The Government has confirmed that a new mandatory national registration scheme for short-term and holiday lets will be fully operational by March 2027.

The register is being introduced to provide local authorities with much greater visibility of short-term and holiday accommodation operating within their areas and to help councils monitor compliance with existing property, health and safety requirements.

Who is likely to be affected?

The scheme is intended to cover properties provided to paying guests as accommodation which is not their only or principal home. This is likely to include many:

• holiday cottages and houses;
• holiday apartments;
• Airbnb-style accommodation;
• serviced short-term accommodation; and
• other properties regularly provided to paying guests for short stays.

The scheme applies to England.

What will you need to do?

Although the Government has now confirmed the timetable, the final regulations containing the detailed registration requirements have not yet been published.

We therefore do not yet know the final:

• registration process;
• registration fee;
• frequency of renewal;
• information and documents which will have to be supplied;
• exemptions or thresholds which may apply; or
• precise penalties for non-compliance.

Once these details are confirmed, owners who fall within the scope of the scheme will need to ensure their property is registered in accordance with the new requirements.

The Government has previously considered issuing each property with a unique registration number and requiring this to be used when a property is advertised. A "no registration number, no listing" approach has also previously been considered. However, these particular requirements should not yet be regarded as confirmed until the final regulations are published.

What should you be doing now?

We would strongly recommend using the period before the scheme is introduced to ensure that the compliance information relating to your holiday property is complete and up to date.

In particular, holiday-let owners should be reviewing:

Fire safety
Holiday and short-term accommodation is subject to fire safety requirements. Appropriate fire precautions must be in place and the relevant fire safety guidance followed. Owners should ensure that their fire risk assessment and fire precautions are suitable for the property and the number of guests accommodated.

Gas safety
Where gas is provided, appropriate gas safety requirements apply to holiday accommodation, including regular safety checks by a Gas Safe registered engineer.

Electrical safety
The electrical installation and electrical equipment provided for guests must be safe and properly maintained. Owners should ensure that appropriate electrical inspection and testing arrangements are in place.

Smoke and carbon monoxide safety
Suitable smoke alarms and, where required, carbon monoxide alarms should be installed, maintained and checked appropriately.

Planning permission
Owners should be satisfied that the property's use as short-term or holiday accommodation is permitted. Whether planning permission is required can depend upon the particular property, its use and the approach of the relevant local planning authority.

EPC requirements
Owners should establish whether an Energy Performance Certificate is required for their particular holiday accommodation.

Insurance
Standard residential landlord or household insurance may not provide appropriate cover for holiday letting. Owners should ensure that they have appropriate holiday-let insurance, including suitable buildings, contents and public liability cover.

Council Tax or Business Rates
Owners should also ensure that the property is correctly classified for either Council Tax or Business Rates. Different rules apply to self-catering accommodation depending upon the number of nights it is available and actually let.

Why is the Government introducing the register?

At present, local authorities do not have one comprehensive national record showing where short-term lets are operating.

Important Update for Holiday Let Owners – New National Registration Scheme

The new register is intended to help councils understand the number and concentration of holiday and short-term lets within their area, assess their effect on local housing availability and improve the enforcement of existing safety and regulatory requirements.

This means that compliance within the holiday-let sector is likely to come under considerably greater scrutiny once the register becomes operational.

What happens next?

There is nothing that you need to register today under this new national scheme.

We will continue to monitor the legislation and Government guidance closely. Once the detailed regulations are published and we know exactly what property owners will be required to provide, we will issue a further update explaining the registration process, documentation required and any deadlines which apply.

In the meantime, we would strongly encourage holiday-let owners to make sure that their existing property and safety records are complete and up to date rather than waiting until the registration scheme opens.

As always, if you have any questions regarding the management or compliance of your holiday property, please contact your local Boydens office and we will be happy to assist.