Wales Holiday Let Registration: Deadline, Penalties, Levy

The short answer: If you take bookings of 31 nights or less for accommodation in Wales, you must register it with the Welsh Revenue Authority (WRA) by 31 March 2027. Registration is free and the online service is open now. Missing the deadline costs £100 per premises, with more to follow if you still do not register. The Visitor Levy is a separate charge, and so far only Cardiff has one. Checked against GOV.WALES on 26 October 2026.

Part of our guide to growing a serviced accommodation business in the UK.

Wales is the first part of the UK where every short-let and holiday-let operator has to join a national register, and the window is open now. This page sets out who has to register, what it costs if you do not, and how the levy works, with a link to the official page for every point. For the rest of the UK, see our UK short-let registration guide.

Want the steps as a printable list? Our free Wales holiday let register checklist turns the official guidance into six steps you can work through in one sitting.

Who must register

The GOV.WALES registration overview (updated 8 October 2026) says you must register by law if all of these apply:

• you take bookings for overnight stays in visitor accommodation in Wales, whether for one night, for a season or all year
• you are responsible for the accommodation, for example because you own or rent it
• the bookings you take are for 31 nights or less

It is not only holiday cottages. The same page lists self-catering lets (cottages, houses, apartments, lodges), your main home or spare rooms, hotels, B&Bs and guesthouses, camping and touring pitches, glamping, static caravans, and hostels or bunkhouses. A serviced apartment that takes stays of 31 nights or less falls inside the self-catering list.

You do not have to register if you do not take bookings for the accommodation (friends or family staying for free, say) or you have stopped taking bookings for overnight stays.

If an agent or management company runs your lets

The provider registers, not the agent. GOV.WALES says agents and management companies “are not responsible for registering, but they can register on your behalf”. If you hand your lets to a manager, agree in writing who is doing it.

If you have more than one property

If the same people or organisations are responsible for every premises, they all go in one registration. If different people are responsible for different premises, each is registered separately. A premises is an address: three houses at three addresses are three premises, while a converted barn and a cottage at the same address are one (GOV.WALES penalties guidance).

The deadline, and what changes after it

Register by 31 March 2027. That date applies even if your council never introduces a Visitor Levy. From 1 April 2027 the rule changes: any accommodation you open for bookings after that date must be registered before you take the first booking (GOV.WALES penalties guidance).

Once you are registered, you must update your details within 30 days of any change, such as selling a property, changing capacity or a change in who is responsible for it. You must deregister within 30 days of stopping. GOV.WALES says the service is only open for new registrations at the moment, and that updates will be possible “early next year”. Changes that happen before then need to be updated by 31 March 2027.

Penalties if you do not register

These come from the WRA’s penalties guidance, first published on 1 October 2026. Penalties are charged per premises.

What happens	Penalty
You fail to register, update or deregister on time	£100 per premises
You still have not done it	£10 per premises per day, for up to 30 days
You still have not done it after those 30 days	A further £1,000 per premises

So one premises left unregistered for the full period reaches £1,400. The WRA’s own worked example is an operator with three Cardiff houses on Airbnb who ends up owing £4,200. The WRA can also register you itself, and that counts as a late registration with the same penalties. You can ask for a review or appeal to the tribunal if you disagree with a penalty.

What you get, and what goes on the public register

After registering you get a unique registration number. GOV.WALES says you can use it to “show your accommodation is registered” and when you contact the WRA. It does not say you must display it on listings or on your website.

Some of your details become public. According to the public register guidance, anyone can search the register and see the registration number, company or charity number, provider name, trading or advertising name and business address. For each property they can see its name, address, type, when it is open for bookings, the number of rooms or spaces and the maximum number of guests. Your date of birth, phone number and email address are not shown.

That trading name field is worth a minute’s thought. If guests know you by a brand name, register that name so a guest or booker who checks the register finds the business they booked with.

The Visitor Levy is separate

Registering is national. The levy is local: each council decides whether to charge it. As of 26 October 2026 the WRA’s council list shows one council charging it, Cardiff, from 1 April 2027, and no councils consulting on one.

In Cardiff, you must account for the levy on bookings made from 28 September 2026 for stays from 1 April 2027 onwards (GOV.WALES: record new bookings in advance). Bookings taken earlier for those dates are not caught, unless the guest later adds nights or guests or moves the dates.

The rates, from the WRA’s rates page:

• £1.30 per person per night, for guests of all ages, in hotels, B&Bs, guesthouses, self-catering lets and most other accommodation
• 75p per adult per night for tent pitches and shared hostel or bunkhouse rooms

Two exemptions matter for serviced accommodation operators:

• Stays of 32 nights or more from one booking pay no levy, and the nights do not have to be consecutive.
• Staff staying for work: you do not pay the levy on your own employees, contractors or apprentices staying in your accommodation as part of their job.

You can pass the levy on to guests, but the WRA is clear that you are still liable for it even if a guest refuses to pay. If you take bookings on your own website for a Cardiff property, check that your booking engine can show the levy as its own line and charge it from the right date. That is our suggestion, not a rule, so confirm with your provider.

Licensing comes later

Registration is not the same as licensing. The Development of Tourism and Regulation of Visitor Accommodation (Wales) Act 2026 received Royal Assent on 27 April 2026, and GOV.WALES says the legal default is that the licensing scheme comes into force in March 2030, starting with self-catering accommodation, after further consultation (GOV.WALES licensing page, updated 8 May 2026). There is nothing to apply for yet.

What to do this week

1. Read the official overview and work out who in your business is the provider for each premises.
2. List every premises by address, with its type, capacity and the months it is open for bookings, because those are the details the public register shows.
3. Register through the WRA online service. It is free.
4. Keep the registration number with your property records, and diarise the 30-day update rule.
5. If you have a Cardiff property, check your booking flow handles the levy for stays from 1 April 2027.

Our free Wales register checklist covers the same steps in printable form.

Sources

All checked on 26 October 2026.

• Registering visitor accommodation: overview, GOV.WALES (Welsh Revenue Authority), updated 8 October 2026
• Failing to register, update details or deregister your visitor accommodation, GOV.WALES, published 1 October 2026
• Viewing visitor accommodation details on the public register, GOV.WALES, published 1 October 2026
• Check if your council charges the levy, GOV.WALES
• How much you must pay, GOV.WALES
• Record new bookings in advance, GOV.WALES
• Licensing of visitor accommodation in Wales, GOV.WALES, updated 8 May 2026

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I need to register my holiday let in Wales?

Yes, if you take bookings of 31 nights or less for it. The provider responsible for the accommodation, usually the owner or the tenant, must register it with the Welsh Revenue Authority by 31 March 2027. Registration is free.

What is the deadline for registering visitor accommodation in Wales?

31 March 2027 for accommodation already open for bookings. From 1 April 2027, new accommodation must be registered before it takes its first booking.

What is the penalty for not registering in Wales?

£100 per premises, then £10 per premises per day for up to 30 days, then a further £1,000 per premises if you still have not registered. One premises can reach £1,400.

Does my letting agent register for me?

Only if you agree that they will. The Welsh Revenue Authority says agents and management companies are not responsible for registering, but they can register on your behalf.

Do I have to pay the Visitor Levy?

Only where your council charges it. As of 26 October 2026 that is Cardiff, for stays from 1 April 2027, on bookings made from 28 September 2026. Stays of 32 nights or more from one booking are exempt.

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This page is general information for operators, not legal or tax advice. Where it and GOV.WALES differ, GOV.WALES is right.