1. What is the 90-day rule?

The 90-day rule limits how many nights per year you can let out your entire home as a short-term rental in Greater London without planning permission.

The rule comes from two pieces of legislation working together:

• The Greater London Council (General Powers) Act 1973, section 25 originally made any short-term letting of residential premises in London a material change of use requiring planning permission.
• The Deregulation Act 2015, section 44 relaxed this by allowing up to 90 nights per calendar year without permission.

Before 2015, even one night of short-term letting in London technically needed planning permission. The 90-night allowance was the compromise that legalised casual hosting.

1.1 How the count works

• A "night" is one calendar night a guest sleeps in the property.
• A guest who checks in Monday and checks out Wednesday has used 2 nights.
• Nights the property is listed but not booked do not count.
• The counter resets on 1 January each year. It is a calendar year, not a rolling 12-month period.

1.2 Geographic scope

The rule applies to all 32 London boroughs plus the City of London. It does not apply anywhere else in England. Outside Greater London, there is no equivalent statutory night cap, though general planning rules still apply if letting becomes the primary use of a property. For how rules differ elsewhere, see our guide to Sydney's 180-day STRA cap.

2. Who it applies to (and who is exempt)

2.1 It applies to whole-property lets

The 90-day rule catches any let where the entire property is available to guests and the host is not present. This is the standard "entire home" listing on Airbnb. It applies regardless of the platform: Airbnb, Booking.com, Vrbo, or direct bookings.

2.2 Hosted stays are exempt

If you live in the property while guests stay (letting a spare room, for example), the 90-day rule does not apply. Renting a room in your own home while you are present is not a change of use under the 1973 Act. You can host year-round with no night cap.

The key word is "genuinely resident." If you list a private room but actually leave the property during guest stays, the council could treat it as a whole-property let.

2.3 Bookings of 90+ consecutive nights

A single booking of 90 or more consecutive nights to one guest is treated as a residential tenancy, not a short-term let. It does not count toward the 90-night cap and is not caught by the rule.

2.4 Properties with planning permission

If you have obtained planning permission for the change of use (see Section 5), the 90-night limit does not apply. You can let for as many nights as the permission allows.

2.5 What about leaseholders?

Even if you are within the 90-night allowance, check your lease. Many leases in London restrict or prohibit short-term letting. Breach of a lease covenant is separate from planning law and can lead to forfeiture. Check with your freeholder or managing agent before listing.

3. How platforms enforce it

3.1 Airbnb

Since 2017, Airbnb has automatically tracked booked nights for entire-home listings in Greater London. When a listing reaches 90 booked nights in a calendar year, Airbnb blocks the calendar for the rest of that year. No further bookings can be accepted until 1 January.

Hosts can provide proof of planning permission to Airbnb to have the limit lifted.

3.2 Other platforms

Booking.com has announced similar tracking, but enforcement has been less consistent. Vrbo and direct-booking channels have no automatic enforcement. The host is entirely responsible for tracking the total.

3.3 The cross-platform risk

This is one of the biggest traps for London hosts. The 90-night limit applies to the property in aggregate, not per platform. If you let 50 nights on Airbnb and 50 nights on Booking.com, you have used 100 nights and are in breach, even though each platform shows you under the limit.

You must track your own total across all channels. A simple spreadsheet of booked nights by date is the minimum.

4. What happens when you hit 90 days

4.1 You must stop

Once 90 nights have been used in a calendar year, any further short-term letting is a breach of planning control. The host must either stop letting for the remainder of the year or obtain planning permission.

4.2 Penalties

The local planning authority can:

• Issue an Enforcement Notice requiring the unauthorised use to cease.
• Issue a Breach of Condition Notice.
• Seek a court injunction.
• Impose fines of up to £20,000 per offence under planning enforcement powers.

Failure to comply with an Enforcement Notice is a criminal offence punishable by an unlimited fine.

4.3 Which boroughs actively enforce?

Westminster is the most active, with a dedicated short-term let enforcement team that monitors platforms and has prosecuted hosts. Camden and Kensington and Chelsea are also known for strong enforcement. Most outer boroughs are complaint-driven, but the trend is toward more proactive enforcement across all of London.

4.4 What to do with the rest of the year

Once you hit 90 nights, you still have options:

• Switch to medium-term lets (1-6 months). These are standard residential tenancies, not short-term lets, and are not caught by the rule.
• Use the property yourself or leave it empty until 1 January.
• Use a property manager who can transition the property between short and medium-term lets to maximise income across the full year.

5. Can you get planning permission to exceed 90 days?

Yes, you can apply. Whether you get it depends on the borough.

5.1 The process

1. Pre-application advice: Most boroughs offer this for £100 to £300. It gives you an informal indication of whether the application is likely to succeed before you commit to the full fee.
2. Full planning application: Apply for change of use from C3 (residential) to short-term visitor accommodation. The current fee is approximately £578.
3. Timeline: The statutory target is 8 weeks for a standard application.

5.2 What the borough considers

• Impact on housing supply: Boroughs with acute housing shortages (most of inner London) are reluctant to lose residential units to visitor accommodation.
• Neighbour amenity: Noise, antisocial behaviour, frequent changeovers.
• Local plan policies: Some boroughs have explicit policies resisting the loss of residential housing.
• Character of the area: A flat in a quiet residential block is harder to justify than a mews house already in a commercial area.

5.3 Realistic expectations

Westminster, Camden, and Kensington and Chelsea have high refusal rates for STR change-of-use applications. Outer boroughs may be more permissive. If granted, the permission usually attaches to the property and may include conditions such as a maximum night count or property management requirements.

6. How to manage the 90-day limit

6.1 Track your nights

Do not rely on Airbnb's counter if you list on multiple platforms. Maintain your own record of every booked night across all channels. A spreadsheet with the date, platform, and guest name is enough.

6.2 Price for maximum revenue, not maximum nights

If you only have 90 nights, make each one count. Dynamic pricing tools can increase your average nightly rate by targeting peak periods (summer, bank holidays, major events). Earning more per night is better than filling more nights at a lower rate.

6.3 Blend short and medium-term lets

Use your 90 short-term nights during the highest-demand periods (typically April to September in London). Fill the remaining months with medium-term lets (1-6 months) at a slightly lower nightly rate but with guaranteed income and no turnover costs.

6.4 Consider hosted letting

If you can be genuinely present in the property, hosted stays are unlimited. This works for hosts who live on-site and let a spare room or annex.

6.5 Use a property manager

A professional manager can handle the transition between short and medium-term lets, optimise pricing for the 90-night window, and ensure you stay compliant. Management fees are a deductible expense against rental income. For more on how management fees work, see our guide to property management fees. For the full picture on what short-let hosting costs, see our guide to costs of running a holiday let.

6.6 Check your lease and insurance

Many London leases prohibit or restrict short-term letting. Standard home insurance often excludes guest use. Sort both before you list, not after a claim. For more on council tax implications of short-let hosting, see our guide to Airbnb council tax.

7. What is changing

7.1 National registration scheme

The Levelling Up and Regeneration Act 2023 gave the government powers to create a mandatory registration scheme for short-term lets across England. All hosts would need to register and display a registration number on their listings. The scheme would give councils direct visibility of every STR property, making enforcement of the 90-day rule far easier.

The consultation closed in 2024 and the government indicated it intends to proceed. Check GOV.UK for the latest implementation timeline.

7.2 Calls to reduce the limit

The Mayor of London and several inner-London boroughs have called for the 90-night limit to be reduced to 30 or 60 nights. No reduction has been legislated, but the political pressure is real. If you are making investment decisions based on the current 90-night allowance, factor in the possibility that it could shrink.

7.3 New planning use class

The government has also discussed creating a dedicated planning use class for short-term lets, which would require planning permission to convert a property from residential to STR use. This has not been enacted but remains under consideration.

7.4 FHL abolition

The Furnished Holiday Lettings tax regime was abolished from April 2025. This does not change the 90-day rule itself, but it weakens the overall financial case for short-term letting by removing mortgage interest relief at the full rate, capital allowances, and Business Asset Disposal Relief. For the full breakdown, see our guide to Airbnb tax in the UK.

London hosts now face a tighter regulatory environment (90-day cap, potential registration, possible use class change) alongside a less favourable tax position. Professional management and careful planning matter more than ever.