Running a holiday let in the UK

01

Start with the nation, then the council

England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland do not share one rulebook. Use the page for the nation the property is in, then ask that council about planning and any extra local rule. A Facebook group summary is not a substitute.

For a self-catering let in England, start with Letting out a self-catering holiday home in England. When this guide was checked, that page had been updated on 2 October 2026. It points to registration, planning, business rates, tax, fire, gas, electrical safety, licensing for TVs and music, energy performance certificates and insurance.

02

Read the safety pages before you take a booking

Fire: the England page says you must follow the guide to making small paying guest accommodation safe from fire where it applies, and the sleeping accommodation fire risk assessment for larger or more complex properties. The small-premises guide is for simple layout and limited risk, and the England page describes its scope as accommodation with no more than 10 people or 2 floors. Do the reading that matches the building. A fire risk assessment is part of that, not a paragraph you can skip.

Gas: HSE's page on who is a landlord includes rented holiday accommodation such as chalets, cottages and flats. The gas safety check page describes a check every year on appliances and flues you provide, by a Gas Safe registered engineer. The record page says that for stays under 28 days you should display a legible copy in a prominent place. Read those pages for defects and records. Do not test gas appliances yourself.

Electrical: the England holiday-let page points owners to HSE electrical safety and to the electrical safety standards guidance for rented homes. Read both. The rented-homes guidance explains who it covers, including where someone occupies a place as their only or main home. Do not guess that a holiday let sits inside or outside that line.

Smoke and carbon monoxide alarms are part of the fire and gas reading, not a sticker you add and forget. Follow the official guide for the property rather than a shop display.

03

Insurance, tax and business rates

The England page says you should have dedicated holiday let insurance, public liability cover, and buildings and contents cover suitable for short-term letting. A home policy often excludes paying guests. Read the wording or ask the insurer. If you employ people, also read employers' liability insurance. This guide cannot tell you which policy you must hold.

Tax: Paying tax when you rent out a property is the page for what to report and what you may be able to deduct. It says the old furnished holiday lettings rules ended on 6 April 2025 for Income Tax and Capital Gains Tax, and on 1 April 2025 for Corporation Tax. Use the page for a return. Do not use a blog's old checklist.

Business rates: self-catering and holiday let accommodation explains when a property is valued for business rates instead of council tax. When checked, England used 140 nights available and 70 nights actually let, with a plan to be available for 140 nights in the next 12 months, on stays of 28 nights or less. Wales used higher figures: 252 nights available and 182 nights let. The page also says you may be eligible for small business rate relief in England if you let one property and its rateable value is under £15,000. Scotland and Northern Ireland have their own rules, and the page says so. Use the figures on that page if they have moved since 7 November 2026.

04

Registration, licensing and planning

England: the holiday-let page says a mandatory national registration scheme for short-term lets is expected to begin in March 2027 and is not yet in force. It also says you should ask your council whether you need planning permission. Read the page again before you assume the date has not moved.

Scotland: a short-term let licence from the council is required before you accept bookings or receive guests, including for holiday cottages. Some areas have control areas, and the guidance explains exemptions. Check the current page and your council.

Wales: if you take bookings for overnight stays of 31 nights or less, visitor accommodation registration says you must register with the Welsh Revenue Authority by 31 March 2027, even if your council does not introduce a visitor levy. The page, updated 29 October 2026, says registration is open and free. Read who must register, because it includes self-catering lets.

Northern Ireland: Tourism NI's self-catering overview says tourism legislation requires visitor accommodation to hold a current Tourism NI certificate, which involves an inspection. Start there rather than copying an English checklist.

05

A diary does not make the house safe

None of the checks above are done by software. An engineer, a fire risk assessment and an insurer still have to happen in the real building. What a diary can do is show the empty days, so a gas visit or a deep clean is not booked on top of a guest.

If you connect an iCal feed, Changeover Master picks departures up into the changeover diary on its usual sync, about every 15 minutes after a successful check, not the instant a guest books. The cleaner still gets a private link with no login, can add photo proof, and can report a problem. A clean-done email and a late-clean alert tell you about the clean. They do not replace a safety record. When you want the diary side, you can start a free trial.