Short-term letting in Bristol and Bath

Bristol and Bath sit fifteen minutes apart by train but attract different guests. Bristol draws festival-goers, football and rugby fans, students' families and a large business and tech crowd, with Clifton, Harbourside and Redland as favourite neighbourhoods. Bath, a World Heritage city, sells Georgian architecture, the Roman Baths, the Thermae spa and its Christmas market, and its guests often stay two or three nights in an elegant flat in a terrace or crescent.

What the law requires now

No licence or registration is needed yet to let a home short term in England, and there is no nightly cap outside London. The government has said a national register should be fully operational by March 2027. Planning is the real constraint. Bristol City Council and Bath and North East Somerset Council can each decide that intensive letting changes the use of a dwelling. In Bath, much of the housing stock is listed and inside conservation areas, and flats share Georgian staircases with permanent residents; alterations need consent, and complaints are taken seriously.

Council tax, rates and a possible levy

• Both councils have charged a 100% premium on second homes since 1 April 2025.
• A let available for 140 nights and actually let for 70 in 12 months can be rated as a business instead.
• The furnished holiday lettings tax regime ended in April 2025; profits are taxed as ordinary property income.
• On 23 September 2026 the government confirmed that English mayors will be able to introduce an overnight visitor levy covering short lets. The West of England has a mayor; no local scheme has been announced, and the law is not yet laid.

Where we see the opportunity

In Bristol, flexible stays for contractors and visiting professionals smooth out weekends that depend on events. In Bath, quality and presentation are everything: guests pay for character, so heritage flats that are warm, quiet and impeccably clean earn the reviews that fill quieter months. Tell us about your property; we study every request and tell you honestly whether and how we can help.

Bridges, balloons and two different clean air zones

Bristol's harbour and gorge give visitors a list of their own. The Clifton Suspension Bridge, Brunel's SS Great Britain in dry dock, and the waterside restaurants at Wapping Wharf form a natural walking loop. The Harbour Festival in July and the International Balloon Fiesta at Ashton Court in August are the city's biggest summer draws; Ashton Gate hosts both football and the Bristol Bears rugby team. Stokes Croft and Gloucester Road suit younger guests who want independent bars and street art.

North of the city, the aerospace sites around Filton bring engineers and suppliers on weekday stays, ideal for a well-equipped flat with parking.

Bath's calendar is different: the Jane Austen Festival in September, Bath Rugby at the Recreation Ground beside the river, and graduation weeks at the University of Bath on Claverton Down and at Bath Spa. The Royal Crescent, the Circus and Pulteney Bridge are the addresses guests recognise.

• Bristol's Clean Air Zone charges older private cars as well as commercial vehicles in the central area.
• Bath's zone does not charge private cars, but vans and taxis that fail its standards pay. Contractors arriving in older vans should know in advance.

Park and ride sites around both cities are often the best parking advice to give guests.