Short-term let rules in Blackpool (updated 4 Nov 2026)
Last checked: 11 official source pages for this council scanned automatically for changes on 4 Nov 2026What changed
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Dates we're watching for Blackpool (1)
- Mar 2027: England short-term let register expected (GOV.UK)
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Latest change for all England holiday lets (3 Nov 2026): Budget 2026 details confirmed: from 1 April 2027 the higher Small Business Rate Relief thresholds (100% relief up to 拢18,000 rateable value, tapering to 拢21,000) cover self-catering holiday lets that pay business rates, and mortgage interest relief rises to 24% from 6 April 2027 once Finance Bill 2026-27 passes. Source
No change specific to Blackpool in our log (last checked 4 Nov 2026). Get free alerts for Blackpool so you hear when that changes, plus changes that apply across England.
The council says most Airbnb-style holiday flats and houses (self-contained, no on-site management) are a sui generis use needing planning permission, supported in principle only in the Town Centre, Resort Core and six Holiday Accommodation Areas. 100% council tax premium on second homes (200% bill) since 1 Apr 2025, which the council says can include short-term holiday lets; lets that qualify for business rates (140/70 nights) pay business rates instead. No licensing scheme.
Licensing or registration
None foundNo licensing or local registration scheme. A national short-term let register for England is coming under the Levelling-up and Regeneration Act 2023; GOV.UK (updated 2 Oct 2026) says it is expected to begin in March 2027.
Until then, the main local rules are council tax or business rates, planning, and fire safety.
Source: source
Control area / planning
AppliesBlackpool says most Airbnb-style holiday lets need planning permission. Its advice note on serviced holiday accommodation (page last updated April 2023) says self-contained holiday flats and houses with no on-site management, let to different visitors with cleaning and fresh linen between stays, are a sui generis use, different from both a home (class C3) and a hotel or guest house (class C1).
So turning a home, or a hotel or guest house, into one needs planning permission, and no permitted development right allows it. It says a holiday home stays in class C3 only rarely, generally where it is the owner's own second or holiday home, or their own home let very occasionally while they are away.
New holiday accommodation is supported in principle in the Town Centre, the Resort Core and the six Holiday Accommodation Areas (The Cliffs, North Town Centre, South Town Centre, Foxhall, South Beach and Pleasure Beach North); outside these, permission "generally will not be granted".
Even inside them the council weighs the size of the property, its communal and outdoor space and the neighbours; holiday flat schemes should be no more than 30% one-bedroom units and meet residential space standards, and permissions are likely to carry conditions such as a maximum occupancy.
The opposite change is also controlled: under Core Strategy Policy CS23 (2016) and the Holiday Accommodation SPD (November 2017), turning holiday accommodation into homes is resisted inside the main Holiday Accommodation Areas except in exceptional circumstances, but allowed outside them.
No Article 4 direction aimed at holiday lets: the national planning data register lists 6 for Blackpool (small HMOs from 2022, locally listed buildings, the Stanley Park and Raikes Hall conservation areas, and the Promenade from 1949).
The Local Plan Part 2 was adopted on 22 Feb 2023, and the council has started work on a new local plan to 2042.
Visitor levy
None foundNo visitor levy. On 10 Sep 2026 the government announced that mayors and Foundation Strategic Authority leaders in England will get the power to bring in an Overnight Visitor Levy, as a percentage of the accommodation price. A bill is still to come, so nothing applies yet.
Source: source
Fees
No short-let fees. Council tax: from 1 Apr 2025 Blackpool charges a 100% premium on homes that are substantially furnished and occupied only from time to time (second homes), so the bill doubles.
The council says this can include holiday homes and short-term holiday lets where the guests' main home is elsewhere, and furnished rental homes that are empty between lets. Council agreed it on 21 Feb 2024 and gave notice on 14 Mar 2024.
Exceptions (national rules from 1 Apr 2025) include: annexes treated as part of the main home (Class F); homes actively marketed for sale or let (Classes G and H, 12 months); probate (Class I, 12 months); job-related homes (Class J); occupied caravan pitches and boat moorings (Class K); and seasonal homes where year-round living is banned, or a planning condition limits use to holiday accommodation or stops anyone staying more than 28 days in a row (Class L).
Exceptions are not automatic: apply to the council with evidence (for Class L it asks for a copy of the certificate of lawfulness). Homes empty and substantially unfurnished pay a premium after 1 year: 100% (1 to 5 years), 200% (5 to 10 years) and 300% (over 10 years), with two local exceptions (a year after a sale, and 2 years after probate).
If your holiday let meets the business rates test (available at least 140 nights and actually let at least 70 nights in the last 12 months, and you plan to offer 140 nights in the next 12), it is valued for business rates instead of council tax, so the premium does not apply.
A single let with a rateable value under 拢15,000 may get small business rate relief.
Compare second homes council tax premiums across UK councils
What changed in Blackpool
- Added council pages for Manchester and Blackpool. Both have charged a 100% second homes council tax premium, so 200% council tax, since 1 Apr 2025. Blackpool's planning advice says most Airbnb-style holiday flats and houses need planning permission, which is generally supported only in the town centre, resort core and six holiday accommodation areas. Manchester has no short-let planning policy, and its 拢1 City Visitor Charge applies only to larger city centre accommodation businesses. Holiday lets valued for business rates instead do not pay the premium, and neither council has a short-let licence. Official source
- All England lets Confirmed two Budget 2026 details for holiday lets. The higher Small Business Rate Relief thresholds from 1 April 2027 (100% relief up to 拢18,000 rateable value, tapering to 拢21,000) cover self-catering holiday lets that pay business rates, because they use the retail, hospitality and leisure definition, which includes self-catering accommodation and holiday homes. And mortgage interest relief for let property is given at the property basic rate under Finance Act 2026, so it rises to 24% from 6 April 2027 once Finance Bill 2026-27 passes. Official source
- Rules on this page last checked in full against the official sources listed above.
Newest first. Every UK change is in the changes log. Nothing here is legal advice: check the official source before acting.
England guides
- Do I need planning permission for a holiday let in England?
- Holiday let fire safety in England: what you need and a checklist
- Second homes council tax premium: who pays, business rates and exceptions
- Business rates or council tax? Occupancy threshold tracker
- How holiday lets are taxed since the FHL regime ended
Not sure what applies to your let? Use the free licence checker: pick your nation, council and type of let for a plain-English answer with the official source.
Buying here? See the buyer checks for Blackpool: licence or registration, planning, visitor levy, business rates or council tax, plus the lender, insurance and title checks to make before you buy.
Key dates
- 2016: Core Strategy adopted (Policy CS23 on holiday accommodation)
- Nov 2017: Holiday Accommodation SPD adopted
- 22 Feb 2023: Local Plan Part 2 adopted
- 21 Feb 2024: Council agreed the second homes premium
- 1 Apr 2025: 100% second homes premium started
- Mar 2027: England short-term let register expected (GOV.UK)
Blackpool short-let rules: quick answers
Do I need a licence or registration for a short-term let in Blackpool?
No licensing or local registration scheme. A national short-term let register for England is coming under the Levelling-up and Regeneration Act 2023; GOV.UK (updated 2 Oct 2026) says it is expected to begin in March 2027. Until then, the main local rules are council tax or business rates, planning, and fire safety.
Do I need planning permission for a short-term let in Blackpool?
Blackpool says most Airbnb-style holiday lets need planning permission. Its advice note on serviced holiday accommodation (page last updated April 2023) says self-contained holiday flats and houses with no on-site management, let to different visitors with cleaning and fresh linen between stays, are a sui generis use, different from both a home (class C3) and a hotel or guest house (class C1). So turning a home, or a hotel or guest house, into one needs planning permission, and no permitted development right allows it. It says a holiday home stays in class C3 only rarely, generally where it is the owner's own second or holiday home, or their own home let very occasionally while they are away. New holiday accommodation is supported in principle in the Town Centre, the Resort Core and the six Holiday Accommodation Areas (The Cliffs, North Town Centre, South Town Centre, Foxhall, South Beach and Pleasure Beach North); outside these, permission "generally will not be granted". Even inside them the council weighs the size of the property, its communal and outdoor space and the neighbours; holiday flat schemes should be no more than 30% one-bedroom units and meet residential space standards, and permissions are likely to carry conditions such as a maximum occupancy. The opposite change is also controlled: under Core Strategy Policy CS23 (2016) and the Holiday Accommodation SPD (November 2017), turning holiday accommodation into homes is resisted inside the main Holiday Accommodation Areas except in exceptional circumstances, but allowed outside them. No Article 4 direction aimed at holiday lets: the national planning data register lists 6 for Blackpool (small HMOs from 2022, locally listed buildings, the Stanley Park and Raikes Hall conservation areas, and the Promenade from 1949). The Local Plan Part 2 was adopted on 22 Feb 2023, and the council has started work on a new local plan to 2042.
Is there a visitor levy (tourist tax) in Blackpool?
No visitor levy. On 10 Sep 2026 the government announced that mayors and Foundation Strategic Authority leaders in England will get the power to bring in an Overnight Visitor Levy, as a percentage of the accommodation price. A bill is still to come, so nothing applies yet.
What fees apply to short-term lets in Blackpool?
No short-let fees. Council tax: from 1 Apr 2025 Blackpool charges a 100% premium on homes that are substantially furnished and occupied only from time to time (second homes), so the bill doubles. The council says this can include holiday homes and short-term holiday lets where the guests' main home is elsewhere, and furnished rental homes that are empty between lets. Council agreed it on 21 Feb 2024 and gave notice on 14 Mar 2024. Exceptions (national rules from 1 Apr 2025) include: annexes treated as part of the main home (Class F); homes actively marketed for sale or let (Classes G and H, 12 months); probate (Class I, 12 months); job-related homes (Class J); occupied caravan pitches and boat moorings (Class K); and seasonal homes where year-round living is banned, or a planning condition limits use to holiday accommodation or stops anyone staying more than 28 days in a row (Class L). Exceptions are not automatic: apply to the council with evidence (for Class L it asks for a copy of the certificate of lawfulness). Homes empty and substantially unfurnished pay a premium after 1 year: 100% (1 to 5 years), 200% (5 to 10 years) and 300% (over 10 years), with two local exceptions (a year after a sale, and 2 years after probate). If your holiday let meets the business rates test (available at least 140 nights and actually let at least 70 nights in the last 12 months, and you plan to offer 140 nights in the next 12), it is valued for business rates instead of council tax, so the premium does not apply. A single let with a rateable value under 拢15,000 may get small business rate relief.
Answers summarise the sections above. Follow each section's official source before acting.
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