Short-term let rules in Canterbury (updated 2 Nov 2026)
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Dates we're watching for Canterbury (1)
- Mar 2027: England short-term let register expected (GOV.UK)
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Last checked 2 Nov 2026: no change logged for this council in our changes log. Get free alerts when it changes.
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.
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
None foundNo short-let control area or Article 4 direction aimed at holiday lets (checked 2 Nov 2026). Canterbury's Article 4 direction covers changing a house into a small HMO (3 to 6 unrelated sharers) in mapped areas, not holiday lets, and the national planning data register lists no Article 4 directions for the council.
Whether letting a whole home as a holiday let is a material change of use is decided case by case, so check with the planning team first. Proposed, not in force: the draft Canterbury District Local Plan (Regulation 19 version, March 2026) includes Policy DS10, which says a change of use from a home to a short-term holiday let will be supported only where there is no unacceptable harm to neighbours' living conditions, parking would not exceed what the street can take, bins and shared facilities are workable, and it would not lead to an overconcentration of short-term holiday lets in the area.
The draft also says the council will use planning conditions to keep new self-catering and bed and breakfast accommodation in the countryside in holiday use. The draft plan still has to go through independent examination before it can be adopted, and we have not confirmed whether it has been submitted yet.
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: the council first approved a second homes premium on 4 Jan 2024 to start on 1 Apr 2025 (public notice of 13 Feb 2025).
Since 1 Apr 2025 a 100% premium applies to a furnished home with no resident, so it pays 200% council tax. 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).
Canterbury's pages list these national exceptions, with no extra local ones, and ask owners to tell the council if a home is now a main home, unfurnished, or meets an exception. Empty and unfurnished homes (decided 9 Jan 2025, from 1 Apr 2025): a 100% premium after 1 year, 200% after 5 years and 300% after 10 years; a change of owner does not reset the clock.
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.
What changed in Canterbury
- 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. 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 Canterbury: 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
- 4 Jan 2024: council approved the second homes premium
- 9 Jan 2025: council set the empty homes premiums
- 1 Apr 2025: 100% second homes premium started
- Mar 2026: draft Local Plan (Regulation 19) with Policy DS10 on holiday lets published
- Mar 2027: England short-term let register expected (GOV.UK)
Canterbury short-let rules: quick answers
Do I need a licence or registration for a short-term let in Canterbury?
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 Canterbury?
No short-let control area or Article 4 direction aimed at holiday lets (checked 2 Nov 2026). Canterbury's Article 4 direction covers changing a house into a small HMO (3 to 6 unrelated sharers) in mapped areas, not holiday lets, and the national planning data register lists no Article 4 directions for the council. Whether letting a whole home as a holiday let is a material change of use is decided case by case, so check with the planning team first. Proposed, not in force: the draft Canterbury District Local Plan (Regulation 19 version, March 2026) includes Policy DS10, which says a change of use from a home to a short-term holiday let will be supported only where there is no unacceptable harm to neighbours' living conditions, parking would not exceed what the street can take, bins and shared facilities are workable, and it would not lead to an overconcentration of short-term holiday lets in the area. The draft also says the council will use planning conditions to keep new self-catering and bed and breakfast accommodation in the countryside in holiday use. The draft plan still has to go through independent examination before it can be adopted, and we have not confirmed whether it has been submitted yet.
Is there a visitor levy (tourist tax) in Canterbury?
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 Canterbury?
No short-let fees. Council tax: the council first approved a second homes premium on 4 Jan 2024 to start on 1 Apr 2025 (public notice of 13 Feb 2025). Since 1 Apr 2025 a 100% premium applies to a furnished home with no resident, so it pays 200% council tax. 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). Canterbury's pages list these national exceptions, with no extra local ones, and ask owners to tell the council if a home is now a main home, unfurnished, or meets an exception. Empty and unfurnished homes (decided 9 Jan 2025, from 1 Apr 2025): a 100% premium after 1 year, 200% after 5 years and 300% after 10 years; a change of owner does not reset the clock. 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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