England Short-Let Register 2026: Who Must Register, When

The short answer: England is introducing a mandatory national register of short-term lets, and it is not open yet. On 3 September 2026 the Secretary of State said it “will be up and running in full by March”, which Propertymark reported as March 2027. The fee, the threshold for occasional lets and the process are unpublished. Checked 1 October 2026.

Part of our guide to direct bookings and OTA independence.

If you run serviced apartments or short lets in England, this page tracks the England short-let register in one place: what it is, who must register, what has been said and when, and what to do while the detail is missing. Every fact below links to its source, and this page was last checked on 1 October 2026. We update it when the government publishes the portal, the fee or the threshold. For Scotland, Wales and the rest of the UK rules, see our UK short-let registration guide.

What is the England short-let register?

It is a mandatory national registration scheme for short-term lets in England. The Levelling Up and Regeneration Act 2023 created the legal framework, and the government confirmed on 19 February 2024 that the scheme would be mandatory and national after 61% of consultation respondents backed that option (GOV.UK: Delivering a registration scheme for short-term lets).

The same page says the scheme “should be designed to be as light touch, low cost and simple to use as possible” and will be “delivered primarily online”. Its stated purpose is local data: it will give every council “the information they need to identify short-term lets in their area”. The Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) is building it, according to the Minister for Housing and Planning in the Commons on 13 April 2026.

The register is separate from planning. The government is handling planning changes, such as a new short-term let use class, as a separate measure.

Who must register?

The government has not said. Here is what it has confirmed and what it has not, as of 1 October 2026:

Question	Status	Source
Is registration mandatory?	Yes. The government calls it a “mandatory, national registration scheme”	GOV.UK delivery page
Are hotels, hostels and B&Bs covered?	No. The government says the planning changes “and the register will not affect hotels, hostels or B&Bs”	GOV.UK delivery page
Are serviced apartments covered?	Not stated. The statement names hotels, hostels and B&Bs as excluded and does not mention serviced apartments	GOV.UK delivery page
Is there a threshold for occasional lets?	Undecided. The government says it will “continue to consider the case for the potential application of a threshold”	GOV.UK delivery page
Who administers it, how often do you register, what information is collected?	Undecided. The page lists these as design questions its initial digital development phase would inform	GOV.UK delivery page
What does it cost?	No fee is published. The only statement is the aim of “low cost”	GOV.UK delivery page
What are the penalties?	The delivery page gives none	GOV.UK delivery page

The GOV.UK delivery page still carries its February 2024 text. Its change history lists only its first publication on 19 February 2024. The page does not say whether serviced apartments are in scope, so treat every short-term let you run in England as in scope until the government says otherwise. That is our advice, not a rule.

When does the register open? A dated timeline

Date	What was said or done	Source
12 April 2023	DCMS launches a consultation on a registration scheme	GOV.UK press release
19 February 2024	Government confirms a mandatory national scheme	GOV.UK delivery page
October 2025	The minister said on 13 April 2026 that the scheme “entered user testing in October”. He gave no year, so 2025 is our reading	Hansard, 13 April 2026
4 November 2025	DCMS written answer: the scheme, “which is launching in 2026”	Written question 85079
13 April 2026	Minister: user testing began in October, “ahead of its planned launch this year”	Hansard, 13 April 2026
15 May 2026	GOV.UK guidance for self-catering holiday homes, updated this day, still says the scheme “is expected to begin in 2026”	GOV.UK self-catering guidance
3 September 2026	The Secretary of State says the Prime Minister asked her to accelerate the work, and “in any case, the register will be up and running in full by March”	Hansard, 3 September 2026
4 September 2026	Propertymark reports the statement as “fully operational by March 2027”	Propertymark
Not yet announced	Portal opening date, fee, threshold, penalties	Not published in any source above

Read the March date carefully. It is a ministerial statement in the Commons about the register being “in full” operation. Earlier statements spoke of a launch in 2026, and nothing we found withdraws that. The phrase “in any case” leaves open that an earlier first phase could start. We have not found a date for one, so do not plan around one.

What changes for a direct booking operator?

Nothing in the government’s statements yet says what a registered let must display, or where. So we cannot tell you that a registration number will need to appear on your listings or your own website. What we can point to is how the other nations work: Scotland already requires a licence before you take bookings, and Wales opens registration on 1 October 2026 (details below).

The practical point is the same in every nation. A register makes your properties visible to their local authority. A guest or corporate booker who wants to see your compliance paperwork is better served by your own website than by an OTA listing, which gives you little room to show it. A short compliance section on each property page is cheap to build now and easy to update when a registration reference exists. Our direct booking website guide covers what that page structure should look like.

What should you do now?

1. List every let in England. For each property, record the address, who owns and who operates it, and the nights available and let in the last 12 months. The government has not said what a register will ask for, so this is our expectation, not a requirement. The same record helps with business rates and planning.
2. Check your planning position. GOV.UK says your local planning authority decides whether you need planning permission, based on how the property is used and the effect on the neighbourhood. Ask your council (GOV.UK self-catering guidance).
3. Bring your safety paperwork up to date. The same guidance expects you to follow the government’s fire safety guidance for small paying guest accommodation (up to 10 people or 2 floors), the Health and Safety Executive’s gas safety and carbon monoxide guidance, and its electrical safety guidance. It also says to keep holiday let insurance, public liability cover and buildings and contents cover suited to short-term letting.
4. Check your business rates position. GOV.UK says properties rated as self-catering businesses may pay business rates instead of council tax.
5. If you let in Greater London, count your nights. Short-term use without planning permission is allowed where the nights used as temporary sleeping accommodation do not exceed 90 in the same calendar year, and where the person providing the accommodation is liable for council tax on the premises (Deregulation Act 2015, section 44, in force from 26 May 2015). The same section lets the council or the Secretary of State direct that this exception does not apply to particular premises or areas, so check with your council.
6. Deal with Scotland and Wales separately. In Scotland you must get a licence before you take bookings or receive guests, and operating without one can mean a fine of up to £2,500 and a one-year ban from applying (mygov.scot, updated 9 October 2025). In Wales, registration opens on 1 October 2026 in public beta and is free. You must register by 31 March 2027. The first penalty is £100 per premises, rising to £1,400 (GOV.WALES, updated 24 September 2026).
7. Put a compliance section on your own website. Add the certificates and references you hold today, and leave room for a registration reference. Our short-let marketing cheat sheet sets out the rules by nation and the checklist in order.
8. Check back. Watch the GOV.UK delivery page for the first change to its February 2024 text. We update this page when the portal, fee or threshold is published.

What we could not verify

• A portal opening date, a fee, a threshold or penalties for England. None is published in the sources above.
• Whether serviced apartments are in scope. The government statement names only hotels, hostels and B&Bs as excluded.
• The year in the 3 September 2026 statement. The Hansard transcript records “by March”. We read it as March 2027 because Propertymark reported it that way and because it was said in September 2026.
• Anything DCMS has said outside the sources listed. If you have a newer government source, tell us and we will update the page.

Sources

All checked on 1 October 2026.

• Delivering a registration scheme for short-term lets, GOV.UK, first published 19 February 2024
• Letting out a self-catering holiday home in England: rules and regulations, GOV.UK, updated 15 May 2026
• New holiday let rules to protect local people and support tourism, GOV.UK, 12 April 2023
• Short-term Holiday Lets: Registration, Hansard, 13 April 2026
• Short-term Lets: Regulation, Hansard, 3 September 2026
• Holiday Accommodation: South West, written question 85079, UK Parliament, answered 4 November 2025
• National short-term lets register promised by March 2027, Propertymark, 4 September 2026
• Section 44, Deregulation Act 2015, legislation.gov.uk
• Getting a short-term let licence, mygov.scot, updated 9 October 2025
• Registering visitor accommodation: overview, GOV.WALES, updated 24 September 2026

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I need to register my short let in England now?

Not yet. The government describes the register as being introduced, and on 3 September 2026 the Secretary of State said it would be “up and running in full by March”. Neither GOV.UK page we checked links to a registration service. Start your property records now so you are ready.

When will the England short-let register open?

No opening date is published. The Secretary of State said on 3 September 2026 that the register will be up and running in full by March, which Propertymark reported as March 2027. Earlier statements spoke of a launch in 2026.

How much will it cost to register?

No fee is published. The government’s stated aim is a scheme that is “light touch, low cost and simple to use”. Wales charges nothing for its register, but that does not tell you what England will do.

Does the register apply to serviced apartments?

The government has not said. It names hotels, hostels and B&Bs as outside the register and considers a threshold for occasional lets. Serviced apartments are not mentioned, so plan as if you are in scope.

Is it the same in Scotland and Wales?

No. Scotland already requires a council licence before you take bookings, and Wales opens its free registration on 1 October 2026 with a deadline of 31 March 2027. Our UK short-let registration guide covers both.

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