Short-term letting in Birmingham

Conferences, cricket and a changing city centre

Birmingham's short-let market is built on business and events. The NEC and the ICC host trade fairs and conferences through the year, Edgbaston stages international cricket, and the city's arenas, theatres and universities bring a constant flow of visitors. Regeneration around the Jewellery Quarter, Digbeth and the future HS2 station at Curzon Street keeps professionals and contractors coming. Most stock is city-centre apartments, with larger houses in Moseley, Harborne and Edgbaston suited to families and groups.

Licensing and planning

Birmingham's selective licensing scheme, in force since 5 June 2023 in 25 of the city's 69 wards, applies to privately rented homes let to tenants. It is not designed for holiday lets, but if a property alternates between tenancies and short stays, confirm with the council whether a licence is needed for the tenancy periods. The city's Article 4 direction on houses in multiple occupation concerns shared housing, not short lets. England has no short-let licence and no register yet; the government said on 3 September 2026 that the national register should be fully operational by March 2027. Whether letting a flat to a stream of visitors is a material change of use remains a case-by-case judgement for the council.

Council tax and business rates

Birmingham City Council has charged a 100% premium on second homes since 1 April 2025. A self-catering property that is available for 140 nights, let for 70 nights in the same twelve months and expected to continue can be assessed for business rates instead, which may bring small business rate relief into play.

Our advice

• Check the lease: many city-centre blocks forbid short lets or business use.
• Price around the exhibition calendar, where demand can outstrip supply for a few days at a time.
• For corporate guests, offer invoices, a workspace and mid-stay cleaning.
• Keep fire, gas and electrical safety paperwork up to date.

Tell us about the property: we study every request and tell you honestly whether and how we can help.

Stadiums, chocolate and a clean air ring

Beyond the exhibition halls, Birmingham has a second events economy built on football and live entertainment. Villa Park in Aston and St Andrew's in Bordesley bring away supporters and, on European nights, visitors from abroad. The arena near Brindleyplace, Symphony Hall and the Hippodrome fill weekends with concerts and touring shows. The Alexander Stadium in Perry Barr, rebuilt for the 2022 Commonwealth Games, stages athletics meetings.

Healthcare and study bring longer stays. The Queen Elizabeth Hospital, next to the University of Birmingham campus in Edgbaston, attracts clinicians, trainees and families of patients. Aston University, in the centre, generates graduation and open-day bookings. Bournville, with its model village and the chocolate visitor attraction, is a family destination in its own right.

• Arrivals: New Street station and the Grand Central shopping centre above it are the main entry point; flats within walking distance are easiest to sell. Birmingham International station serves both the airport and the NEC.
• Around the Mailbox and Brindleyplace, the canal towpaths give guests a walking route between venues.
• Clean Air Zone: since 2021, older, more polluting cars driving inside the A4540 Middleway ring road pay a daily charge. Warn guests who travel by car and explain where parking sits relative to the boundary.