Holiday Let Licence Guide for England, Scotland & Wales

Whilst the rise in short-term holiday lets had brought many benefits to the tourism sector and economy, it has also prompted a range of concerns.

The Government aims to address the impact that short-term lets have on the housing market, local communities and anti-social behaviour from guests. There are also concerns that hosts and holiday let landlords are not abiding by health and safety legislation that’s designed to keep guests safe.

If you let out your holiday home or are thinking about doing so, it’s important to understand the legal requirements. Rules around holiday let licensing and registration are continuously evolving in different parts of the UK, with Scotland already operating a licensing system, Wales preparing for a phased rollout, and England consulting on its own national scheme.

Here’s what you need to know about the holiday let licencing scheme, based on where your holiday property is located in the UK.

Holiday let licence in England

At present, there is no active licensing scheme in England for holiday lets, but statutory registration remains firmly on the Government’s agenda. The PASC UK White Paper on Statutory Registatration (published March 2025) outlines how a national register could operate, with most industry stakeholders supporting the move.

While timelines are still not confirmed, PASC UK’s proposed registration model would seek to ensure greater health and safety compliance, data transparency, and improved local authority oversight.

Further information
https://www.gov.uk/guidance/delivering-a-registration-scheme-for-short-term-lets

Holiday let licence in Wales

Plans to introduce a statutory registration and licensing scheme for all visitor accommodation in Wales have been announced.

The first phase will be a statutory registration scheme for all accommodation providers, which will – for the first time – provide a register on the broad range of visitor accommodation available across the country and will include details on who is operating in the sector, where they are operating, and how they are operating.

Once a registration scheme is fully established, the intention is to follow with a licensing scheme for all visitor accommodation. This will initially focus on confirming compliance with safety requirements visitor accommodation providers should already be meeting, before looking at introducing quality standards at a later stage.

Further information
https://www.gov.wales/registration-and-licensing-visitor-accommodation-wales

Holiday let licence in Scotland

Scotland has been operating a mandatory short-term let licensing scheme since October 2022. Any new hosts must first obtain a license before they start to take guest bookings, with existing hosts needing to apply for a license by April 2023. Hosts can be fined up to £2,500 if they fail to comply with this scheme.

There are currently different licences for different letting situations. For example, ‘home sharing’, ‘home letting’, and ‘secondary lettings’ — with local authorities overseeing the entire process from application to enforcement.

Local councils also have the power to designate ‘control areas’ to manage the concentration of short-term lets. For example, in Edinburgh, the entire city is a ‘control area’. Despite the legislation, however, the local authority still seeks to support major events like the Edinburgh Fringe Festival; reducing safety inspection requirements and capping application fees at £120.00 for that period of time.

According to reports published over the past couple of years, the impact of licencing on short-term let availability in cities like Edinburgh and Glasgow has been modest, though some hosts and operators have chosen to exit the market.

Further information
https://www.mygov.scot/browse/housing/short-term-let-licensing
https://www.mygov.scot/short-term-let-licences
https://www.gov.scot/publications/short-term-lets/
https://www.visitscotland.org/supporting-your-business/advice/short-term-lets-legislation

Summary of rules by UK country

England: No active scheme in place yet. Statutory registration is currently under consultation.
Wales: Registration in place from 2026, with a licensing and optional visitor levy from 2027.
Scotland: Licensing in place since October 2022, with optional designated ‘control areas’, depending on the relevant local council’s preference.

Holiday let regulations continue to change in the UK, so holiday let owners should ensure they stay compliant with any new or changing short-term let legislation.