Short-term let rules in Brighton & Hove (updated 29 Oct 2026)

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.

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No short-let control area or Article 4 direction for holiday lets (searched 26 Oct 2026). The council says you might need planning permission to use part of your home or a whole property as a short-term holiday let, depending on how much the use changes, and asks you to check with its planning applications team (01273 292222, planning.applications@brighton-hove.gov.uk).

The city-wide Article 4 direction covers changing a house into a small HMO, not short lets. A council task and finish group on short lets reported in 2025; a March 2026 update says ideas such as zones where short lets are allowed or restricted are being looked at for City Plan 2041, with a visitor accommodation study commissioned.

Nothing new applies yet.

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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.

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No short-let fees. Council tax: on 1 Feb 2024 Full Council approved a 100% premium on empty furnished homes (second homes) from 1 Apr 2025, so a second home or furnished let with nobody living there pays 200%, from the day it becomes empty.

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).

If you think an exception applies, send evidence to the council tax team. Serviced accommodation: since 1 Apr 2026, serviced accommodation (furnished homes let for short to medium stays with hotel-like services) is an exception to the premium.

Budget Council approved this on 26 Feb 2026 as part of the 2026/27 budget (recommendation 2.8, carried 33 to 13 with 1 abstention, official minutes, checked 28 Oct 2026). Ask the council tax team whether your let counts as serviced accommodation.

Empty and unfurnished homes pay a premium after 1 year: 100% (1 to 5 years), 200% (5 to 10 years) and 300% (over 10 years). The council no longer gives discounts for homes that are uninhabitable or undergoing work.

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 £15,000 may get small business rate relief.

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