Short-term let rules in City of York (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. City of York Council publishes guidance for owners of holiday lets covering planning, safety, business rates and council tax, managing guests (parking and noise), and waste. For tailored advice contact its Public Protection team (01904 551525, public.protection@york.gov.uk).

No short-let control area or Article 4 direction for holiday lets (searched 26 Oct 2026). York's Article 4 directions cover East Mount Road, Heslington, houses in multiple occupation (HMOs), the Punch Bowl pub and 79 Fulford Road, not holiday-let use. The council says you may need planning permission to use a property as a holiday let and should get planning advice before taking any bookings; if you need permission and do not have it, it may take enforcement action and ask you to stop letting. New draft planning guidance on short-term holiday lets (dated June 2026) went to the council's Planning Policy and Local Plan Advisory Group on 13 Oct 2026; it still needs approval at an Executive Member Decision Session before it is published, so it is not yet in force. The draft says the council will decide case by case whether a holiday let is a material change of use; that new or converted outbuildings (garages, sheds, pods, extensions) used as short lets will normally need planning permission; and that it will look at guest turnover, noise, late-night activity, use of gardens and balconies, parking and bin storage. It warns that a management plan will not on its own overcome concerns about noise or disturbance. It does not add new policy: it applies the York Local Plan (adopted February 2025) and lessons from appeal decisions.

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. York and North Yorkshire are covered by the York and North Yorkshire Combined Authority, which has an elected mayor, so any levy here would be set for the whole area, not council by council. An independent report by York St John University, presented to the Combined Authority's Overview and Scrutiny Committee on 16 Jun 2026, estimated that £1 to £2 a night could raise about £26m to £52m a year, said the earliest start was likely 2027-28 and recommended a feasibility study and talks with accommodation providers before any decision. The full report (Sep 2026) preferred a flat £1 a night to a percentage, with possible exemptions for low-cost stays, and on 6 Oct 2026 the mayor said he would not bring in a levy unless it also covered Airbnb-style lets and holiday lets (both as reported by BBC News). No decision has been made and no scheme has been consulted on (searched 26 Oct 2026).

No short-let fees. Council tax: after a council motion in Dec 2022, Full Council approved on 22 Feb 2024 (on the Executive's recommendation) a 100% increase in council tax on second homes from 1 Apr 2025. The council's page says that since then a home that is furnished but nobody's main home pays double council tax. It says the premium does not apply to homes with an occupancy restriction that stops them being lived in at certain times of year, long-term furnished lets to a tenant as their main home, caravan pitches and boat moorings, or where you must live elsewhere for your job. For a time-limited period it also does not apply where probate has been granted (a year), you live in armed forces accommodation, the home is actively marketed for sale or to let (a year from first marketing), or an annex is used as part of the main home. Send proof to secondhomes@york.gov.uk (or call 01904 551558). Empty and unfurnished homes pay a premium after 1 year (since 1 Apr 2024): 100% (more than 1 year), 200% (more than 5 years) and 300% (more than 10 years), counting time empty under previous owners. 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.