Short-term let rules in Westmorland and Furness (updated 29 Oct 2026)
Last checked: 5 official source pages for this council scanned automatically for changes on 2 Nov 2026What changed
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Dates we're watching for Westmorland and Furness (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 and local discretionary 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 on the council site (checked 23 Oct 2026). Planning is decided case by case; inside the Lake District or Yorkshire Dales National Parks, the park authority handles planning. Check before converting a home or outbuilding.
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 22 Feb 2024 the council decided to charge a 100% premium on furnished second homes (nobody's main home), so the bill is 200% of normal, starting 1 Apr 2025.
It also applies to homes owned by businesses. 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 also has discretionary local exceptions, set out in its Council Tax Premium Exceptions Policy 2025 to 2026, and separate forms for the former Barrow, Eden and South Lakeland areas. A home you put up for sale is free of the premium for 12 months from when it was first marketed, not from 1 Apr 2025.
The council says the Valuation Office, not the council, decides whether a holiday let moves to business rates, and you keep paying council tax as a second home until it does. If it moves, you need to arrange a trade waste collection.
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 Westmorland and Furness
- Rules on this page last checked in full against the official sources listed above.
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 Westmorland and Furness: 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
- 22 Feb 2024: Full Council approved the second homes premium
- 1 Apr 2025: 100% second homes premium started
- Mar 2027: England short-term let register expected (GOV.UK)
Westmorland and Furness short-let rules: quick answers
Do I need a licence or registration for a short-term let in Westmorland and Furness?
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 Westmorland and Furness?
No short-let control area or Article 4 direction for holiday lets found on the council site (checked 23 Oct 2026). Planning is decided case by case; inside the Lake District or Yorkshire Dales National Parks, the park authority handles planning. Check before converting a home or outbuilding.
Is there a visitor levy (tourist tax) in Westmorland and Furness?
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 Westmorland and Furness?
No short-let fees. Council tax: on 22 Feb 2024 the council decided to charge a 100% premium on furnished second homes (nobody's main home), so the bill is 200% of normal, starting 1 Apr 2025. It also applies to homes owned by businesses. 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 also has discretionary local exceptions, set out in its Council Tax Premium Exceptions Policy 2025 to 2026, and separate forms for the former Barrow, Eden and South Lakeland areas. A home you put up for sale is free of the premium for 12 months from when it was first marketed, not from 1 Apr 2025. The council says the Valuation Office, not the council, decides whether a holiday let moves to business rates, and you keep paying council tax as a second home until it does. If it moves, you need to arrange a trade waste collection. 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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