Not yet. GOV.UK says England's mandatory national registration scheme for short-term lets is expected to begin in March 2027. The power is section 228 of the Levelling-up and Regeneration Act 2023; no regulations have been made, so nothing is required of a host today. It is separate from the landlord register for tenancies.
By Stevie Hayes · Updated 19 October 2026 · Figures checked against legislation.gov.uk and GOV.UK on 19 October 2026 · How we verify · Report a problem with this page · Statutory penalties are maximums; councils and courts decide the amount.
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| Fact | Position | Since / status | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Status | Not yet in force; regulations not yet made | 19 October 2026 | Levelling-up and Regeneration Act 2023 s.228 |
| Expected start | "Expected to begin in March 2027" | GOV.UK, updated 2 October 2026 | GOV.UK: Letting out a self-catering holiday home in England (updated 2 October 2026) |
| Enabling power | "The Secretary of State must by regulations make provision requiring or permitting the registration of specified short-term rental properties in England" | LURA 2023 s.228(1) | Levelling-up and Regeneration Act 2023 s.228 |
| Who it covers | Hosts providing a dwelling as accommodation other than the guest's only or principal residence, for payment, in the course of a trade or business | LURA 2023 s.228(2) | Levelling-up and Regeneration Act 2023 s.228 |
| Design intent | "As light touch, low cost and simple to use as possible"; delivered "primarily online"; hotels, hostels and B&Bs not affected | DCMS, 19 February 2024 | DCMS: Delivering a registration scheme for short-term lets (19 February 2024) |
| Separate from | The PRS Database (landlord register) for tenancies that are someone's home, whose regulations are still a draft | GOV.UK: Letting out a self-catering holiday home in England (updated 2 October 2026) |
The GOV.UK guidance for self-catering holiday homes in England was updated on 2 October 2026 to say: "The UK government is introducing a mandatory national registration scheme for short-term lets in England. It is expected to begin in March 2027." The section is headed "Register your property (not yet in force)".
The decision to make the scheme mandatory across England was announced by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport on 19 February 2024 in Delivering a registration scheme for short-term lets, after a 2023 consultation in which "61% of those who responded supported this option". That statement said the scheme "should be designed to be as light touch, low cost and simple to use as possible", would be "delivered primarily online", and that the planning changes and the register "will not affect hotels, hostels or B&Bs". It also said the government would "continue to consider the case for the potential application of a threshold", so very occasional hosts may yet be treated differently.
This guide covers England. It describes the law and the government's published position; it is not advice on a particular property.
Section 228 of the Levelling-up and Regeneration Act 2023 is the power. Subsection (1): "The Secretary of State must by regulations make provision requiring or permitting the registration of specified short-term rental properties in England." Subsection (2) defines a short-term rental property as "a dwelling, or part of a dwelling, which is provided by a person ('the host') to another person ('the guest') (i) for use by the guest as accommodation other than the guest's only or principal residence, (ii) in return for payment (whether or not by the guest), and (iii) in the course of a trade or business carried on by the host". Subsection (5) lists what the regulations may cover, including who keeps the register, who must register, and the information to be provided.
As at 19 October 2026 no regulations under section 228 have been made or laid. Until they are, there is no register to join and no offence for not joining one.
It is not the landlord register. The Private Rented Sector Database created by the Renters' Rights Act 2025 covers landlords of tenancies that are the tenant's home; its regulations are still a draft and that duty is not yet in force either, with a regional rollout planned from December 2026. A holiday letting is not an assured tenancy, so a guest property does not go on the PRS Database. Our PRS Database guide covers that scheme.
It is also not planning permission or a licence. Whether short-term letting needs planning permission remains a question for the council, and in Greater London the 90-night rule applies. See the short-term let rules guide.
The government's 2023 consultation described a register built from basic property and host details plus proof that existing safety rules are met. The sensible preparation is to hold, for each guest property: the address and your contact details, the current gas safety record, the dated fire risk assessment, the EPC or a note of why one is not needed under the four-month test, and a record of nights let. When the regulations are laid, the exact list will be in them, and this page will be updated with the regulation numbers.
Nothing to register yet. Watch for the regulations rather than the headlines: the duty, the fee and the deadline will be in the statutory instrument, not in a press release. This page carries the date it was last checked against GOV.UK and legislation.gov.uk, and changes when either does.
Government changes that bear on this duty. Where the status says in force the rule already applies; everything else is not yet law for private landlords. Dates are quoted as the government has published them, checked on 15 October 2026.
| Change | Status today | Published timing | Sensible preparation |
|---|---|---|---|
| A mandatory national registration scheme for short-term lets in England (holiday lets and other guest accommodation) | policy decision, regulations not yet made | GOV.UK (updated 2 October 2026): "expected to begin in March 2027"; the enabling power is section 228 of the Levelling-up and Regeneration Act 2023 and no regulations have been made | Keep the gas safety record, the fire risk assessment and (where one is needed) the EPC for each guest property together with its address and your contact details; the 2023 consultation proposed those as the core of an entry. Source |
| Mandatory landlord and property registration on the Private Rented Sector Database (the landlord register), with an annual fee | regulations in draft | Regional rollout from 15 December 2026 (West Midlands first) to 15 September 2027 for all other purposes, per the draft Private Rented Sector Database Regulations 2026 | Keep copies, not just dates, of the gas safety record, EICR and EPC for each property, and know whether a licence applies; those are what the draft regulations say the entry needs. Source |
No. GOV.UK says the mandatory scheme is expected to begin in March 2027, and no regulations under section 228 of the Levelling-up and Regeneration Act 2023 have been made as at 19 October 2026.
The Act's definition covers any host providing a dwelling as accommodation that is not the guest's only or principal residence, for payment, in the course of a trade or business. The government said in 2024 it was still considering a threshold for very occasional letting, so the final scope will be in the regulations.
No. The landlord register (the PRS Database) is for tenancies that are the tenant's home under the Renters' Rights Act 2025, and its regulations are still a draft. The short-term let register is a separate scheme under the 2023 Act.
The regulations will set the list. The 2023 consultation proposed property and host details and confirmation that existing safety rules are met, which in practice means the gas safety record, the fire risk assessment and, where required, the EPC.
ComplyWithMe keeps the gas safety record and EPC date for every property and reminds you before each lapses, so the entry can be made from records you already hold.
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