025, plus local discretionary exceptions. Holiday lets that qualify for business rates (140 nights available, 70 let) pay business rates instead. No licensing or local registration scheme. | ✔ | source |
| Teignbridge | 100% council tax premium on second homes (200% bill) since 1 Apr 2025, with national exceptions. Holiday lets that qualify for business rates (140 nights available, 70 let) pay business rates instead. No licensing or local registration scheme. | ✔ | source |
| Thanet | 100% council tax premium on second homes (200% bill) since 1 Apr 2025, with national exceptions. Holiday lets that qualify for business rates (140 nights available, 70 let) pay business rates instead. No licensing or local registration scheme. No Article 4 direction on holiday lets; a new Local Plan is at an early stage. | ✔ | source |
| Torbay | 100% council tax premium on second homes (200% bill) since 1 Apr 2025, with national exceptions. Holiday lets that qualify for business rates (140 nights available, 70 let) pay business rates instead. No licensing or local registration scheme. | ✔ | source |
| Torridge | 100% council tax premium on second homes (200% bill) since 1 Apr 2025. Holiday lets that qualify for business rates (140 nights available, 70 let) pay business rates instead. No licensing or local registration scheme. | ✔ | source |
| West Devon | 100% council tax premium on second homes (200% bill) since 1 Apr 2025, with national exceptions. Holiday lets that qualify for business rates (140 nights available, 70 let) pay business rates instead. No licensing or local registration scheme. | ✔ | source |
| Westmorland and Furness | 100% council tax premium on second homes (200% bill) since 1 Apr 2025, with national and local discretionary exceptions. Holiday lets that qualify for business rates (140 nights available, 70 let) pay business rates instead. No licensing or local registration scheme. | ✔ | source |
| City of York | 100% council tax premium on second homes (200% bill) since 1 Apr 2025. Holiday lets that qualify for business rates (140 nights available, 70 let) pay business rates instead. No licensing or local registration scheme. The council says some holiday lets need planning permission; draft short-term let planning guidance (2026) is not yet approved. | ✔ | source |
Scotland (32)
| Council | Rule | Verified | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aberdeen City | 7% visitor levy on the whole stay from 1 Apr 2027 (bookings made from 1 Oct 2026). No control area. Licence fees from £470.40 (home sharing/letting, 1–2 guests) and £492.80 (secondary letting, 1–2 guests), effective 1 Jan 2026. No temporary licences or exemptions granted. | ✔ | source |
| Aberdeenshire | Licence needed (3-year licence, £364 to £1,006 by guest numbers and licence type). No control area. No visitor levy scheme proposed yet. | ✔ | source |
| Angus | Licence needed (£349 to £588 by guest numbers; 3-year grant, renewals up to 6 years). No control area. No visitor levy: the council is still at early engagement. | ✔ | source |
| Argyll and Bute | Consulting (21 Sep to 15 Nov 2026) on a proposed control area for Mull and Iona; Coll and Tiree; Islay, Jura and Colonsay; and Oban, Lorn and the Inner Isles. Not in force. Visitor levy consultation (flat rate per room per night proposed) closed 5 Oct 2026; no decision yet. 3-year licence from £285.30 (home sharing/letting, up to 4 guests) or £398.95 (secondary letting, up to 4 guests). | ✔ | source |
| Clackmannanshire | Licence needed (£514.30 or £628.70 for a new secondary let in 2026/27, by guest numbers). No control area. No visitor levy proposed. | ✔ | source |
| Dumfries and Galloway | Licence needed (3-year licence, £324 to £454 by guest numbers and licence type). No control area. Visitor levy plans dropped in June 2026. | ✔ | source |
| Dundee City | No control area. Visitor levy consultation 31 Aug to 27 Nov 2026 on £5 per room per night or 5% of the room rate (both capped at 7 nights); earliest start 2028/29. | ✔ | source |
| East Ayrshire | Licence needed (£250 or £400 for a new secondary let, by guest numbers). No control area. Visitor levy paused until August 2027. | ✔ | source |
| East Dunbartonshire | Licence needed (secondary let £594 up to 10 guests, +£55 per extra 5; same fee to renew). No control area. No visitor levy: council decided against one in 2026. | ✔ | source |
| East Lothian | Licence needed (3-year licence from £1,154 for 1 to 5 occupants, 2026/27 fees). No control area, but check planning before applying. Draft 5% visitor levy consulted on (26 Jun to 18 Sep 2026). On 27 Oct 2026 the council did not approve a levy; it agreed an independent review and further assessment, with options and recommendations to come back in a later report. | ✔ | source |
| East Renfrewshire | Licence needed (secondary let £972 to £1,293 by bedrooms; renewal £805 to £1,126). Check planning with the council before applying. No control area. No visitor levy proposed. | ✔ | source |
| City of Edinburgh | Whole-city control area (planning likely needed for secondary lets). 5% visitor levy from 24 Jul 2026, capped at 5 nights. First levy returns due by 30 Oct 2026, payment by 13 Nov 2026. | ✔ | source |
| Falkirk | Licence needed (£157.50 to £504 on the 2025/26 table). No control area. Consultation on a 5% visitor levy runs to 25 Nov 2026; full Council expected to decide in January 2027. | ✔ | source |
| Fife | No control area in force (council consulted on the principle in 2025). Visitor levy: early engagement only so far; council says the earliest a levy could start is 2028. | ✔ | source |
| Glasgow City | 5% visitor levy from 25 Jan 2027 on the whole stay; applies to bookings made from 1 Apr 2026. | ✔ | source |
| Highland | Badenoch & Strathspey control area; proposed Inverness City and Highland Rural control areas agreed for submission to Ministers on 28 Sep 2026 (not in force). Consulting on a £5 per room per night levy until 30 Nov 2026; decision due 10 Dec 2026. | ✔ | source |
| Inverclyde | Licence needed (£508 for a secondary let for up to 4 guests from Apr 2026; renewal £451). Check planning with the council before applying. No control area. No visitor levy; council monitoring the national rollout. | ✔ | source |
| Midlothian | Licence needed (£541 for a secondary let up to 4 bedrooms, new or renewal, from Apr 2026). No control area. No visitor levy; council to reassess in 2026. | ✔ | source |
| Moray | Licence needed (£540 new or renewal from 1 Apr 2026). No control area. Consultation on whether to have a visitor levy at all runs to 31 Oct 2026; no decision made. | ✔ | source |
| Na h-Eileanan Siar (Western Isles) | Licence needed (base fee £189 or £294 plus £21 per guest, 2026/27). No control area. Accommodation-based visitor levy paused. | ✔ | source |
| North Ayrshire | Licence needed (£300 or £480 for a new secondary let, by guest numbers; covers Arran and Cumbrae). No control area. No visitor levy decided yet. Second homes pay double council tax since April 2025. | ✔ | source |
| North Lanarkshire | Licence needed (£315 up to 4 guests, £472.50 for 5 or more, any licence type; renewal fee not published, check with council). No control area; check planning separately. No visitor levy yet; council exploring one. | ✔ | source |
| Orkney Islands | Licence needed (£275 to £583 for 3 years, 25% off on non-linked isles). No control area. Council decided against an overnight visitor levy on 23 Sep 2025. | ✔ | source |
| Perth & Kinross | Licence fees, 3-year licence, new or renewal (Policy Statement, 10 Mar 2025). Secondary letting: £350 (1–2 guests), £530 (3–6), £900 (7–10), £1,600 (11+). Home letting/sharing: £175 / £265 / £450 / £800. Variation or transfer £75. Proposed control area (Highland Perthshire + N. Eastern Perthshire) agreed 17 Jun 2026; Ministers' approval on 12 Oct 2026 reported in planning press (UNVERIFIED); not in force until a designation notice is published. Flats already need planning permission to become a short-term let. Visitor levy: draft scheme with fixed-rate options under consultation 19 Aug to 11 Nov 2026, no decision yet (reported £4 per room per night UNVERIFIED). Public register at pkc.gov.uk/article/22511. | ✔ | source |
| Renfrewshire | Licence needed (secondary let £927 to £1,274 by bedrooms from Apr 2026; renewal fee not published, check with council). Licence lasts 3 years; renew at least 6 weeks before expiry. No control area. No visitor levy yet. | ✔ | source |
| Scottish Borders | Licence needed (3-year licence, £417 to £537 by guest numbers). No control area. No visitor levy proposed. | ✔ | source |
| Shetland Islands | Licence needed (£210 to £530 by guest numbers, 2026/27). No control area. Council decided against an overnight visitor levy in Sep 2025. | ✔ | source |
| South Ayrshire | Licence needed (£300 or £480 for a new secondary let, by guest numbers). No control area, but every application includes a planning operational statement. Visitor levy work paused until August 2027 at the earliest. | ✔ | source |
| South Lanarkshire | Licence needed (secondary let £381.43 to £953.58 by guests from Apr 2026; same fee for renewal). No control area; planning checked case by case. No visitor levy yet; council researching one. | ✔ | source |
| Stirling | 3% visitor levy from 14 Jun 2027 (bookings made from 1 Jan 2027); Stirling residents and nights beyond 7 refunded. No control area. Licence fees from £113 (home letting/sharing, up to 4) and £283 (secondary letting, up to 4), as published for 2025-26. | ✔ | source |
| West Dunbartonshire | 5% visitor levy on the whole stay from 1 Jul 2027 (bookings made and paid for from 1 Oct 2026). No control area. Licence grant or renewal £929. | ✔ | source |
| West Lothian | Licence needed, and every application must include planning permission or a certificate of lawfulness. Fees by size (2025/26 schedule: £500.86 to £1,113.03 for a secondary let; check with council). No control area. No visitor levy yet. | ✔ | source |
Wales (22)
| Council | Rule | Verified | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Blaenau Gwent | Second-home council tax premium UNVERIFIED for 2026/27: the council page says 100% from 1 Apr 2026, but its 2026/27 return shows none, so check with the council. Long-term empty premium up to 300%. Holiday lets need free WRA registration by 31 Mar 2027. No visitor levy. | ✔ | source |
| Bridgend | 200% council tax premium on second homes (300% bill) from 1 Apr 2026, up from 100% since Apr 2024. Holiday lets need free WRA registration by 31 Mar 2027. No visitor levy. | ✔ | source |
| Caerphilly | 100% council tax premium on second homes (200% bill) since 1 Apr 2025, still charged in 2026/27. Holiday lets need free WRA registration by 31 Mar 2027. No visitor levy. | ✔ | source |
| Cardiff | Visitor levy from 1 Apr 2027 (£1.30 per person per night). | ✔ | source |
| Carmarthenshire | 100% council tax premium on second homes (200% bill) since 1 Apr 2025. Holiday lets need free WRA registration by 31 Mar 2027. No visitor levy. | ✔ | source |
| Ceredigion | Council tax second-home premium of 150% (250% of the standard bill) since 1 Apr 2025, covering second homes and self-catering units not in business rates. No visitor levy decision found. | ✔ | source |
| Conwy | Visitor levy decision deferred by Full Council on 24 Sep 2026. Council tax second-home premium of 150% (250% of the standard bill) kept for 2026-27 and 2027-28. Parts of Conwy inside Eryri National Park: the park authority's Article 4 direction has applied since 1 Jun 2025 (planning permission needed to change a main home to a second home or holiday let). The council has not confirmed any Article 4 direction for the rest of the county. | ✔ | source |
| Denbighshire | 150% council tax premium on second homes (250% bill), kept from 1 Apr 2026. Holiday lets need free WRA registration by 31 Mar 2027. No visitor levy. | ✔ | source |
| Flintshire | 100% council tax premium on second homes (200% bill) since 1 Apr 2023, kept for 2026/27. Holiday lets need free WRA registration by 31 Mar 2027. No visitor levy. | ✔ | source |
| Gwynedd | Cyngor Gwynedd's Article 4 direction (C3 to C5/C6) quashed. Not in force since the Court of Appeal refused appeal on 6 Feb 2026. Inside Eryri National Park, the park authority's Article 4 direction has applied since 1 Jun 2025, so changing a main home to a second home or holiday let there needs planning permission. Visitor levy: consulted 20 May to 26 Jul 2026; on 24 Sep 2026 Full Council agreed the final decision will come back to it once the consultation responses have been fully analysed (no date set). No levy decision yet. | ✔ | source |
| Isle of Anglesey | No visitor levy: Full Council decided on 24 Sep 2026 not to introduce one at present. Council tax second-home premium kept at 100% for 2026-27 (so a second home pays double). | ✔ | source |
| Merthyr Tydfil | 100% council tax premium on second homes (200% bill) since 1 Apr 2024, kept for 2026/27. Holiday lets need free WRA registration by 31 Mar 2027. No visitor levy. | ✔ | source |
| Monmouthshire | 100% council tax premium on second homes (200% bill) since 1 Apr 2024, with a 12-month exception for lets moving from business rates to council tax. Holiday lets need free WRA registration by 31 Mar 2027. No visitor levy. | ✔ | source |
| Neath Port Talbot | 100% council tax premium on second homes (200% bill) since 1 Apr 2025, still charged in 2026/27; 6-month exception for self-catering lets moved off business rates. Holiday lets need free WRA registration by 31 Mar 2027. No visitor levy. | ✔ | source |
| Newport | 100% council tax premium on second homes (200% bill) since 1 Apr 2025, still charged in 2026/27. Holiday lets need free WRA registration by 31 Mar 2027. No visitor levy. | ✔ | source |
| Pembrokeshire | Council tax second-home premium of 125% from 1 Apr 2026 (on top of the standard charge), down from 150% in 2025-26. The council has confirmed it stays at 125% from 1 Apr 2027 (2027-28). | ✔ | source |
| Powys | Council tax second-home premium of 75% (175% of the standard bill), in place since 1 Apr 2023 and unchanged for 2026-27. No visitor levy at this stage; any levy left to the council elected in May 2027, earliest start 2028. | ✔ | source |
| Rhondda Cynon Taf | 100% council tax premium on second homes (200% bill) since 1 Apr 2024. Holiday lets need free WRA registration by 31 Mar 2027. No visitor levy. | ✔ | source |
| Swansea | 100% council tax premium on second homes (200% bill) since 1 Apr 2021. Holiday lets need free WRA registration by 31 Mar 2027. No visitor levy. | ✔ | source |
| Torfaen | No council tax premium on second homes or long-term empty homes in 2026/27 (council says it is considering one, subject to consultation). Holiday lets need free WRA registration by 31 Mar 2027. No visitor levy. | ✔ | source |
| Vale of Glamorgan | 100% council tax premium on second homes (200% bill) since 1 Apr 2024, kept for 2026/27. Holiday lets need free WRA registration by 31 Mar 2027. No visitor levy. | ✔ | source |
| Wrexham | 50% council tax premium on second homes (150% bill), unchanged since 1 Apr 2017 and still charged in 2026/27. Holiday lets need free WRA registration by 31 Mar 2027. No visitor levy. | ✔ | source |
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