Holiday Let Registration Scheme: What UK Hosts Must Know
The holiday let registration scheme is the biggest regulatory shift facing short-term rental owners in England, and most hosts still don't know what it asks of them or when it lands. The government has confirmed it is coming, but not every detail. This guide separates what is settled from what is still being worked out, using the official guidance as it stands.
What is the holiday let registration scheme?
The holiday let registration scheme is a mandatory national register for short-term lets in England. Every property let to paying guests on a short-term basis will need to be listed on a government online register and receive a unique registration number before it can be advertised. According to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS), the scheme is designed to be light touch, low cost and simple to use.
The legal framework already exists. It was created through the Levelling Up and Regeneration Act 2023, which gave the government the power to set up the register. A 2023 consultation found that 61% of respondents backed a mandatory national scheme rather than a local opt-in model, and the government chose the mandatory route on that basis.
Who the scheme applies to (and who is exempt)
The register targets short-term and holiday lets, not all visitor accommodation. The government has stated that hotels, hostels and B&Bs will not be affected, because the planning changes and the register are aimed specifically at short-term lets.
| Likely in scope | Likely out of scope |
|---|---|
| Whole-home holiday lets let to paying guests | Hotels |
| Self-catering cottages, apartments, lodges | Hostels |
| Properties listed on Airbnb, Booking.com, Vrbo | Traditional B&Bs operating under planning use class C1 |
| Second homes let out as short-term accommodation | (Possible threshold for infrequent letting, still under review) |
One point is still open. The government has said it will continue to consider a threshold so that owners who let their home only occasionally are not caught by disproportionate regulation. Whether that threshold exists, and where it sits, has not been finalised.
What hosts will need to do
Registration is expected to sit alongside the safety duties that already apply to holiday lets today. The register does not replace them. Based on current DCMS guidance and the existing rules for letting a self-catering home in England, hosts should expect to:
- Register each property on the national online portal and obtain a unique registration number.
- Display that registration number on every listing and marketing channel.
- Confirm the property meets existing safety requirements, including working smoke and carbon monoxide alarms, a valid Gas Safety Certificate, an Electrical Installation Condition Report (EICR valid for five years), and a fire risk assessment.
- Hold suitable insurance, including dedicated holiday let cover and public liability cover.
- Maintain an Energy Performance Certificate rated E or above.
The safety, insurance and EPC duties already apply now, regardless of the register. The new element is the registration number itself and the obligation to display it.
The registration number and booking platforms
This is the part that changes day-to-day operations. Once the scheme is live, the registration number is expected to act as the gatekeeper for advertising a property. The number must appear on listings, and booking platforms are expected to check it before a property can be advertised, with unregistered listings removed.
The practical effect is that compliance becomes visible at the point of listing, not just a matter between a host and their council. A property without a valid number could simply not appear on the major platforms, which removes the option of operating quietly outside the system.
On penalties, be careful with the numbers circulating online. Some industry sources report an expected civil penalty of up to £5,000 for a first offence, but this figure does not appear in the government's own published guidance, and the enforcement framework has not been confirmed. Treat it as an industry expectation rather than a settled fact until the official detail is released.
When does the holiday let registration scheme start?
The scheme is expected to begin in 2026, with April 2026 cited as the target launch date. In September 2025, the Prime Minister confirmed the register remains on the government's agenda with an intended go-live of April 2026. As of the most recent GOV.UK update in March 2026, the registration requirement is marked as not yet in force.
Several operational details are still undecided, which is why no host can fully register today:
| Settled | Not yet settled |
|---|---|
| Scheme will be mandatory and national | Who administers the register |
| Delivered primarily online | How often you re-register |
| Unique registration number required | Whether a low-use threshold applies |
| England only | Confirmed penalty amounts |
| Hotels, hostels, B&Bs excluded | Exact launch date and final rules |
How the scheme fits with other holiday let rules
The register is easy to confuse with three other changes hitting the sector. They are separate things.
- The 90-night cap applies only in Greater London, under the Deregulation Act 2015. It lets owners let an entire home for up to 90 nights a year without planning permission for change of use. It is not part of the national register.
- A new planning use class for short-term lets was consulted on, but as things stand it has not been laid as legislation in England. Planning permission decisions still sit with your local authority based on how the property is used, as we cover in our guide to planning permission for short-term lets.
- The Furnished Holiday Let tax regime was abolished on 6 April 2025. Short-term let income is now taxed under standard residential property rules, explained in full in our breakdown of holiday let tax changes. This is a tax change, not a registration matter.
Keeping these separate matters, because preparing for one does not mean you have prepared for the others. For the full picture across England, Scotland and Wales, see our overview of holiday home regulations in the UK.
How to prepare now
You cannot register yet, but you can remove the scramble later. A short checklist:
- Gather and date your safety paperwork: Gas Safety Certificate, EICR, fire risk assessment.
- Confirm your insurance covers short-term letting, including public liability.
- Check your EPC is rated E or above.
- Keep a clean record of property and ownership details, plus a log of nights let and platforms used.
- Confirm with your local council whether planning permission applies to your property.
Some councils are moving ahead of the national timeline. Brighton, for example, is pushing to pilot a mandatory licensing scheme, which we cover in the Brighton short-let licensing pilot. If your local authority does the same, you may face a licence requirement before the national register even launches.
How Chekin helps you run a compliant holiday let
Chekin does not submit the national registration for you. The scheme is not operative yet, and the register is a direct relationship between the host and the government portal. What Chekin does handle is everything that surrounds a compliant let once your property is on the books.
When the register is live, the work that follows is operational: verifying who is staying, collecting and storing guest data correctly, displaying the right information to guests, and keeping records in order. Chekin manages online and onsite guest check-in with biometric identity verification, handles guest data in line with each market's requirements, and centralises guest communication through a unified inbox in the guest's own language. The Digital Guest Guide, accessible by public link and QR code, gives you a clean place to surface property information and house rules without manual back-and-forth.
The register tells the authorities a property exists and is compliant. Chekin runs the guest-facing operation behind it, so when a number is required on your listing, your check-in, verification and guest records are already in one place.
Conclusion
The holiday let registration scheme is confirmed in principle and unconfirmed in detail. What is certain: it will be mandatory, national, online, and built around a registration number that platforms are expected to check before a property can be advertised. What is still moving: the launch date, the administrator, any low-use threshold, and the penalty framework. The hosts who come out of this well are the ones who treat the next few months as preparation time, get their safety and insurance paperwork in order, and put guest operations on a footing that can absorb a new compliance step without disruption. With the holiday let registration scheme, the timing is the government's to decide, but readiness is yours.
Holiday let registration scheme FAQ
The holiday let registration scheme is a mandatory national register for short-term lets in England, created under the Levelling Up and Regeneration Act 2023. Hosts will register each property online and receive a unique registration number that must appear on listings before the property can be advertised to paying guests.
The scheme is expected to begin in 2026, with April 2026 cited as the target launch date. In September 2025 the Prime Minister confirmed it remained on the agenda. As of the March 2026 GOV.UK update, the registration requirement is still marked as not yet in force.
If you let a self-catering or short-term property to paying guests in England, you will need to register once the scheme is live. Hotels, hostels and B&Bs are excluded. The government is also considering a threshold so owners who let only occasionally may not be caught.
Platforms are expected to verify the registration number before a property can be advertised, with unregistered listings removed. The number must appear on every listing and marketing channel. This means a property without a valid number could be unable to appear on major booking sites once the scheme is operational.
The enforcement framework has not been confirmed in official guidance. Some industry sources report an expected civil penalty of up to 5,000 pounds for a first offence, but this figure is not in the government's published material. The clearest consequence is being unable to advertise on major platforms without a number.
No. The 90-night cap applies only in Greater London under the Deregulation Act 2015 and limits letting an entire home without planning permission. The national registration scheme is separate, applies across England, and centres on registering each property and displaying a unique registration number on listings.
