Short let compliance checklist for UK landlords (2026)
Short letting in the UK isn't lightly regulated. Get a single item wrong and your insurance is invalid, your mortgage is in breach, or your council can order you to stop trading. This is the full checklist we run on every property we onboard.
Safety certificates
• Annual gas safety certificate (CP12) from a Gas Safe registered engineer.
• EICR (Electrical Installation Condition Report) every 5 years; PAT test on all portable appliances annually.
• Fire risk assessment and working smoke + CO alarms on every floor with a sleeping room. Fire blanket in the kitchen, fire extinguisher recommended.
• Furniture and Furnishings (Fire) Safety Regulations 1988 — all upholstered furniture must carry the compliance label.
Permissions and consents
• Mortgage consent — most residential mortgages prohibit short-letting; switch to a holiday-let mortgage or get written consent.
• Freeholder/management company consent if leasehold — many leases prohibit short stays under 90 nights.
• Planning permission if you're over the 90-day cap in Greater London or operating as commercial-grade aparthotel.
• HMO licence if you're letting individual rooms to 5+ unrelated people from 2+ households.
Insurance
Standard buy-to-let policies do not cover short stays. You need specialist short-let insurance covering public liability (minimum £2m, £5m+ preferred), contents, accidental damage by guests, malicious damage and loss of rent. Airbnb's AirCover is supplementary, not a replacement.
Tax and admin
• Register for Self Assessment and declare rental income annually.
• If properties qualify as Furnished Holiday Lets (FHL), check 2026 rule changes — the FHL regime has tightened materially.
• VAT registration becomes mandatory if turnover crosses the threshold (£90,000 for 2026); short lets count toward this.
• Council tax band — short lets may move to business rates depending on availability and bookings.
Frequently asked
Do I need a licence to run a short let in England?
Not nationally, as of 2026 — but the long-mooted English short-let registration scheme is expected to start phased rollout in late 2026. Scotland already requires a short-term let licence in every council area.
Does AV Property handle compliance for me?
Yes — every property we onboard is checked against this list before it goes live, and certificates are tracked and renewed automatically.
What's the single most-missed item?
Mortgage consent. Most residential mortgage agreements prohibit short stays under 90 nights, and breaching them invalidates buildings insurance.
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