Short-term let rules in East Devon (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 found (searched 25 Oct 2026). The C5 short-term let use class is still only a proposal in England, so whether letting a whole home is a material change of use is decided case by case by the planning authority.

Check before converting a home or outbuilding. The national planning data register lists no Article 4 directions for East Devon.

In a June 2023 report on the government's short-let consultation, council officers said the council did not have robust evidence on where short-term lets cause problems, which an Article 4 direction would need.

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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 21 Feb 2024 Full Council approved Cabinet's recommendation (31 Jan 2024) to charge a 100% premium on homes that are unoccupied but substantially furnished, so second and holiday homes pay 200% council tax from 1 Apr 2025.

The council agreed to ringfence its share of the extra money for housing and to review this in 2029. 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).

For the 12-month sale and letting exceptions, the council uses the date the home was first marketed, not the latest. Apply online for a premium exception with evidence (for example the sale or letting listing and the date first marketed, proof that it is an annexe, or the planning reference for a planning restriction).

The council may visit to check, and you must tell it about any change within 21 days. Empty and unfurnished homes have paid a premium since 1 Apr 2024 once empty for 1 year: 100% (1 to 5 years), 200% (5 to 10 years) and 300% (more than 10 years).

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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