Do you need a licence to run an Airbnb in the UK?
Whether you need a licence for an Airbnb depends on where the property is - there is no single UK-wide rule. Scotland, England, Wales and NI compared, plus planning, lease, mortgage and insurance permissions.
One of the first questions every new host asks is whether they need a licence to run an Airbnb. The honest answer is: it depends entirely on where the property is. There is no single UK-wide Airbnb licence. Scotland, England, Wales and Northern Ireland each handle short-term lets differently, and on top of the national rules your own council, lease, mortgage and insurer may all have a say. This guide sets out the position across the UK so you can work out what actually applies to your property.
There is no one UK Airbnb licence
Short-term letting is regulated at the level of each UK nation, and increasingly at council level too. So the right question is not “do I need an Airbnb licence in the UK?” but “what does my property need, where it is?” Below is the position in each nation. If you let in more than one nation, each property follows the rules where it sits.
Scotland: a licence is mandatory
Scotland has the clearest and strictest position. Since 1 October 2022, every short-term let in Scotland must have a short-term let licence from the local council, and you cannot legally accept bookings or take guests without one. It applies to whole properties, rooms within a home, and unconventional accommodation alike. The licence carries mandatory conditions covering safety — gas and electrical safety, fire detection, and more — and some councils also operate “short-term let control areas” where planning permission is needed to use a property as a short-term let. If your property is in Scotland, the licence is not optional and the safety conditions come with it. Read our full guide to the Scottish short-term let licence.
England: registration is coming, planning matters now
England does not yet have a national short-term let licence. Instead, two things are in motion. First, the government has announced a short-term let registration scheme intended to require every let to be registered; as of 2026 the scheme has been announced but is not yet fully in force, so treat any “register now” claims with care and check the current status before you rely on them. Second, and more immediately relevant, a new C5 planning use class for short-term lets is being introduced, which lets councils use Article 4 directions to require planning permission to change a home into a short-term let. In London, the long-standing 90-night rule already limits how long you can let a whole home on a short-term basis in a calendar year without planning permission. So in England the live question is usually planning, not a licence — but that is changing, and it is worth checking your council’s own rules. Read our full guide to short-term let rules in England.
Wales: registration and licensing being introduced
Wales is introducing a statutory registration and licensing scheme for visitor accommodation, so short-term lets in Wales are moving toward mandatory registration. Separately, Welsh council-tax rules use a 182-day letting threshold to decide whether a property is treated as a self-catering business rather than a second home, which affects how it is taxed rather than whether you can let it. Check both the registration position and your council’s local approach before letting in Wales. Read our full guide to holiday-let rules in Wales.
Northern Ireland: tourism certification is required
In Northern Ireland, tourist accommodation must be certified by Tourism NI before it can be marketed or let. This is a genuine, established requirement rather than a proposal, so if your property is in Northern Ireland, certification is the first step.
The permissions that apply wherever you are
On top of the national position, several things can require permission regardless of nation: your mortgage lender (a standard residential mortgage often does not allow short-term letting), your lease if the property is leasehold (many leases prohibit or restrict short lets), your insurer (you need cover that reflects paying guests), and HMO licensing if the property is let in a way that meets the HMO definition. None of these is an “Airbnb licence” as such, but any one of them can stop you letting legally.
What to do
Work out which nation your property is in and follow that path first — a licence in Scotland, certification in Northern Ireland, registration and planning checks in England and Wales — then confirm your mortgage, lease and insurance allow short-term letting. Whatever the licensing position, the safety obligations still apply: see our guides to Airbnb fire safety regulations, whether your Airbnb needs an EICR and Airbnb EPC requirements. For the full picture, work through the Airbnb compliance checklist, or check where you stand with the free Airbnb compliance checker.
How Complys helps
Complys records the licence or registration for each property alongside its safety documents, and watches the renewal date, so wherever your lets are you can see at a glance which are properly registered and which need action. See Airbnb & short-term let compliance software.
Official guidance and sources
Complys records the short-term let licence or registration for each property alongside its safety documents and watches the renewal date - so you always know which lets are properly registered.