Short-term let rules in Sefton (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. Sefton runs selective licensing in parts of Bootle and additional HMO licensing in parts of Seaforth, Waterloo, Brighton-le-Sands and Southport (both 1 Mar 2023 to 29 Feb 2028).

These are for privately rented homes; the national exemptions order exempts a tenancy or licence granted to someone for their occupancy of a home "as a holiday home", so a genuine holiday let should not need a selective licence.

Sefton's pages do not mention short lets specifically, so if you let rooms separately or let to people as their home, check with landlord.licensing@sefton.gov.uk.

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Planning guidance applies. Sefton adopted a Conversions to Short Term Holiday Lets Supplementary Planning Document on 5 Dec 2024 (in operation from 18 Dec 2024).

It says a home let as a whole to one family-sized group, with no more occupants than would normally live there, is unlikely to need planning permission. Letting rooms separately to different groups, adding bedrooms, or letting to a group larger than a normal household (or a large all-adult group) is likely to be a material change of use that needs permission.

Converting shops, offices, pubs and other non-residential buildings always needs permission. In Primarily Residential Areas the council will refuse a conversion if 5% of properties within 100 metres are already short-term lets, flats or HMOs, and expects no more than 2 people per room, no subdivided rooms, enough parking and bin space, and no hot tubs or outdoor bars that could disturb neighbours.

Town, district and local centres are favoured. A let of more than 28 days at a time is treated as an ordinary home or HMO, not a holiday let.

Separately, Article 4 directions now cover the whole borough for converting homes into small HMOs (most recently the rest of Sefton from 15 Oct 2025); these are about HMOs, not short lets.

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No visitor levy yet. On 10 Sep 2026 the government announced that mayors, including the Liverpool City Region Mayor, will get the power to bring in an Overnight Visitor Levy, charged as a percentage of the accommodation price.

The Mayor, Steve Rotheram, has campaigned for it and says it could raise up to £18m a year across the city region (which includes Sefton, so Southport, Formby and Crosby). A bill is still to come, and the government expects mayors to set out spending plans by early 2028, so nothing applies yet and no rate, start date or exemptions have been set.

The government says hotels and other accommodation providers will pay the levy to the authority, and local leaders can offer exemptions (such as campsites); the Combined Authority has not published a local scheme or any exemptions yet (checked 28 Oct 2026).

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No short-let fees. Council tax: on 18 Jan 2024 Full Council approved a 100% premium on homes that are substantially furnished with nobody living there, so second homes pay 200% council tax from 1 Apr 2025.

Empty and unfurnished homes pay a premium after 1 year: 200% of the normal bill for 1 to 5 years, 300% for 5 to 10 years and 400% after 10 years, regardless of change of owner. 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).

Sefton also lists Class M (empty homes needing major repairs, 12 months). To claim, email Council.Tax@sefton.gov.uk with your account number in the subject and the class you are claiming; for a home on the market, give the date marketing started and where it is advertised.

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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