United Kingdom Airbnb & Short-Term Rental Regulations 2026

LawfulStay tracks short-term rental (STR / Airbnb / Vrbo / holiday let / vacation rental) regulations for 49 cities and regions in United Kingdom. Select a location below for current permit requirements, tax obligations, and compliance details.

33 Active 9 Conditional 7 Restricted

United Kingdom at a glance

Places tracked
49 places: 33 active, 9 conditional, 7 restricted
Licence or registration
Required in 11 of 49 places
Tax on stays
Applies in 5 of 49 places
National law
No national short-term rental law on record; rules are set locally.

United Kingdom short-term rental questions

Are short-term rentals legal in United Kingdom?

In all 49 places we track in United Kingdom, short-term rentals are allowed, 16 of them with permit conditions or limits.

Do I need a licence for a short-term rental in United Kingdom?

11 of 49 places we track in United Kingdom require a licence, permit or registration. Check your city's page for its rules.

Is there a national short-term rental law in United Kingdom?

We have no national short-term rental law on record for United Kingdom. Regions and cities set their own rules.

Which places in United Kingdom have the strictest rules?

On our records: Edinburgh, London, Highlands, Westminster, Hackney, Camden.

Regions in United Kingdom

United Kingdom Airbnb & Vacation Rental Regulation Overview

The short-term rental regulatory landscape in United Kingdom encompasses 49 tracked jurisdictions: 33 with active regulations, 9 where rentals are allowed with conditions, 7 with restrictions. Hosts operating on platforms like Airbnb, VRBO, and Booking.com should verify local requirements before listing, as rules vary significantly between cities and regions.

11 of 49 tracked jurisdictions in United Kingdom require some form of permit, license, or registration for short-term rental operations. Requirements range from simple online registration to comprehensive permit applications with inspections.

Tax obligations apply in 49 of 49 jurisdictions. Common taxes include occupancy taxes, tourist levies, and sales taxes. Many jurisdictions require hosts to register for tax collection, and some platforms like Airbnb collect and remit taxes automatically in select locations.

Cities with significant restrictions on vacation rentals include Edinburgh, London, Highlands. These jurisdictions typically impose permit caps, zoning limitations, or primary residence requirements.

LawfulStay monitors United Kingdom STR regulations daily and updates this page as rules change. Each city page includes detailed permit requirements, fee schedules, tax rates, zoning rules, and penalty information sourced from official government websites.

CamdenEngland
Up to 90 nights a year if you pay council tax; more needs planning permission, which Camden is likely to refuse for whole homes; council tenants and leaseholders cannot short-let
Restricted
EdinburghScotland
Whole-city control area since 2022; licence required for every short-term let; 5% visitor levy on the first 5 nights since 24 July 2026, which the council calls the UK's first city-wide visitor levy; second-home council…
Restricted
HackneyEngland
Up to 90 nights a year without planning permission if a host pays council tax; more needs planning permission, judged against Local Plan policy LP25
Restricted
HighlandsScotland
Mandatory STL license + planning permission required in Control Areas
Restricted
LondonEngland
Up to 90 nights a year without planning permission, and a host must pay council tax on the property; more nights needs borough planning permission; national register for England expected in March 2027; no London tourist…
Restricted
WandsworthEngland
London rules apply: Wandsworth is part of London
Restricted
WestminsterEngland
Up to 90 nights a year without planning permission if you pay council tax on the home; more needs planning permission; council leaseholders cannot short-let; the council investigates reported breaches and noise
Restricted
Argyll and ButeScotland
You need an Argyll and Bute Council short-term let licence before you take bookings, for any type of short-term let, and its number must be on every listing
Conditional
BelfastNorthern Ireland
Tourism NI certificate required
Conditional
CardiffWales
Cardiff is the first Welsh council to adopt the visitor levy (£1.30 per guest per night from 1 April 2027); register free by 31 March 2027; second homes pay double council tax; no planning restriction on holiday lets
Conditional
GlasgowScotland
Glasgow is distinct from Edinburgh in that it has no STL Control Area, meaning no blanket requirement for change-of-use planning permission; though individual properties in flats may still require it
Conditional
InvernessScotland
Highland Council licence required
Conditional
Isle of SkyeScotland
Scotland's holiday letting market is heavily regulated
Conditional
Northern IrelandNorthern Ireland
Northern Ireland is the only UK nation where all paid tourist accommodation must be inspected and certified
Conditional
ScotlandScotland
Mandatory Scotland-wide STL licensing from Jan 2025
Conditional
WalesWales
Register free with the Welsh Revenue Authority by 31 March 2027; a visitor levy applies in Cardiff from April 2027; planning control on new holiday lets only in Eryri National Park; council tax premiums on second homes…
Conditional
BathEngland
No local short-let licence or cap; national register expected March 2027
Active
BirminghamEngland
No local short-let licence or cap; national register expected March 2027
Active
Brighton & HoveEngland
No local licence or cap today; the council has registered interest in piloting the national register and is reviewing short lets in its City Plan; second homes pay double council tax
Active
BristolEngland
No local short-let licence or cap; national register expected March 2027
Active
CambridgeEngland
No local short-let licence or cap; national register expected March 2027
Active
CanterburyEngland
No local short-let licence or cap; national register expected March 2027
Active
ChesterEngland
No local short-let licence or cap; national register expected March 2027
Active
CornwallEngland
No local short-let licence; second homes pay double council tax; some neighbourhood plans require new homes to be main residences; national register expected March 2027
Active
CotswoldsEngland
No local short-let licence or cap; national register expected March 2027
Active
DevonEngland
No local short-let licence or cap; national register expected March 2027
Active
DorsetEngland
No local short-let licence or cap; national register expected March 2027
Active
EnglandEngland
Distinct from London's 90-night cap and from the abolished FHL tax regime (ended 6 April 2025)
Active
FalmouthEngland
No local short-let rules beyond national law and Cornwall's second-home premium; national register expected March 2027
Active
Isle of WightEngland
No local short-let licence or cap; national register expected March 2027
Active
Lake District National ParkEngland
New homes in the National Park must be principal residences; holiday lets in converted buildings only where not needed for local housing; existing homes without occupancy conditions can be let; second homes pay double…
Active
LeedsEngland
No local short-let licence or cap; national register expected March 2027
Active
LiverpoolEngland
£2 Accommodation BID charge on larger hotels and serviced apartments since June 2025; a planned city-region levy would include short lets but is not yet law; second homes pay double council tax; no local short-let…
Active
ManchesterEngland
No local short-let licence or cap; the City Visitor Charge applies to larger hotels and serviced apartments only; second homes pay double council tax
Active
Newcastle upon TyneEngland
No local short-let licence or cap; national register expected March 2027
Active
Norfolk (Coastal)England
No local short-let licence or cap; national register expected March 2027
Active
Norfolk BroadsEngland
No local short-let licence or cap; national register expected March 2027
Active
North YorkshireEngland
No local short-let licence or cap; national register expected March 2027
Active
NottinghamEngland
No local short-let licence or cap; national register expected March 2027
Active
OxfordEngland
Oxford City Council treats whole-home short letting for more than 140 nights a year as needing planning permission and enforces on complaints; second homes pay double council tax; no local licence
Active
Peak District National ParkEngland
No local short-let licence or cap; national register expected March 2027
Active
PortsmouthEngland
No local short-let rules beyond national law; second homes pay double council tax; national register expected March 2027
Active
SalcombeEngland
New homes in Salcombe must be principal residences (Policy H3, upheld on appeal in June 2025); existing homes can be let; second homes pay double council tax
Active
SheffieldEngland
No local short-let licence or cap; national register expected March 2027
Active
St IvesEngland
New homes in St Ives must be principal residences (Policy H2); existing homes can be let; second homes pay double council tax; holiday lets need a fire risk assessment
Active
Stratford-upon-AvonEngland
No local short-let licence or cap; national register expected March 2027
Active
Suffolk (Coastal)England
No local short-let licence or cap; national register expected March 2027
Active
WhitbyEngland
No local short-let licence or cap; national register expected March 2027
Active
YorkEngland
No local short-let licence or cap; national register expected March 2027
Active

LawfulStay.com: short-term rental rules for 5,118 places, each traced to its official source. Browse all 5,118 places →  ·  How we research  ·  For governments  ·  Press  ·  Trust badge

Translations are for convenience; the official source text governs.