Owners of short-term and holiday lets in England will have to register their properties under new government regulations due to come into force by March next year.
Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy has confirmed that the government is accelerating work on the long-awaited national register, which will be fully operational by March 2027.
Why are the rules changing?
The rapid growth of short-term letting has raised concerns that large concentrations of holiday accommodation in some areas are reducing the availability and affordability of homes for local people.
The government says the register will give councils a clearer picture of how many short lets are operating and where, helping them assess the impact on local housing markets.
Nandy told Parliament: “This regulation is about putting power back into people’s hands so that they can shape the right balance between the benefits that tourism brings and the needs of people locally for decent housing.”
The register is part of a wider move to bring short-term lets closer into line with the conventional private rented sector.
Tax and regulation
That process has already begun with tax. In April 2025, the Furnished Holiday Lettings tax regime was abolished, removing a number of advantages previously available to qualifying holiday-let owners.
The focus is now on the regulations. Short-term lets already have to comply with fire, gas and electrical safety rules and are subject to planning restrictions in many areas, including London, where they are limited to 90 days a year.
But without a national register, councils cannot get an accurate picture of which and how many properties are being used as short lets. Registration will make them easier to identify and existing rules easier to enforce.
Property industry body Propertymark supports greater parity with the private rented sector but, with short-term lets supporting tourism and giving owners flexibility, it says regulation needs to be proportionate.
It argues that councils need effective tools where high numbers reduce the availability of homes for local people, but says increasing private and social housing supply should be the primary solution.
Details to be confirmed
The scheme is expected to be mandatory and primarily online, although important details have yet to be announced, including what information owners will need to provide, how frequently they will need to register, how much it will cost and whether occasional hosts will be exempt.
The legal groundwork has already been laid. The Levelling Up and Regeneration Act 2023 gave the government the power to establish the register, with the detailed rules now being drawn up ahead of its launch in March 2027.
Who is affected?
Despite the name, a short-term let is not simply a property rented out for a short period.
The key distinction is how it is used. In broad terms, it means paid accommodation that is not the guest’s main home.
This includes traditional holiday cottages and properties advertised through platforms such as Airbnb, as well as serviced apartments, rooms within someone’s home and other temporary accommodation.
Guests, though, do not have to be on holiday. Short-term accommodation is also used by people travelling for work or needing somewhere temporary to live.
However, someone renting a property as their main home under a conventional residential tenancy does not become a short-term-let guest simply because they only stay for a few months.