Guides · Legal
London's 90-day short-let rule, explained for guests
Published 5 June 2026 · By Ali Hassan, Direct Bookings Lead · 7 min read
TL;DR
Greater London caps short lets of residential properties at 90 nights per calendar year (Deregulation Act 2015 §44). Above 90 nights, the property needs change-of-use planning permission — usually C1 (hotel) or Sui Generis. Most casual Airbnb hosts fly under the radar; legitimate serviced-apartment operators get the right consents up front and can host stays of any length. If you’re booking longer than 89 nights in London, ask your operator one question: “what’s your planning position?” A clear answer in one sentence is a green light.
The rule, exactly
Section 44 of the Deregulation Act 2015 amended the Greater London (General Powers) Act 1973 to allow short-term letting of residential premises in Greater London for up to 90 nights per calendar year without needing planning permission for change of use. Above 90 nights, the use becomes “temporary sleeping accommodation” in planning terms, and that’s a material change of use from C3 (dwellinghouse).
The rule applies to all 33 Greater London boroughs. It does not apply outside Greater London — Manchester, Edinburgh, Bristol each have their own (different) regimes. The cap is per property per calendar year (1 January to 31 December), not a rolling 12-month window.
Why this matters to you as a guest
For a 4-night weekend break, none of this matters — every London short let is legal at that length. It starts to matter when:
- Your stay is approaching 89 nights. If the operator caps your booking at 89, that’s usually the 90-day rule in action. Ask whether they have a sister property with the right consent you could move to for night 90 onwards.
- You’re booking for a relocation or extended posting (3-12 months).Any operator running long-stay inventory on residential premises without the right planning permission is doing it non-compliantly. If enforcement action follows, your booking is the one that gets cancelled mid-stay — not the operator’s problem, yours.
- You’re booking corporate stays for a project team or relocator. Procurement teams care because of the reputational and operational risk of a placed employee getting evicted mid-project. The right operator can show you their planning consent in writing.
Three legal paths an operator can take
| Path | Max stay length | Typical use |
|---|---|---|
| C3 + 90-day cap No planning permission needed | 89 nights/yr per property | Casual Airbnb, occasional rental |
| C1 (hotel) Change of use granted | Any length, any cycle | Aparthotels, hotel groups, large blocks |
| Sui Generis A class of its own — case-by-case | Any length, terms defined in the consent | Serviced apartment buildings, aparthotels |
A fourth path some operators use is to run stays purely as licences-to-occupy, not Assured Shorthold Tenancies, and to claim that doesn’t constitute short letting under the 90-day rule. That argument has not been tested decisively in the courts and is risky to rely on. Better to ask the operator which formal path they’re on.
What “asking the operator” sounds like
Email or WhatsApp message before booking:
Hi — I’m booking a [N-week / N-month] stay starting [date]. Could you confirm what planning permission you operate under for [property/address]? I just want to make sure my stay is fully compliant with the Greater London 90-day rule.
Acceptable answers:
- “The building has C1 hotel use; we’re fine for any length stay.”
- “The property has Sui Generis planning consent for serviced-apartment use — happy to send the consent reference.”
- “We’re on the 90-day allowance; our system caps your booking at 89 nights. If you need longer, we can move you to a sister property that has the right consent.”
Unacceptable answers:
- “Don’t worry about that — we’ve been doing this for years.”
- “The 90-day rule doesn’t apply to us because [vague reasoning].”
- Silence, or being deflected to a generic FAQ.
What enforcement looks like in practice
Borough councils enforce the 90-day rule via planning enforcement, not criminal law. Westminster, Camden, Tower Hamlets, Hackney, and Kensington & Chelsea are the most active. Action typically starts with a planning contravention notice (PCN) requiring the owner to disclose lettings history. Where stays exceed 90 nights without consent, the council can issue an enforcement notice ordering the use to cease.
Enforcement notices come into effect 28 days after issue and trigger penalties for non-compliance. A guest mid-stay when an enforcement notice activates is not the legal target, but the operator is required to vacate the property — which means your booking ends abruptly. That’s the practical guest risk.
How Staylio is set up
Every Staylio apartment is on a commercial head-lease structure where the operating entity is permitted to provide short-stay accommodation. Where individual flats fall inside the 90-day C3 category, the booking system caps stays appropriately and we route longer-stay guests to apartments with the right planning consent. Either way, the answer to “what’s your planning position?” is the same: written, specific, and sent in advance for any stay over 89 nights.
If you’re planning a stay over 89 nights and want the specific planning position for the apartment you’re looking at, WhatsApp Ali on +44 7375 621453 or email hello@staylio.london — we’ll send it within a day.
For procurement teams running corporate stays, our corporate stays page explains our long-stay structure in more detail.