London vacation rental by owner: UK legal requirements

Running a vacation rental by owner in London is subject to some of the tightest short-let rules in the UK. The rules are not impossibly onerous, but they are specific to London and ignoring them carries real risk — fines, enforced listing removal and, in serious cases, planning enforcement. Here is the current set of legal requirements an owner-occupier landlord in London needs to meet.

The most important London-specific rule is the 90-night annual cap. Under the Greater London short-letting legislation (amended in 2015), you can short-let your main home for up to 90 nights per calendar year without planning permission. The 90 nights are counted as the nights your property is actually let to short-stay guests — not the nights it is listed. Once you exceed 90 nights in a calendar year, Airbnb will automatically block further short-let bookings on its platform until the next calendar year unless you have planning permission to use the property as a short-let beyond the 90-night limit.

Crucially, the 90-night exemption applies to your main home only. If the property is not your main residence — for example a buy-to-let you do not live in — the exemption does not apply, and you may need planning permission for short-let use from the start. Read our full guide to the 90-day rule in London.

Beyond the 90-night cap, the UK government is introducing a national short-let registration scheme alongside a new C5 planning use class. Once live, London hosts will need to register their short-let with the relevant local authority. Some London boroughs may also use the new planning powers to require planning permission for short-lets in designated areas. Check your specific borough's planning portal — rules already vary between, say, Westminster, Camden and Tower Hamlets.

If you short-let your main home within the 90-night limit while you are away, your council tax liability generally does not change — it remains a residential property. If you run the property as a commercial short-let available for letting 140+ days a year, the Valuation Office Agency may reclassify it for business rates instead. Where the two regimes meet is a common source of confusion; check with your borough's council tax team before assuming either way. Our compliance agencies guide covers who to ask.

The safety obligations are the same as for any rented residential property:

These apply from the first night you let, regardless of how often. London's fire and rescue services have actively inspected short-lets in some boroughs, so do not treat these as optional paperwork.

Standard home insurance does not cover short-letting. You need either a specific short-let insurance policy or a rider that explicitly covers paying guests, public liability for guests in your property, and loss of income from a covered event. Equally important: most residential mortgages and leasehold agreements require consent from the lender or freeholder before you let the property short-term. Failing to get this consent can put you in breach of your mortgage or lease, regardless of whether the short-let itself is legal.

If your London property is leasehold — as many flats are — your lease almost certainly restricts subletting, and short-letting in particular. Some leases prohibit any subletting without freeholder consent; others prohibit short-term letting outright. Check your lease before you list. Freeholders in some central London blocks have successfully taken action against owners short-letting in breach of lease. See our guide to Airbnb in a flat or apartment block.

For a single owner-occupier letting within the 90-night cap, the rules are manageable. For owners of one or more non-resident London properties — or anyone approaching the 90-night cap and wanting to let more — the compliance burden grows quickly. A local London management company will know your borough's rules, keep your certificates current and keep the records that prove compliance. See how fully-managed London short-lets work here, or get a free estimate for your property.