Short-term let rules in Chichester (updated 2 Nov 2026)
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Dates we're watching for Chichester (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 West Wittering Neighbourhood Plan requires new open-market homes to be principal residences.
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 that we found (checked 2 Nov 2026); the national planning data register lists no Article 4 directions for Chichester District Council, so use the council's own maps to check a property.
Part of the district is in the South Downs National Park, where the National Park Authority handles planning. Whether letting a whole home as a holiday let is a material change of use is decided case by case.
The Chichester Local Plan 2021-2039, adopted by Full Council on 19 Aug 2025 for the area outside the National Park, has no district-wide principal-residence or holiday-let policy that we found. In West Wittering parish, the West Wittering Neighbourhood Plan 2019-2029 (made 28 Nov 2023, after a referendum on 22 Nov 2023) Policy WW5 says new open-market homes, other than replacement dwellings, will only be supported with a planning condition or legal agreement limiting them to use as a principal residence, and new unrestricted second homes will not be supported.
Check the title and planning history of any new-build in the parish.
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 decided in March 2024 to charge a 100% premium from 1 Apr 2025 on all homes that are substantially furnished and not anyone's main home (second and holiday homes), so they pay 200% council tax; the 2026/27 bill guidance confirms the 100% rate.
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).
The council's exceptions page lists these 8 national classes, with no extra local ones; apply with evidence. You cannot appeal the premium rate, only whether your property is in the right class (to the council first, then the Valuation Tribunal).
There is no discount for second homes or empty homes. Empty and unfurnished homes pay a premium after 1 year (from 1 Apr 2025): 100% (1 to 5 years), 200% (5 to 10 years) and 300% (10 years or more).
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 Chichester
- 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 Chichester: 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
- 22 Nov 2023: West Wittering Neighbourhood Plan referendum (made 28 Nov 2023)
- Mar 2024: council decided to charge the second homes premium
- 1 Apr 2025: 100% second homes premium started
- 19 Aug 2025: Chichester Local Plan 2021-2039 adopted
- Mar 2027: England short-term let register expected (GOV.UK)
Chichester short-let rules: quick answers
Do I need a licence or registration for a short-term let in Chichester?
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 Chichester?
No short-let control area or Article 4 direction aimed at holiday lets that we found (checked 2 Nov 2026); the national planning data register lists no Article 4 directions for Chichester District Council, so use the council's own maps to check a property. Part of the district is in the South Downs National Park, where the National Park Authority handles planning. Whether letting a whole home as a holiday let is a material change of use is decided case by case. The Chichester Local Plan 2021-2039, adopted by Full Council on 19 Aug 2025 for the area outside the National Park, has no district-wide principal-residence or holiday-let policy that we found. In West Wittering parish, the West Wittering Neighbourhood Plan 2019-2029 (made 28 Nov 2023, after a referendum on 22 Nov 2023) Policy WW5 says new open-market homes, other than replacement dwellings, will only be supported with a planning condition or legal agreement limiting them to use as a principal residence, and new unrestricted second homes will not be supported. Check the title and planning history of any new-build in the parish.
Is there a visitor levy (tourist tax) in Chichester?
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 Chichester?
No short-let fees. Council tax: the council decided in March 2024 to charge a 100% premium from 1 Apr 2025 on all homes that are substantially furnished and not anyone's main home (second and holiday homes), so they pay 200% council tax; the 2026/27 bill guidance confirms the 100% rate. 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). The council's exceptions page lists these 8 national classes, with no extra local ones; apply with evidence. You cannot appeal the premium rate, only whether your property is in the right class (to the council first, then the Valuation Tribunal). There is no discount for second homes or empty homes. Empty and unfurnished homes pay a premium after 1 year (from 1 Apr 2025): 100% (1 to 5 years), 200% (5 to 10 years) and 300% (10 years or more). 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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