If you are booking a short-term rental in London, or considering listing a property there, the 90-day rule is the single most important regulation to understand. It shapes what properties are available, how listings operate, and why some stays in London work differently from those in other UK cities. This guide explains the rule clearly, covers what it means for guests in practical terms, and answers the questions that come up most often.
If you are looking for properties that operate fully within London’s short-let regulations, browse the full collection at Luxury London Listings for professionally managed apartments across central London.
What the 90-Day Rule Actually Is
The 90-day rule restricts entire home short-let listings in Greater London to a maximum of 90 nights per calendar year without planning permission. It applies across all 32 London boroughs and the City of London. The limit runs from 1 January to 31 December each year and resets at the start of each new calendar year.
The legal basis sits in the Deregulation Act 2015, which amended the Greater London Council (General Powers) Act 1973. Before 2015, even a single night of short-term letting technically required planning permission. The Deregulation Act created the 90-night allowance specifically to let Londoners earn additional income from their homes without formal planning consent, while protecting the city’s long-term housing supply.
Two conditions must be met for a short let to be lawful without planning permission in London: the total nights must not exceed 90 in a calendar year, and at least one person providing the accommodation must be liable to pay council tax at the property.
Who It Applies To and What It Covers
The 90-day rule applies to entire home listings only. If a host rents out a room while they continue living in the property, that hosted stay does not count toward the 90-night limit and is not captured by the cap at all. The rule is specifically designed to address properties used as temporary sleeping accommodation where the owner is not present.
The nights count per property, not per platform. A host using Airbnb, Booking.com, and direct booking channels simultaneously accumulates nights across all of them combined. Switching between platforms does not reset or split the count. If a property reaches 90 nights between multiple platforms in a single calendar year without planning permission, it has breached the rule regardless of how those nights were distributed.
The 90-night cap does not apply anywhere outside Greater London. Other English cities and regions have no equivalent statutory night cap, though standard planning rules still apply if short-term letting becomes the primary use of a property.
How Airbnb Enforces the Rule
Airbnb has automatically blocked entire-home listings in Greater London at 90 nights per calendar year since early 2017. Once the limit is reached, the calendar closes to further bookings. The block does not lift until 1 January the following year unless the host can demonstrate planning permission to exceed 90 nights, in which case they can submit documentation to Airbnb to request removal of the block.
Other platforms do not always apply automatic enforcement in the same way. Booking.com and direct booking channels may not block at 90 nights, which means a host using multiple platforms is responsible for tracking their own cumulative total and stopping bookings manually once the limit is reached. The legal obligation rests with the host, not the platform.
This cross-platform risk is one of the most common ways London hosts inadvertently breaches the rule. Relying on a single platform’s counter to manage compliance is not sufficient if bookings are coming from multiple sources.
What Happens When the Rule Is Breached
London boroughs enforce the 90-day rule through planning and enforcement teams. The most common triggers for investigation are neighbour complaints about noise or antisocial behaviour, waste management issues, and data sharing between platforms and local councils.
Breaching the 90-night limit without planning permission is a planning offence. Penalties include civil fines of up to 20,000 pounds per offence from the local council. Councils can also issue enforcement notices requiring the host to stop short-let activity. Failure to comply with an enforcement notice is a criminal offence. For leasehold properties, short-term letting that violates the terms of the lease can expose the host to forfeiture proceedings.
For guests, the risk is different but real. If a listing is subject to enforcement action, it may be delisted from platforms during the investigation, meaning bookings could be cancelled. This is one practical reason why choosing properties managed by professional operators with clear compliance processes matters for guests as much as for hosts.
What Guests Should Check Before Booking
When booking a short-term rental in London, a few straightforward checks can protect you from complications during your stay.
Confirm whether the listing is an entire home or a hosted stay. If it is an entire home, the 90-day rule applies, and the host’s compliance matters for the security of your booking. For hosted stays where the owner is present, the cap does not apply, and this is less of a concern.
For entire-home listings, ask the host or management company whether the property has planning permission to operate beyond 90 nights if you are booking toward the middle or end of the calendar year. A property that has already reached its limit for the year should not be accepting new bookings unless planning permission is in place.
Once the national short-term let registration scheme is introduced in England (expected following secondary legislation in 2025-2026), registered properties will display a unique registration number. Guests will be able to use this as a basic compliance signal when browsing listings.
Ask about safety certificates. A compliant short-let property in London should have working smoke alarms on each storey, carbon monoxide alarms where fixed combustion appliances are present, a gas safety certificate if gas appliances are installed, and evidence of an up-to-date electrical safety check.
Cancellation Risk for Guests
If you book a London short-term rental and the property is subject to enforcement action or calendar blocking, your booking may be affected. The risk is highest for bookings made late in the calendar year at entire-home properties where the host has not managed their night count carefully. For bookings of any significant length or cost, prioritise properties with flexible cancellation policies and those managed by professional operators who track compliance as part of their service.
For Hosts: What Changes Are Coming
The regulatory environment for London short-lets is becoming more structured. The Levelling Up and Regeneration Act 2023 gave the government powers to introduce a mandatory registration scheme for short-term lets across England. Under this scheme, every property will require a unique registration number that must be displayed on all listings. Platforms are expected to verify registration numbers and delist unregistered properties. Civil penalties of up to 5,000 pounds apply for non-compliance. The secondary legislation is expected in 2025-2026.
A new C5 planning use class for short-term let properties has also been proposed. When introduced, this would allow local councils to require planning permission when homes shift from standard residential use to short-let use, giving boroughs additional tools to manage short-let density through Article 4 directions.
The 90-night cap is expected to remain in force alongside these new measures. London will therefore have two compliance layers: the existing 90-night limit under the Deregulation Act, and the new national registration and planning framework.
Our guide to monthly and long-stay rental options at Luxury London Listings covers the mid-term and long-stay market as an alternative framework for hosts and guests looking beyond the short-let cap. For current official guidance from the Greater London Authority, the
GLA’s short-term letting guidance is the definitive public reference.
If you have questions about how the 90-day rule affects a specific booking you are considering, or if you are planning a longer stay in London and want to understand your options, the team at Luxury London Listings is happy to help. Whether you are looking at a short break, a monthly rental, or an extended corporate stay, we can advise on the right property type and booking structure for your situation. Get in touch with us directly, and we will respond promptly.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the 90-day rule for short lets in London?
The 90-day rule limits entire home short-let listings in Greater London to a maximum of 90 nights per calendar year without planning permission. It was introduced by the Deregulation Act 2015 and applies across all 32 London boroughs and the City of London. The limit resets on 1 January each year.
Does the 90-day rule apply to hosted stays?
No. If the host is present and renting out a room rather than the entire property, the stay is a hosted let and does not count toward the 90-night limit. The rule applies only to entire-home listings used as temporary sleeping accommodations.
Does Airbnb automatically enforce the 90-day rule?
Yes. Airbnb has blocked entire-home listings in Greater London at 90 nights per calendar year since 2017. Other platforms do not always apply automatic enforcement, which means hosts using multiple booking channels must track their own cumulative total across all platforms.
What are the penalties for breaching the 90-day rule?
Local councils can impose fines of up to 20,000 pounds per offence. Councils can also issue enforcement notices requiring the host to stop short-let activity. Failure to comply with an enforcement notice is a criminal offence. Leasehold properties may additionally face action from freeholders for breach of lease terms.
Can a host exceed 90 nights in London legally?
Yes, with planning permission from the local council for a change of use. Applications typically take eight to thirteen weeks to process. Stays of 90 or more consecutive nights from a single guest also fall outside the short-let cap and may be structured as a mid-term rental.
What is the national short-term let registration scheme?
The Levelling Up and Regeneration Act 2023 gave the government powers to introduce a mandatory registration scheme for short-term lets in England. Every property will need a unique registration number displayed on all listings. Secondary legislation is expected in 2025-2026. Platforms will be required to verify registration numbers and delist unregistered properties.
What should guests check before booking a short let in London?
Confirm whether the listing is an entire home or a hosted stay. For entire-home listings, ask whether the property has planning permission if booking late in the calendar year. Check that the property has smoke alarms, carbon monoxide alarms, gas safety certificates if applicable, and an up-to-date electrical safety check. Prioritise listings with flexible cancellation terms and professional management.
