England's open markets: where short lets still work in 2026

Owners abroad often assume that the whole UK has followed Edinburgh or London in restricting short lets. It has not. As of September 2026, most of England remains open: no licence, no register in force and no cap on nights outside Greater London. "Open" does not mean unregulated, though, and the differences between cities matter more than any national headline. Here is how we read the map.

What "open" means in England today

Three things are absent. There is no licensing scheme for short lets. The national register provided for by the Levelling-up and Regeneration Act 2023 is not yet running; the government now says it should be fully operational by March 2027. And the proposed C5 planning use class for short lets, consulted on in 2023, has not been introduced.

Two things remain. First, planning: outside London, a council can still decide that intensive letting of a particular home is a material change of use requiring permission, judged on the facts. Second, everything that applies to any paying guest accommodation: fire safety duties, gas checks, business rates or council tax, and income tax on property profits.

The exception: Greater London

In all 32 London boroughs and the City, a home can be let for short stays for no more than 90 nights in a calendar year without planning permission, and one of the hosts must be liable for council tax on it. That makes London a market for part-time letting or for mixing short stays with longer furnished lets, not for a year-round holiday flat. Just outside the boundary, in towns such as Reading, Windsor, St Albans or across Surrey, the 90-night rule does not apply, which is one reason these commuter markets deserve a look.

The big regional cities

Manchester, Birmingham, Liverpool, Leeds, Sheffield, Nottingham, Bristol and Newcastle upon Tyne have no short-let-specific rules. Several of them use Article 4 directions, but these are aimed at houses in multiple occupation, not at holiday lets. Selective licensing schemes found in some of these cities concern tenancies rather than holiday stays. What these councils do watch is the city-centre apartment block: repeated complaints from residents about key boxes, noise or security can lead to planning enforcement on the grounds of a material change of use, and to action by the freeholder under the lease. Liverpool is preparing a new local plan, so watch how its policies on visitor accommodation evolve.

The most likely new cost for these cities is not a ban but a levy. The government has confirmed it will legislate so that mayoral and foundation strategic authorities can charge an overnight visitor levy, set as a percentage of the accommodation price and covering short lets. Greater Manchester, the Liverpool City Region and the West Midlands all have such an authority, although none can charge a levy until the law is passed and a local scheme consulted on.

Historic and university cities

Oxford, Cambridge, Bath, Chester, York, Canterbury, Winchester and Salisbury combine year-round visitors with a tight housing market. None has a short-let licence or register. Their planning departments are, however, well used to questions about change of use in listed buildings and conservation areas, where alterations for letting, such as key safes on a listed facade, may themselves need consent.

The coast and the countryside

Cornwall, Devon, Dorset, Norfolk, Suffolk, the Isle of Wight, the Lake District, the Peak District and the Yorkshire coast have the deepest holiday demand in England and, again, no short-let licence. The pressure there shows up elsewhere:

• Council tax premiums: since April 2025, English councils can charge up to double council tax on second homes. A holiday let that fails the business rates test, being available for 140 nights and actually let for 70, can end up paying it.
• Principal residence policies: some neighbourhood plans, St Ives in Cornwall being the best known, require new-build homes to be occupied as a main residence, which rules them out as holiday lets.
• Planning conditions: converted barns and new holiday cottages often carry conditions restricting them to holiday use, which works in an owner's favour for the council tax premium but limits resale.

Blackpool: a city with its own map

Blackpool is a special case. Its Holiday Accommodation Supplementary Planning Document, adopted in November 2017, designates Holiday Accommodation Areas along the seafront and near the town centre, where the council protects visitor accommodation. Proposals for holiday use in residential streets outside these areas have met resistance, so an investor should check a specific address against the council's map before buying. Lancaster, just up the coast, has no equivalent policy.

How to use this map

• Inside Greater London, plan around 90 nights; outside it, plan around planning risk and the business rates test.
• In a flat, the lease and the neighbours count for more than the council.
• In a coastal or rural market, check for principal residence policies and planning conditions before you offer.
• Everywhere, prepare for the national register in 2027: fire risk assessment, gas certificate and insurance in one file.

England still offers owners room to operate that Scotland and much of Wales no longer do. Using it well takes local knowledge rather than a national rule of thumb. If you own or are considering a property in one of these markets, tell us about it; we study every request and tell you honestly whether and how we can help.