Do I need planning permission for a short let?

The short version

For most houses and flats outside London, short letting doesn't change the property's use in planning terms, so no permission is needed. You're letting a home that people stay in, and that's what homes are for. This is the position in most of the country, including the towns we manage in, like Lincoln, Nottingham and Northampton.

If it were otherwise, half the B&Bs and holiday cottages in England would be illegal, and they're not.

Where it gets more complicated

London is the big exception. Whole home short lets there are capped at 90 nights a year without planning permission. We bust that myth properly in our guide to the 90 night rule, because plenty of landlords outside London believe it applies to them. It doesn't.

Beyond London, some councils have brought in their own controls, usually through things like additional licensing for certain flats, conditions on new build developments, or restrictions tied to specific leases. A few tourist hotspots have been consulting on tighter rules too, because of housing pressure. The direction of travel is that more councils are looking at it, even if most haven't changed anything yet.

How do you check your own position?

Two emails will usually do it. First, your local council's planning team: describe the property and ask whether short term letting needs permission in your case. Get the answer in writing and keep it. Second, check your own paperwork, because a lease or a transfer document can carry restrictions that have nothing to do with planning.

If your property is a flat, also check whether the building has any rules about short stays, since some blocks and management companies restrict them. If your lease bans it, don't fight it. You'll spend more on solicitors than you'll ever earn.

What about the rules changing in future?

Honestly, I'd be surprised if nothing changes over the next few years, because short lets are politically visible in tourist areas. But councils tend to introduce changes with notice, and genuine existing operators are rarely the target. What matters is that whoever manages your property keeps on top of it.

That's part of our job. Compliance is tracked on every property we manage, and certificate renewals are booked before they're due, so when rules move, our landlords hear about it from us first, with the dates that matter.

Where does this sit alongside everything else?

Planning is one of four checks we run through in is my property suitable for short lets, along with your mortgage, insurance and lease. None of them are hard on their own. They just need doing in the right order, before you spend money on furniture rather than after. If you'd rather not chase the answers yourself, ask us for a free assessment and we'll tell you plainly whether your property stacks up.