Airbnb & Short-Term Rental Regulations
As property managers in London, we help our partnered hosts and properties stay fully compliant with London’s short-term rental regulations and any changes to compliance requirements.
As a guide, if you own a short let in London, here’s what you need to know about regulations, permits, taxes and what’s legally required of you.
What are STRs?
A short-term rental (STR) is when a home or room is rented to visitors for short stays, ranging from a single night to a few weeks, and the guest isn’t using it as their main home, unlike a residential tenancy.
The council are more likely to get involved when the use looks commercial, such as regular or high-turnover bookings or repeat neighbour complaints. In London, whole-home short lets are also commonly assessed against the 90-night annual limit, with different treatment for hosted stays.
Are short-term lets legal in London?
Most London boroughs define a short-let as a property let to visitors for stays of under 90 nights, operated commercially with regular guest turnover. Hosted stays (a room in your home) do not fall under the 90-night cap.
Under the Deregulation Act 2015, you can short-let a residential property in London without planning permission only if the property is let for no more than 90 nights in a calendar year and the host is liable for council tax at the property. Platforms like Airbnb automatically count bookings and block further reservations once you hit 90 nights, unless you prove you have planning permission.
London boroughs actively monitor breaches of the 90-night limit, unapproved change of use, noise and antisocial behaviour, neighbour complaints, waste issues, and properties used as full-time holiday lets.
Legality
The nightly cap, planning rules and local enforcement mean London hosts must understand the regulations clearly to avoid penalties.
Night Cap
Yes there is a city-wide cap. Entire homes throughout London cannot exceed 90 nights on platforms like Airbnb without planning permission.
STR Register
Currently no short-term let register. The government has announced plans for an England-wide registration scheme, which would apply in London once implemented.
Planning
Required if you go beyond 90 nights/year or run the property like full-time visitor accommodation. Boroughs may treat this as a material change of use.
An overview of the rules
How to comply in London
Step-by-step explanation
A simple overview of the key requirements, who sets them, and what to expect. If you need us to, we can do all of this for you:
Track your nights and hosting type
If you’re letting an entire home, London’s statutory limit is generally 90 nights per calendar year unless you have planning permission. Hosted stays (renting a room while you live there) are treated differently and don’t fall under the same cap. Keep a clear record of nights booked so you don’t accidentally breach the limit.
Apply for planning permission if required
If you plan to exceed 90 nights, submit a planning application. Typical non-major decisions take around 8 weeks once validated (can vary with consultation). Typically costs around £528 for a householder application in England.
Get your tax and rates position right
Declare income to HMRC. If the property is available 140+ days and let 70+ days in a year, it may move from Council Tax to Business Rates. Rent-a-Room may apply to your main home (£7,500). Some councils can add up to a 100% second-home Council Tax premium from April 2025.
Meet safety duties and keep records
Complete a fire risk assessment and follow the government’s small paying-guest accommodation fire safety guide. Fit and maintain smoke alarms on each storey and CO alarms where there’s a fixed combustion appliance (excluding gas cookers). Test regularly and keep evidence (plus certificates where applicable).
STR full compliance breakdown
London-specific information guide
No Planning Permission Required When…
- You rent your entire home for 90 nights or fewer
- You are the council-tax payer
- You host while living in the property
- Lets are occasional or seasonal
- The property clearly remains a residence
Planning Permission Required When…
- You want to exceed the 90-night cap
- You run a year-round holiday let
- Turnover is continuous with no residential us
- Neighbours complain regularly
- The home is no longer used as a residence
If planning is needed, councils may reclassify the home from:
- C3 (Residential) to
- C1 (Hotel/Guesthouse) or
- Sui Generis (Commercial)
Most applications take around 8 weeks.
Use this as a guide:
- Short-lets under 90 nights → Usually remain on council tax
- Full-time holiday lets → May be moved to business rates
Additional points:
- Some boroughs charge extra premiums for empty/second homes
- You may qualify for Small Business Rate Relief
- Switching back from business rates isn’t guaranteed
London has thousands of leasehold flats, many with restrictions:
- No subletting
- No holiday letting clauses
- Minimum 6–12 month rental terms
- Noise and nuisance conditions
- Rules about key fobs and guest access
- No commercial activity allowed
Your freeholder can prohibit Airbnb entirely, even if your council allows it.
- Most residential mortgages do not allow short lets
- Some lenders allow occasional lets with written consent
- Full-time or high-volume letting requires a holiday-let mortgage
- Short-let / holiday-let insurance
- Public liability cover
- Guest-damage protection
Standard home insurance usually isn’t enough.
Fire risk assessment (recommended but essential for whole-home lets).
- Fire blanket
- Fire extinguisher
- Fire door for kitchen
- Clear escape route instructions
- Emergency contact details
- Carbon monoxide alarm (if gas/solid fuel)
- Annual gas safety certificate
- EICR every 5 years
Councils act on:
- Late-night noise
- Balcony/terrace misuse
- Large or party-type groups
- Repeated disturbances
Reduce risk by:
- Setting strict house rules
- Avoiding party bookings
- Offering 24/7 contact support
- Using non-recording noise monitors if needed
Hosts must:
- Provide clear recycling instructions
- Put bins out only on collection day
- Keep bins off pavements outside collection times
- Avoid overflowing bin bags or loose rubbish
Councils can issue:
- Noise abatement notices – breaching one can lead to fines of £5,000 (individuals) or £20,000 (businesses)
- Planning enforcement notices – ignoring these can result in fines of £20,000 or unlimited fines in serious cases
- Waste/recycling fines – typically £100–£400 depending on the borough
- Antisocial behaviour penalties – commonly £150–£500
- Safety or housing offences – civil penalties of up to £30,000 per offence
- Forced closure – councils can order you to stop hosting immediately if you breach rules
- Platform removal – boroughs can ask Airbnb/Booking.com to remove listings for repeat or serious violations
Exceeding the 90-night limit is one of the most common triggers.
Before hosting:
- Check lease & mortgage rules
- Confirm planning needs
- Do EICR, gas certificate, alarms
- Complete fire risk assessment
- Set clear guest rules
- Create waste instructions
During hosting:
- Keep safety checks up to date
- Monitor guest behaviour
- Keep income & availability records
- Maintain insurance
Ongoing:
- Watch for new Brighton rules
- Renew safety certificates
London Airbnb rules FAQs
Yes — if you exceed 90 nights or run a full-time holiday let.
Yes. Entire homes cannot exceed 90 nights without planning permission.
Some boroughs require additional licenses. It varies area to area.
Yes — London boroughs enforce waste and nuisance rules strictly.
Only with lender approval. Most standard mortgages restrict short-lets.
Before Hosting:
- Check lease and mortgage rules
- Confirm planning requirements
- Complete EICR, gas and safety checks
- Install smoke/CO alarms
- Do a fire risk assessment
- Add waste and recycling instruction
- Set house rules
During Hosting:
- Keep safety checks up to date
- Monitor guest behaviour
- Maintain booking records
- Keep insurance active
Ongoing:
- Stay updated on rule changes
- Renew safety certificates
- Track your nights to avoid hitting the 90-night limit
Future changes and what’s coming next
England is introducing:
- A national short-let register
- A new short-let planning use class
- Stricter planning rules for new short-lets
- More control for the local council
- Higher council tax premiums for second homes
- More inspections and enforcement
London will remain one of the UK’s most regulated short-let regions.
Official sources
- Deregulation Act 2015 – London short-letting (90-night rule)
- Short-term letting guidance/enforcement (cityoflondon.gov.uk)
- Short-term letting (90-night rule) guidance (rbkc.gov.uk)
- Business rates thresholds for self-catering & holiday lets (gov.uk)
- Delivering a registration scheme for short-term lets (England) (gov.uk)
Key Takeaways
London-specific summary
- HelloGuest emphasises London’s 90-night annual cap for entire-home short lets without planning permission, and highlights that hosted stays (renting a room while you live there) are treated differently.
- HelloGuest positions planning permission as the key “unlock” if you want to exceed 90 nights or operate more like full-time visitor accommodation—helping owners avoid enforcement action and forced stoppages.
- HelloGuest stresses that London boroughs actively monitor and act on the common triggers: night-cap breaches, change of use, noise/anti-social behaviour, waste issues, and repeat neighbour complaints.
- We highlight “profit-impacting compliance”: owners must get HMRC reporting right; higher-use holiday lets may shift from Council Tax to Business Rates (with potential reliefs); and some councils can apply second-home premiums in certain cases.
- We flag practical blockers that can prevent hosting, even if the council position is acceptable: leasehold/freeholder restrictions, mortgage lender consent, and the need for a robust safety and records pack (fire risk assessment, etc.) to protect ongoing bookings.
