Short-term let rules in Isles of Scilly (updated 29 Oct 2026)
Last checked: 14 official source pages for this council scanned automatically for changes on 2 Nov 2026What changed
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Dates we're watching for Isles of Scilly (1)
- Mar 2027: England short-term let register expected (GOV.UK)
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Last checked 29 Oct 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 and a local staff accommodation exception. Holiday lets that qualify for business rates (140 nights available, 70 let) pay business rates instead. No licensing or local registration scheme. The Local Plan resists losing permanent homes to 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-let use (searched 26 Oct 2026). The national planning data register lists four Article 4 directions for the Council of the Isles of Scilly (1975, 1988, 1995 and 1998); they remove permitted development rights for house extensions and alterations, temporary uses of land, agricultural works, swimming pools, temporary buildings, and roof, window, door and painting changes in the Conservation Area, so many works to a holiday let need planning permission even where they would not elsewhere.
The whole of the islands is a Conservation Area and a National Landscape (AONB). The Isles of Scilly Local Plan 2015-2030 (adopted 25 Mar 2021) is strict on holiday lets: Policy WC5 says converting a property for tourism must not lose homes that would otherwise be available for permanent occupation unless there are wider public benefits, and an informal bed and breakfast or extra holiday letting accommodation within the curtilage of a home will not be permitted unless a certificate of lawful use as a C1 guesthouse has been obtained; Policy LC8 says a replacement dwelling, extension or alteration must not include any self-contained holiday letting accommodation unless this is already lawful; Policy LC1 says any open-market homes allowed to fund affordable housing will be conditioned as principal residence homes; and Policy LC2 says all new affordable homes must be occupied as the principal residence of someone with a local housing need.
The council has used section 106 agreements to restrict who can occupy new homes since at least the 1990s, so check the title of any property for an occupancy restriction. A Local Plan review is under way (timetable approved by Full Council on 26 Feb 2026).
Talk to the planning team (planning@scilly.gov.uk) before letting or converting a property.
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: on 22 Feb 2024 Full Council approved a budget that included bringing in premiums for empty homes and second homes, and the council's Empty Homes and Second Homes Premium Policy 2026-27 confirms a 100% premium on second homes from 1 Apr 2025, so a furnished home that is nobody's main home pays double 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).
The council adds a local exception for staff accommodation: no premium where a local employer owns or rents the home for its staff, or where someone employed by an island business rents it and keeps their main home elsewhere in the UK. Second homes of people who must live elsewhere for their job may get a 50% discount.
To claim an exception contact revenues@scilly.gov.uk or 0300 1234 105 (option 1) with evidence; hardship linked to a protected characteristic can be considered for a discretionary reduction (section 13A), and appeals go to the Valuation Tribunal.
Empty and unfurnished homes pay a 100% premium after 12 months (from 1 Apr 2025), and may get a 50% discount for up to six months first. 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 Isles of Scilly
- Rules on this page last checked in full against the official sources listed above.
- Added council pages for Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole (BCP) and the Isles of Scilly. Both charge a 100% second homes council tax premium, so 200% council tax, from 1 Apr 2025; the Isles of Scilly adds a local exception for staff accommodation. Holiday lets valued for business rates instead do not pay it. Neither has a short-let licence or an Article 4 direction on holiday lets. BCP Council agreed a short-term lets motion on 12 May 2026 (use existing powers, map lets, gather evidence for a possible future Article 4 direction); the Isles of Scilly Local Plan resists turning permanent homes into holiday lets. The visitor levy map now shows the BCP Accommodation BID charge as void (ballot declared void in Jan 2025). Official source
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 Isles of Scilly: 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
- 25 Mar 2021: Isles of Scilly Local Plan 2015-2030 adopted
- 22 Feb 2024: Full Council budget approved bringing in empty and second homes premiums
- 1 Apr 2025: 100% second homes premium started
- 26 Feb 2026: Local Plan review timetable approved
- Mar 2027: England short-term let register expected (GOV.UK)
Isles of Scilly short-let rules: quick answers
Do I need a licence or registration for a short-term let in Isles of Scilly?
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 Isles of Scilly?
No short-let control area or Article 4 direction aimed at holiday-let use (searched 26 Oct 2026). The national planning data register lists four Article 4 directions for the Council of the Isles of Scilly (1975, 1988, 1995 and 1998); they remove permitted development rights for house extensions and alterations, temporary uses of land, agricultural works, swimming pools, temporary buildings, and roof, window, door and painting changes in the Conservation Area, so many works to a holiday let need planning permission even where they would not elsewhere. The whole of the islands is a Conservation Area and a National Landscape (AONB). The Isles of Scilly Local Plan 2015-2030 (adopted 25 Mar 2021) is strict on holiday lets: Policy WC5 says converting a property for tourism must not lose homes that would otherwise be available for permanent occupation unless there are wider public benefits, and an informal bed and breakfast or extra holiday letting accommodation within the curtilage of a home will not be permitted unless a certificate of lawful use as a C1 guesthouse has been obtained; Policy LC8 says a replacement dwelling, extension or alteration must not include any self-contained holiday letting accommodation unless this is already lawful; Policy LC1 says any open-market homes allowed to fund affordable housing will be conditioned as principal residence homes; and Policy LC2 says all new affordable homes must be occupied as the principal residence of someone with a local housing need. The council has used section 106 agreements to restrict who can occupy new homes since at least the 1990s, so check the title of any property for an occupancy restriction. A Local Plan review is under way (timetable approved by Full Council on 26 Feb 2026). Talk to the planning team (planning@scilly.gov.uk) before letting or converting a property.
Is there a visitor levy (tourist tax) in Isles of Scilly?
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 Isles of Scilly?
No short-let fees. Council tax: on 22 Feb 2024 Full Council approved a budget that included bringing in premiums for empty homes and second homes, and the council's Empty Homes and Second Homes Premium Policy 2026-27 confirms a 100% premium on second homes from 1 Apr 2025, so a furnished home that is nobody's main home pays double 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). The council adds a local exception for staff accommodation: no premium where a local employer owns or rents the home for its staff, or where someone employed by an island business rents it and keeps their main home elsewhere in the UK. Second homes of people who must live elsewhere for their job may get a 50% discount. To claim an exception contact revenues@scilly.gov.uk or 0300 1234 105 (option 1) with evidence; hardship linked to a protected characteristic can be considered for a discretionary reduction (section 13A), and appeals go to the Valuation Tribunal. Empty and unfurnished homes pay a 100% premium after 12 months (from 1 Apr 2025), and may get a 50% discount for up to six months first. 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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