Short-term let rules in Plymouth (updated 6 Nov 2026)
Last checked: What changed
Get an email when the rules here change
Licensing, planning, visitor levy and fees in Plymouth, checked against official sources. Free, unsubscribe any time.
Dates we're watching for Plymouth (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 拢18,000 rateable value, tapering to 拢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 Plymouth in our log (last checked 6 Nov 2026). Get free alerts for Plymouth so you hear when that changes, plus changes that apply across England.
100% second homes council tax premium from 1 Apr 2025 (double bill). No short-let licence; England register expected Mar 2027. No Article 4 for holiday lets (Article 4 covers HMOs only). The Plymouth and South West Devon Joint Local Plan (adopted 2019) supports visitor accommodation in the core tourism area (Policy PLY21); a new Plymouth Local Plan is in preparation.
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: the national planning data register lists one for Plymouth City Council, an HMO direction for Mutley, Greenbank, the city centre and surrounding areas (2012), not holiday lets (checked 6 Nov 2026).
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 is the Plymouth and South West Devon Joint Local Plan (adopted by Plymouth City Council on 26 Mar 2019, five-year review 2024), shared with South Hams and West Devon.
Policy PLY21 supports visitor accommodation, including self-catering, on appropriate sites in the city's core tourism area (the waterfront from Sutton Harbour / The Barbican to Royal William Yard, including the Hoe, Millbay and the City Centre), and resists losing important visitor facilities unless there are over-riding sustainability or regeneration benefits or the use is shown to be unviable.
After a Joint Local Plan Partnership Board decision in January 2025, Plymouth has started a new Local Plan for the city alone; the council's Local Plan page says the Joint Local Plan stays in force until the new plan is adopted, which it expects in spring 2029.
Plymouth is not in Dartmoor National Park.
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 Plymouth charges a 100% premium on dwellings that are substantially furnished and not occupied as anyone's sole or main residence, so second homes pay double.
Cabinet reconfirmed this on 8 Jan 2024 after the Levelling-up and Regeneration Act's delay, moving the start from the earlier 2024 plan to 1 Apr 2025. The council's premiums page (checked 6 Nov 2026) says all such furnished properties are subject to full charge plus 100%.
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).
Apply for an exception online with the council's premium exception form. Empty and substantially unfurnished homes 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 remove it.
Empty-home exceptions also include major repairs or structural alterations (12 months). 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.
Compare second homes council tax premiums across UK councils
What changed in Plymouth
- 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 拢18,000 rateable value, tapering to 拢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
- 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 Plymouth: 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
- 26 Mar 2019: Plymouth and South West Devon Joint Local Plan adopted by Plymouth
- 8 Jan 2024: Cabinet reconfirmed the second homes premium from 1 Apr 2025
- 1 Apr 2025: 100% second homes premium started
- Jan 2025: JLP Partnership Board decided Plymouth would prepare its own Local Plan
- Spring 2029: new Plymouth Local Plan expected to be adopted (council timetable)
- Mar 2027: England short-term let register expected (GOV.UK)
Plymouth short-let rules: quick answers
Do I need a licence or registration for a short-term let in Plymouth?
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 Plymouth?
No short-let control area, and no Article 4 direction aimed at holiday lets: the national planning data register lists one for Plymouth City Council, an HMO direction for Mutley, Greenbank, the city centre and surrounding areas (2012), not holiday lets (checked 6 Nov 2026). 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 is the Plymouth and South West Devon Joint Local Plan (adopted by Plymouth City Council on 26 Mar 2019, five-year review 2024), shared with South Hams and West Devon. Policy PLY21 supports visitor accommodation, including self-catering, on appropriate sites in the city's core tourism area (the waterfront from Sutton Harbour / The Barbican to Royal William Yard, including the Hoe, Millbay and the City Centre), and resists losing important visitor facilities unless there are over-riding sustainability or regeneration benefits or the use is shown to be unviable. After a Joint Local Plan Partnership Board decision in January 2025, Plymouth has started a new Local Plan for the city alone; the council's Local Plan page says the Joint Local Plan stays in force until the new plan is adopted, which it expects in spring 2029. Plymouth is not in Dartmoor National Park.
Is there a visitor levy (tourist tax) in Plymouth?
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 Plymouth?
No short-let fees. Council tax: from 1 Apr 2025 Plymouth charges a 100% premium on dwellings that are substantially furnished and not occupied as anyone's sole or main residence, so second homes pay double. Cabinet reconfirmed this on 8 Jan 2024 after the Levelling-up and Regeneration Act's delay, moving the start from the earlier 2024 plan to 1 Apr 2025. The council's premiums page (checked 6 Nov 2026) says all such furnished properties are subject to full charge plus 100%. 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). Apply for an exception online with the council's premium exception form. Empty and substantially unfurnished homes 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 remove it. Empty-home exceptions also include major repairs or structural alterations (12 months). 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.
More council pages in England
Get free rule-change alerts for Plymouth
One email when Plymouth short-let rules change, plus the weekly UK "what changed" email. Free. Unsubscribe any time. Prefer every England change? Get England alerts.