Short-term holiday letting has grown sharply as a land use, and planning policy has started to keep pace. In most cases, using a property as an occasional holiday let does not change its planning use. But intensive short-term letting, or a clear permanent change to tourist accommodation, can trigger a requirement for planning permission.
Planning Signal holds around 6,000 holiday let and change of use to holiday accommodation applications. The volume has grown year on year as more councils take enforcement action against unauthorised conversions and as owners seek to regularise their position.
When planning permission is required
Planning permission for change of use to holiday letting is required when:
- The property is no longer used as a permanent residence at all
- The number of nights let and the marketing of the property indicate a material change of use from C3 (dwelling) to short-term tourist accommodation (sui generis)
- The property is being converted from one use to tourist accommodation (e.g. commercial premises to holiday flats)
- The local authority has introduced a short-term lets control zone requiring permission
- New-build or conversion is proposed specifically as holiday accommodation
The "material change of use" test
There is no fixed threshold. Councils look at the totality of the situation: how many nights per year the property is let, whether it is registered on platforms like Airbnb or Booking.com year-round, whether the owner lives there at all, and whether neighbours are affected by transient occupation. The 90-night limit in London under the Deregulation Act 2015 is a statutory threshold above which Airbnb-type letting requires planning permission in the capital.
Short-term lets regulations
The Levelling-up and Regeneration Act 2024 introduced powers for councils in England to designate short-term lets control zones. In designated areas, any property let short-term as a holiday let will require planning permission. As of 2026, several councils are in the process of implementing these powers. Check your local council's website for the current position.
What councils look for
For applications involving change of use to holiday accommodation, councils assess impact on the permanent housing stock, parking and traffic generation, noise and disturbance, and whether the location is appropriate for tourist accommodation.
Track holiday let applications
Holiday let operators, holiday park developers, and planning consultants working in rural and coastal areas can monitor local applications to understand the market and council policy. Search planning applications near you or browse holiday let planning applications across the UK.
See council planning statistics for local decision rates.