Short-term let rules in Staffordshire Moorlands (updated 6 Nov 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.

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No short-let control area, and no Article 4 direction aimed at holiday lets: the national planning data register lists none for Staffordshire Moorlands District Council (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 Staffordshire Moorlands Local Plan 2014-2033 (adopted 9 Sep 2020). Policy E4 supports tourism and visitor accommodation that complements the district's character; Policy SS11 (Churnet Valley Strategy) supports overnight visitor accommodation and tourist facilities there.

Part of the district is in the Peak District National Park, where the National Park Authority handles planning. Inside the National Park, Development Management Policy DMR3 (adopted May 2019) says that outside the settlements named in its Core Strategy, new self-catering accommodation, where acceptable, is restricted to holiday use; the Authority's planning reports describe this as holiday accommodation for no more than 28 days a year by any one person.

The Authority's draft Local Plan (Preferred Approach, September 2025) proposes a primary residence clause on all new housing, including holiday accommodation converted to housing; it is not adopted and would not apply to existing homes.

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Compare planning rules for short lets across UK councils

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.

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No short-let fees. Council tax: from 1 Apr 2025 Staffordshire Moorlands charges a 100% premium on second homes (furnished properties that are nobody's sole or main residence), so the bill doubles.

The council's Empty property premium page confirms it, and a January 2025 Full Council report said the decision was approved on 28 Feb 2024. 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's page also lists those exceptions (armed forces, annexes, marketed for sale or let for up to 12 months, probate for 12 months, caravan pitches and boat moorings, planning restrictions that stop year-round occupation, and job-related homes).

Email evidence if your bill shows a premium and you think an exception applies; the council may also waive an empty premium in severe financial hardship linked to serious illness, disability or vulnerability. Homes empty and substantially unfurnished pay a premium after 12 months (since 1 Apr 2024): 100% (1 to 5 years), 200% (5 to 10 years) and 300% (10 years or more), and a change of owner does not remove it.

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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Compare second homes council tax premiums across UK councils