Short-term let rules in Folkestone and Hythe (updated 2 Nov 2026)
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Dates we're watching for Folkestone and Hythe (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. No Article 4 direction on holiday lets.
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). The council's only Article 4 directions are two for land at Longage Hill, Lyminge (No. 1 of 2023, confirmed 3 Jun 2024; No. 2 of 2023, confirmed 10 Dec 2024), made for visual amenity; the national planning data register lists none for the council.
Whether letting a whole home as a holiday let is a material change of use is decided case by case, and the council says it will not answer queries on whether permission is needed, so use its guidance and interactive map or get pre-application advice.
The adopted development plan is the Core Strategy Review (adopted 30 Mar 2022), the Places and Policies Local Plan (adopted 16 Sep 2020) and the St Mary in the Marsh Neighbourhood Plan (2019); none has a policy aimed at short-term letting of existing homes that we found.
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: from 1 Apr 2025 a 100% premium is added to the full council tax on a furnished home with no resident, so it pays 200%.
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 lists these national exceptions and asks for evidence (contact revenues.benefits@folkestone-hythe.gov.uk); the premium ends if the home becomes someone's main home, and the council may visit to check. Empty and unfurnished homes get no discount and pay a premium after 1 year: 100% (1 to 5 years), 200% (5 to 10 years) and 300% (10 years or more); 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 Folkestone and Hythe
- 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 Folkestone and Hythe: 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
- 16 Sep 2020: Places and Policies Local Plan adopted
- 30 Mar 2022: Core Strategy Review adopted
- 1 Apr 2025: 100% second homes premium started
- Mar 2027: England short-term let register expected (GOV.UK)
Folkestone and Hythe short-let rules: quick answers
Do I need a licence or registration for a short-term let in Folkestone and Hythe?
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 Folkestone and Hythe?
No short-let control area or Article 4 direction aimed at holiday lets (checked 2 Nov 2026). The council's only Article 4 directions are two for land at Longage Hill, Lyminge (No. 1 of 2023, confirmed 3 Jun 2024; No. 2 of 2023, confirmed 10 Dec 2024), made for visual amenity; the national planning data register lists none for the council. Whether letting a whole home as a holiday let is a material change of use is decided case by case, and the council says it will not answer queries on whether permission is needed, so use its guidance and interactive map or get pre-application advice. The adopted development plan is the Core Strategy Review (adopted 30 Mar 2022), the Places and Policies Local Plan (adopted 16 Sep 2020) and the St Mary in the Marsh Neighbourhood Plan (2019); none has a policy aimed at short-term letting of existing homes that we found.
Is there a visitor levy (tourist tax) in Folkestone and Hythe?
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 Folkestone and Hythe?
No short-let fees. Council tax: from 1 Apr 2025 a 100% premium is added to the full council tax on a furnished home with no resident, so it pays 200%. 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 lists these national exceptions and asks for evidence (contact revenues.benefits@folkestone-hythe.gov.uk); the premium ends if the home becomes someone's main home, and the council may visit to check. Empty and unfurnished homes get no discount and pay a premium after 1 year: 100% (1 to 5 years), 200% (5 to 10 years) and 300% (10 years or more); 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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