Short-term let rules in West Devon (updated 29 Oct 2026)
Last checked: 13 official source pages for this council scanned automatically for changes on 2 Nov 2026What changed
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Dates we're watching for West Devon (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. Holiday lets that qualify for business rates (140 nights available, 70 let) pay business rates instead. No licensing or local registration scheme.
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 for holiday lets found (searched 26 Oct 2026). The C5 short-term let use class is still only a proposal in England, so whether letting a whole home is a material change of use is decided case by case by the planning authority.
Part of the borough is in Dartmoor National Park. Check before converting a home or outbuilding.
The national planning data register has no Article 4 directions published for West Devon Borough Council or Dartmoor National Park Authority (checked 26 Oct 2026). Outside the National Park, the Plymouth and South West Devon Joint Local Plan (adopted by West Devon on 26 Mar 2019, five-year review 2024) has no principal residence or holiday-let policy.
Dartmoor National Park Authority handles planning inside the National Park. Its Local Plan (adopted December 2021, Policy 5.5) only allows new short-stay holiday accommodation in villages, hamlets and open countryside through conversion of suitable buildings close to tourist services, and puts conditions on new holiday lets so they are used for holidays only (not as anyone's main home) and the owner keeps a register of guests' names and home addresses.
The Dartmoor plan chose not to require principal residence conditions on new homes.
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 20 Feb 2024 the council resolved to charge a 100% premium on furnished homes that are nobody's sole or main residence from 1 Apr 2025, so second homes pay 200%.
Public notice was given on 2 Mar 2024, and the premium is added to the bill automatically. The council's exceptions page (checked 26 Oct 2026) refers to exceptions for the 2026/27 financial year, so the premium is still charged.
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).
West Devon also has local discretionary exceptions, reviewed every year: homes with an agricultural occupancy condition; homes with an over-55s age restriction that are on the market (an extra 6 months on top of the 12-month sale or letting exception); homes only reachable through business premises; and, for second homes only, overnight staff accommodation for a retail, hospitality or leisure business, homes used to care for a close relative, charity accommodation and homes required by an employment contract.
Apply with the council's online second home exception form; for the sale or letting exception send a copy of your estate or letting agent contract and a valid energy performance certificate (EPC). Empty and unfurnished homes pay 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), even if the owner changes.
Homes needing major work to be habitable can get a 50% discount for up to 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.
What changed in West Devon
- Rules on this page last checked in full against the official sources listed above.
- Added council pages for West Devon (Tavistock and Okehampton) and Teignbridge (Newton Abbot, Teignmouth and Dawlish). Both charge a 100% second homes council tax premium, so 200% council tax, from 1 Apr 2025, and still in 2026/27. 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; Teignbridge's new Local Plan requires new-build homes in five coastal parishes to be primary residences, and Dartmoor National Park conditions new holiday lets to holiday use only. 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 West Devon: 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
- 20 Feb 2024: Council resolved to charge the second homes premium
- 1 Apr 2025: 100% second homes premium started
- Mar 2027: England short-term let register expected (GOV.UK)
West Devon short-let rules: quick answers
Do I need a licence or registration for a short-term let in West Devon?
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 West Devon?
No short-let control area or Article 4 direction for holiday lets found (searched 26 Oct 2026). The C5 short-term let use class is still only a proposal in England, so whether letting a whole home is a material change of use is decided case by case by the planning authority. Part of the borough is in Dartmoor National Park. Check before converting a home or outbuilding. The national planning data register has no Article 4 directions published for West Devon Borough Council or Dartmoor National Park Authority (checked 26 Oct 2026). Outside the National Park, the Plymouth and South West Devon Joint Local Plan (adopted by West Devon on 26 Mar 2019, five-year review 2024) has no principal residence or holiday-let policy. Dartmoor National Park Authority handles planning inside the National Park. Its Local Plan (adopted December 2021, Policy 5.5) only allows new short-stay holiday accommodation in villages, hamlets and open countryside through conversion of suitable buildings close to tourist services, and puts conditions on new holiday lets so they are used for holidays only (not as anyone's main home) and the owner keeps a register of guests' names and home addresses. The Dartmoor plan chose not to require principal residence conditions on new homes.
Is there a visitor levy (tourist tax) in West Devon?
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 West Devon?
No short-let fees. Council tax: on 20 Feb 2024 the council resolved to charge a 100% premium on furnished homes that are nobody's sole or main residence from 1 Apr 2025, so second homes pay 200%. Public notice was given on 2 Mar 2024, and the premium is added to the bill automatically. The council's exceptions page (checked 26 Oct 2026) refers to exceptions for the 2026/27 financial year, so the premium is still charged. 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). West Devon also has local discretionary exceptions, reviewed every year: homes with an agricultural occupancy condition; homes with an over-55s age restriction that are on the market (an extra 6 months on top of the 12-month sale or letting exception); homes only reachable through business premises; and, for second homes only, overnight staff accommodation for a retail, hospitality or leisure business, homes used to care for a close relative, charity accommodation and homes required by an employment contract. Apply with the council's online second home exception form; for the sale or letting exception send a copy of your estate or letting agent contract and a valid energy performance certificate (EPC). Empty and unfurnished homes pay 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), even if the owner changes. Homes needing major work to be habitable can get a 50% discount for up to 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.
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