Short-term let rules in Nottingham (updated 7 Nov 2026)
Last checked: What changed
Get an email when the rules here change
Licensing, planning, visitor levy and fees in Nottingham, checked against official sources. Free, unsubscribe any time.
Dates we're watching for Nottingham (1)
- Mar 2027: England short-term let register expected (GOV.UK)
Plus one short weekly UK "what changed" email.
Latest change for all England holiday lets (3 Nov 2026): Budget 2026 details confirmed: from 1 April 2027 the higher Small Business Rate Relief thresholds (100% relief up to £18,000 rateable value, tapering to £21,000) cover self-catering holiday lets that pay business rates, and mortgage interest relief rises to 24% from 6 April 2027 once Finance Bill 2026-27 passes. Source
No change specific to Nottingham in our log (last checked 7 Nov 2026). Get free alerts for Nottingham so you hear when that changes, plus changes that apply across England.
100% second homes council tax premium from 1 Apr 2025 (double bill); City Council agreed 4 Mar 2024. Empty and unfurnished homes pay a premium after 1 year since 1 Apr 2024 (100%/200%/300% at 1–5/5–10/10+ years). No short-let licence; England register expected Mar 2027. No Article 4 for holiday lets (council OpenData lists 6 Article 4 Direction Areas — Sneinton, Strelley Village, Devonshire Promenade, Wellington Terrace, Waterloo Promenade and Foxhall Road — none about holiday lets; planning.data API unavailable on check day). Aligned Core Strategy (adopted 8 Sep 2014) Policy 5 supports new hotels as City Centre related uses; Policy 13 supports culture, tourism and sport facilities; no separate holiday-let policy.
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, and no Article 4 direction aimed at holiday lets. Nottingham City Council's published Article 4 Direction Areas (OpenData layer, checked 7 Nov 2026) cover six conservation and character areas — Sneinton, Strelley Village, Devonshire Promenade, Wellington Terrace, Waterloo Promenade and Foxhall Road — removing certain permitted development rights there; none are about holiday lets.
The national planning.data.gov.uk article-4-direction API returned HTTP 503 for Nottingham City Council (organisation_entity 231) on 7 Nov 2026, so the national register count could not be confirmed that day. Whether letting a whole home as a short-term let is a material change of use is decided case by case.
The adopted Local Plan comprises the Nottingham City Aligned Core Strategy (Local Plan Part 1, adopted 8 Sep 2014) and the Land and Planning Policies Document (LAPP, Local Plan Part 2, adopted 13 Jan 2020). Policy 5 (Nottingham City Centre) supports related uses such as new hotels (particularly high-quality hotels), exhibition and conference venues alongside offices and businesses.
Policy 13 (Culture, Tourism and Sport) supports major cultural and tourism facilities of national or regional importance in or adjoining the City Centre, and more local facilities in or adjoining town or district centres, and protects existing facilities where appropriate.
The Core Strategy does not set a separate holiday-let or short-term let policy for residential areas.
Visitor levy
None foundNo visitor levy. On 4 Nov 2026 the government introduced the Visitor Levy Bill, which would let mayors and Foundation Strategic Authority leaders charge an Overnight Visitor Levy as a percentage of the accommodation price. The Bill still has to pass Parliament, so nothing applies yet.
Source: source
Fees
No short-let fees. Council tax: from 1 Apr 2025 Nottingham charges a 100% premium on second homes (properties that are not anyone's sole or main residence), so the bill doubles.
City Council on 4 Mar 2024 approved the 2024/25 Budget and Council Tax Resolution, including the second home premium from 2025/26 (agreed a year ahead as the legislation requires) and bringing the long-term empty premium forward to 12 months from 2024/25.
The council's discounts and exemptions page says so. 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 same page summarises the national exception classes for second homes and empty homes (including marketed sale or let, probate, job-related and armed forces accommodation, caravan pitches or boat moorings, seasonal homes, annexes, and empty homes needing major repairs).
Contact the Council Tax office if you think an exception applies. Empty and unfurnished homes have paid a premium after 1 year since 1 Apr 2024: 100% (1 to 5 years), 200% (5 to 10 years) and 300% (10 years or more).
There is no empty discount — full council tax is due unless an exemption applies. The premium does not apply to long-term furnished lets to a residential tenant as their main home that will next be let the same way.
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.
Compare second homes council tax premiums across UK councils
What changed in Nottingham
- Rules on this page last checked in full against the official sources listed above.
- All England lets Confirmed two Budget 2026 details for holiday lets. The higher Small Business Rate Relief thresholds from 1 April 2027 (100% relief up to £18,000 rateable value, tapering to £21,000) cover self-catering holiday lets that pay business rates, because they use the retail, hospitality and leisure definition, which includes self-catering accommodation and holiday homes. And mortgage interest relief for let property is given at the property basic rate under Finance Act 2026, so it rises to 24% from 6 April 2027 once Finance Bill 2026-27 passes. 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
- Visitor Levy Bill: who accounts for and pays any levy
- England short-term let rules 2027 (register, C5 and levy)
- UK levy and licence deadline table
- 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
- London: second homes premium by borough (33 councils)
- 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 Nottingham: 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
- 8 Sep 2014: Aligned Core Strategy adopted
- 13 Jan 2020: Land and Planning Policies Document (LAPP) adopted
- 4 Mar 2024: City Council agreed the second homes premium and empty premium after 1 year
- 1 Apr 2024: empty homes premium after 1 year started
- 1 Apr 2025: 100% second homes premium started
- Mar 2027: England short-term let register expected (GOV.UK)
Nottingham short-let rules: quick answers
Do I need a licence or registration for a short-term let in Nottingham?
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 Nottingham?
No short-let control area, and no Article 4 direction aimed at holiday lets. Nottingham City Council's published Article 4 Direction Areas (OpenData layer, checked 7 Nov 2026) cover six conservation and character areas — Sneinton, Strelley Village, Devonshire Promenade, Wellington Terrace, Waterloo Promenade and Foxhall Road — removing certain permitted development rights there; none are about holiday lets. The national planning.data.gov.uk article-4-direction API returned HTTP 503 for Nottingham City Council (organisation_entity 231) on 7 Nov 2026, so the national register count could not be confirmed that day. Whether letting a whole home as a short-term let is a material change of use is decided case by case. The adopted Local Plan comprises the Nottingham City Aligned Core Strategy (Local Plan Part 1, adopted 8 Sep 2014) and the Land and Planning Policies Document (LAPP, Local Plan Part 2, adopted 13 Jan 2020). Policy 5 (Nottingham City Centre) supports related uses such as new hotels (particularly high-quality hotels), exhibition and conference venues alongside offices and businesses. Policy 13 (Culture, Tourism and Sport) supports major cultural and tourism facilities of national or regional importance in or adjoining the City Centre, and more local facilities in or adjoining town or district centres, and protects existing facilities where appropriate. The Core Strategy does not set a separate holiday-let or short-term let policy for residential areas.
Is there a visitor levy (tourist tax) in Nottingham?
No visitor levy. On 4 Nov 2026 the government introduced the Visitor Levy Bill, which would let mayors and Foundation Strategic Authority leaders charge an Overnight Visitor Levy as a percentage of the accommodation price. The Bill still has to pass Parliament, so nothing applies yet.
What fees apply to short-term lets in Nottingham?
No short-let fees. Council tax: from 1 Apr 2025 Nottingham charges a 100% premium on second homes (properties that are not anyone's sole or main residence), so the bill doubles. City Council on 4 Mar 2024 approved the 2024/25 Budget and Council Tax Resolution, including the second home premium from 2025/26 (agreed a year ahead as the legislation requires) and bringing the long-term empty premium forward to 12 months from 2024/25. The council's discounts and exemptions page says so. 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 same page summarises the national exception classes for second homes and empty homes (including marketed sale or let, probate, job-related and armed forces accommodation, caravan pitches or boat moorings, seasonal homes, annexes, and empty homes needing major repairs). Contact the Council Tax office if you think an exception applies. Empty and unfurnished homes have paid a premium after 1 year since 1 Apr 2024: 100% (1 to 5 years), 200% (5 to 10 years) and 300% (10 years or more). There is no empty discount — full council tax is due unless an exemption applies. The premium does not apply to long-term furnished lets to a residential tenant as their main home that will next be let the same way. 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.
Answers summarise the sections above. Follow each section's official source before acting.
More council pages in England
Get free rule-change alerts for Nottingham
One email when Nottingham short-let rules change, plus the weekly UK "what changed" email. Free. Unsubscribe any time. Prefer every England change? Get England alerts.