Will I need to register my Airbnb?

What's actually planned

For a few years now, governments have talked about a national registration scheme for short lets in England. The idea is a register of short let properties so councils can see what's operating where, with health and safety requirements attached. Consultations have come and gone, and the detail keeps shifting with each government restart.

So my honest answer is: expect some form of registration eventually, but don't trust anyone quoting exact national deadlines or fees today. Where a scheme lands, existing landlords usually get a window to sign up rather than a cliff edge. Check the latest official guidance rather than blog posts, including this one.

It's already real elsewhere in the UK

Scotland has been operating a short term let licensing scheme since 2022, with councils processing applications and conditions attached. In Wales, landlords and agents must register and, in most cases, licence with Rent Smart Wales, which covers rental activity generally. If you hold property in either country, those schemes apply to you now, not someday.

England is the piece still in motion. Some cities have their own rules in the meantime, and London's 90 night planning limit, which we bust in our 90 night myth guide, has been around since 2015.

Does registration mean permission?

Not necessarily. Registration and licensing are different weights of thing. A register is basically telling the council you exist. A licence usually means meeting standards, safety certificates, floor plans, sometimes a fit and proper person test. The planned English scheme has hovered between those two poles, which is exactly why the final shape matters and the speculation is loud.

Whatever form it takes, the practical requirements underneath don't change much: gas safety, electrical checks, smoke and carbon monoxide alarms, fire risk assessment. Those apply already, registration or not.

What should a landlord do right now?

Three things, none of them dramatic. First, get your safety paperwork in order, because any scheme will ask for it and you need it anyway. Second, keep proof of compliance in one place. Third, if you're not managing the property yourself, make sure whoever does is tracking this for you.

That last one is our job. Compliance is tracked on every property we manage, with certificate renewals booked before they're due. When a registration scheme lands, our landlords will get the dates, the links and the forms, not a scramble. It's one of the quiet reasons landlords hand the whole thing over.

The honest bottom line

Don't put plans on hold waiting for a scheme that keeps being promised. Don't ignore it either. Get compliant with what exists today, keep an eye on official announcements, and if you'd rather someone else watched that space, that's literally part of what we do. If you're weighing up handing a property over, our guide on earning Airbnb returns without the hassle covers how the managed model works.