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Do You Need Planning Permission for an Airbnb or Short-Term Let in 2026?

Bhavesh Ramburn

Do you need planning permission for an Airbnb in 2026?

In most cases, yes — if you are letting a UK property as a short-term holiday let (Airbnb, Vrbo, Booking.com, etc.) on a commercial basis, you now need planning permission for a change of use in England and a short-term let licence in Scotland. The simple answer for the most common scenario in 2026 is set out below, with the jurisdictional detail further down the page.

  • England — short-term lets for more than the host’s primary residence generally require a formal change-of-use application under the post-2023 use class reforms (see below). The historic 90-day exemption has been abolished for new lettings.
  • Scotland — short-term let licensing under the Civic Government (Scotland) Act 1982, as amended by the Housing (Scotland) Act 2021, is mandatory from 1 October 2023 for new hosts and 1 April 2026 for existing hosts.
  • Wales and Northern Ireland — different but evolving regimes; check with your Local Planning Authority.

If your situation is residential in character (occasional guest, family member staying a few nights, lodger), planning permission is usually not required. The boundary turns on whether the use is “material” and “commercial” — both planning-law terms of art.

England: what changed in October 2023

The rules for short-term lets in England were tightened significantly by the Levelling-up and Regeneration Act 2023, which received Royal Assent on 26 October 2023, and the associated use-class amendment regulations. In summary:

  • A new sui generis use class was created for short-term lets that are not the host’s primary residence.
  • Where the short-term let is the host’s primary residence and the host is present during the let, the use remains within Class C3 (dwellinghouses) and planning permission is not required.
  • Where the let is for a second home or a dedicated short-term-let property, a change-of-use application to your Local Planning Authority is required.

The change-of-use application follows the standard Town and Country Planning Act 1990 process and is determined by the LPA in 8 weeks (or 13 weeks if it is a major application). The Planning Portal hosts the standard 1APP forms and fee calculator.

The 90-day rule and where it still applies

Before 2023, England had a long-standing informal rule that a property could be let as a short-term holiday let for up to 90 nights per year without a change-of-use application, derived from the Deregulation Act 2015. This was widely relied upon by London hosts under the Greater London Council (General Powers) Act 1973-style regime.

The 90-day rule has now been abolished in England for new lettings. Two narrow contexts where a residual form of the rule may still apply:

  • Transitional provisions for hosts who were actively letting under the 90-day exemption at the date the 2023 reforms came into force (consult a planning consultant if this applies to you).
  • Long-standing tenancies of buildings already in established commercial use (e.g. serviced apartments that were in C1 hotel use at the relevant date).

For most readers reading this in 2026, assume the 90-day rule no longer protects you in England.

Article 4 Directions and host-only restrictions

Local Planning Authorities in England can withdraw Permitted Development rights for short-term lets in defined areas through an Article 4 Direction. Areas that commonly have Article 4 Directions in force include parts of central London, certain coastal towns, and neighbourhoods with high concentrations of second-home short-term lets. Where an Article 4 is in force, even occasional short-term letting may require planning permission.

You can check whether an Article 4 Direction covers your property via your LPA’s local plan and Article 4 register, both of which are usually published on the council website. For the broader England-and-Wales context on Permitted Development, our guide on Permitted Development Rights in 2026 explains the underlying framework that Article 4 Directions interrupt.

Scotland: short-term let licensing is mandatory

Scotland runs a parallel licensing regime. Under the Civic Government (Scotland) Act 1982, as amended by the Housing (Scotland) Act 2021, all short-term lets must hold a licence from the local council.

Key dates:

  • 1 October 2023 — new hosts must hold a licence before accepting bookings.
  • 1 April 2026 — existing hosts must also be licensed (transition deadline).

The licensing regime applies in addition to the planning question. In most Scottish cities, dedicated short-term-let properties (those not used as the host’s primary residence) require planning permission for change of use under the Town and Country Planning (Scotland) Act 1997, in the same way that Airbnb-specific planning issues arise in England. The licensing process and the planning process are separate and both must be complied with.

For an Aberdeen-specific walkthrough of how the Scottish system operates in practice, see our Aberdeen planning applications guide, which covers the Local Planning Authority landscape and the eplanning.scot submission portal.

Wales and Northern Ireland

Wales and Northern Ireland have their own planning statutes and use-class orders. At the time of writing, neither has implemented an Airbnb-specific use-class reform on the England 2023 model, but both have consulted on registration schemes. As a general rule:

  • Wales — short-term letting of a dwellinghouse usually remains within Class C3 unless the use is genuinely commercial in scale, in which case a change-of-use application is required to your Welsh LPA.
  • Northern Ireland — the Planning (Northern Ireland) Order 1991 applies; short-term letting on a commercial scale is treated as a material change of use and typically requires planning permission.

In both jurisdictions, the Local Planning Authority is the right first point of contact.

The planning and non-planning traps

Planning permission is only one of the restrictions on running an Airbnb. Three non-planning traps catch most first-time hosts:

  1. Mortgage covenants. Most residential mortgages prohibit commercial letting without the lender’s consent. Short-term letting without consent is a breach of contract and can trigger immediate repayment.
  2. Leasehold covenants. If your property is leasehold, the lease will usually contain a “no commercial use” covenant. Freeholder consent (often paid for via a licence to alter or deed of variation) is typically required.
  3. Insurance. Standard home insurance does not cover commercial short-term letting. A dedicated short-term-let policy is required and your existing insurer should be told.

These restrictions bite before the planning question in most enforcement scenarios, so check them first.

How to apply for change of use

For an England change-of-use application for a short-term let:

  1. Confirm your property is not already protected by an existing Article 4 Direction.
  2. Pre-application advice from your LPA — most councils charge £100–£300 for written pre-app feedback specific to short-term lets.
  3. Submit a full application via the Planning Portal change-of-use page, including a location plan, site plan, and a supporting statement that addresses amenity impact, traffic, and (if relevant) the 2023 use-class test.
  4. Expect a determination in 8 weeks under the Town and Country Planning Act 1990 statutory deadline.

For an England householder context (extensions, alterations, outbuildings) — which often come up when refurbishing a property for short-term-let use — see our householder planning permission for a garden office guide for the underlying framework.

Next steps and resources

Editorial note. This article is for guidance only and does not constitute regulated advice. UK short-term let regulation is changing rapidly and the precise boundary between Permitted Development, change of use, and licensing depends on local planning policy and individual circumstances. For project-specific questions, consult a chartered planning professional registered with the Royal Town Planning Institute (RTPI).