Holiday let regulations in England: what owners must do

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A holiday let in England is treated by the law as paying-guest accommodation and as a business. The owner must keep a written fire risk assessment, have gas appliances checked every year, keep the electrics and furniture safe, hold suitable insurance and pay the right local tax. No national licence or register is in force at the time of writing, and the 90-night limit applies only in Greater London.

This guide is general information, correct as of 30 September 2026. It is not legal advice. Confirm your own position with a solicitor, your insurer and the council before you rely on it.

Fire safety: the duty that matters most

The Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 applies to any property where guests pay to stay, including a single flat. You, or the agent who controls the property, are the responsible person.

Since 1 October 2023 the fire risk assessment must be recorded in full, whatever the size of the business. Section 156 of the Building Safety Act 2022 removed the old exemption for operators with fewer than five employees.

For a small let, the standard is the government's guide to making small paying guest accommodation safe from fire. It covers single premises on the ground floor, or ground and first floor, sleeping no more than 10 people with no more than four bedrooms upstairs, and individual flats. Open-plan ground floors, flats where a bedroom is reached through another room and larger buildings need the fuller sleeping accommodation guide and usually a professional assessor.

The guide expects:

• Interlinked smoke alarms in hallways, staircases, lounges, dining rooms and bedrooms, and a heat alarm in every kitchen.
• Mains-powered alarms with battery back-up (Grade D1). Sealed long-life battery alarms are accepted only as a short-term measure of around two to three years.
• Emergency escape lighting where borrowed light is not enough. In the smallest premises, rechargeable torches that light automatically in each bedroom may be acceptable.
• Exit doors that open from the inside without a key. A thumb turn is usually enough.
• No candles, tea lights or ethanol burners supplied to guests, and chimneys swept at least once a year.
• A carbon monoxide detector wherever there is a gas or solid fuel appliance.
• Alarms tested at each change of occupancy, and the assessment reviewed regularly. Annually is usual, and after any significant change.

The fire and rescue service enforces the Order. In Dorset, including the BCP area, that is Dorset & Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Service.

Gas, electrics and furniture

Gas. HSE guidance says landlords' gas safety duties apply to rented holiday accommodation such as chalets, cottages, flats and caravans. Every gas appliance and flue you provide must be checked every 12 months by a Gas Safe registered engineer, and the record kept for two years. Keep a copy of the current record in the house folder where guests can see it.

Electrics. No regulation written for holiday lets demands an Electrical Installation Condition Report (EICR) by name. The government's fire guide says the installation should be inspected and tested at least every five years by a competent electrician, and GOV.UK's holiday let page points owners to the electrical safety standards for the rented sector. Treat a five-yearly EICR as the working standard. Appliances should be checked regularly: portable appliance testing (PAT) is the usual evidence.

Furniture. The Furniture and Furnishings (Fire) (Safety) Regulations 1988 apply to anyone who lets furnished accommodation as a business, holiday homes included. Upholstered seating, mattresses, bed bases, cushions and pillows must meet the fire resistance requirements, and the permanent label is your evidence. Furniture made before 1950 is outside the rules. An amendment in force from 30 October 2025 took certain baby products out of scope and removed the display label on new products. Check the permanent label before buying anything second-hand.

Planning, the 90-night limit and the national register

Planning. England has no separate planning use class for short-term lets. Whether holiday letting is a material change of use is decided case by case by the local planning authority: BCP Council for Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole, and Dorset Council for the rest of the county. GOV.UK's advice is to ask the council. In February 2024 the previous government announced a new use class with permitted development rights. At the time of writing the Use Classes Order on legislation.gov.uk contains short-term let classes for Wales only, and we found no regulations creating one for England.

The 90-night limit is a London rule. Section 44 of the Deregulation Act 2015 allows homes in Greater London to be used as temporary sleeping accommodation for up to 90 nights in a calendar year without planning permission. It has no effect in Dorset or Hampshire.

Registration. Section 228 of the Levelling-up and Regeneration Act 2023 requires the Secretary of State to make regulations for registering short-term rental properties in England. The section is in force. The regulations and the register are not. GOV.UK says only that the scheme "is expected to begin in 2026". On 3 September 2026 the Culture Secretary told the Commons that the register "will be up and running in full by March", which we read as March 2027. No fee, start date or portal had been published when this guide was checked, so there is nothing to apply for yet. Keep your safety documents in order, because the register is meant to help councils check compliance.

EPCs: a rule that is about to change

GOV.UK's list of buildings that do not need an Energy Performance Certificate includes "holiday accommodation that's rented out for less than 4 months a year or is let under a licence to occupy". Many holiday let owners have relied on that wording.

The government's partial response to its EPC consultation, published on 9 March 2026, says there are currently "no specific requirements in regulation" for short-term rentals. It states an intention to require a valid EPC for short-term rental properties "irrespective of who pays energy bills", through regulations to be brought forward in 2026. We could not find those regulations in force on 30 September 2026. If your property has no EPC, budget for one now.

Council tax or business rates

A holiday let in England is assessed for business rates, not council tax, only when all of these are true:

• it was available to let commercially for short periods for at least 140 nights in the last 12 months
• it was actually let for at least 70 nights in that period
• you plan to make it available for at least 140 nights in the next 12 months

The Valuation Office Agency decides, not the council. A property that misses the test stays on council tax, and both BCP Council and Dorset Council have charged a 100% second homes premium since 1 April 2025, which doubles the bill. In the Hampshire towns we cover, the billing authority is New Forest District Council, which sets its own premium. The money side is covered in our guide to holiday let tax after the FHL regime.

Consents and cover: lease, mortgage and insurance

Three private agreements can stop a holiday let that the law itself allows.

• The lease. Most flats are leasehold. Read the lease for clauses requiring use as a private residence, banning business use or requiring consent to sublet, and get the freeholder's or management company's consent in writing.
• The mortgage. A residential or standard buy-to-let mortgage does not normally permit holiday letting without the lender's consent. Ask before the first booking.
• Insurance. GOV.UK says owners should have dedicated holiday let insurance, public liability cover, and buildings and contents cover suitable for short-term letting. Our holiday let insurance guide sets out what that means.

The smaller duties: guest data, TV, waste and water

• Guest data. You hold names, contact details and sometimes identity documents. UK data protection law applies, and the ICO says organisations that use personal information, sole traders included, must pay its data protection fee unless exempt. Its self-assessment tool takes about ten minutes.
• TV licence. TV Licensing lists holiday lets with hotels and hostels as accommodation that needs to be covered by a valid licence. Do not assume a guest's home licence covers your set.
• Waste. Waste from a commercial activity is business waste. Use a registered waste carrier and keep waste transfer notes. BCP Council and Dorset Council both sell commercial collections.
• Water. HSE expects landlords to assess legionella risk. For a let that stands empty between bookings, that means flushing outlets before guests arrive.

The records to keep

A managing agent can hold these records and chase the renewals, but the legal duty stays with the responsible person. Our holiday let compliance checklist lists each document with its renewal date, and the holiday let management page explains how inspections and changeover checks work when Sea Breeze runs the property.