The Airbnb 90-Day Rule in London, Explained [2026]

Airbnb hosting can be a great way to earn extra income from your home. But if you’ve heard about the Airbnb 90 day rule and are unsure what it means for you, you’re not alone.

If you own a property in Greater London, there are planning rules that restrict short-term letting of residential property beyond a certain threshold. The good news is that this isn’t the hosting disaster it can sound like. Thousands of hosts operate profitably, within the rules every year.

Pass the Keys has been providing short-let management services since 2015, starting in London, long before Airbnb began enforcing its London-wide 90-night cap from 2017.

Over the years, we’ve adapted alongside regulation and significantly grown our London portfolio. So if you’re reading about the 90-day rule and thinking it’s doom and gloom, it’s not! The key is knowing how it works, planning around it, and choosing the right strategy if you want to host beyond 90 nights.

Here’s everything you need to know.

The 90-day rule in London restricts property owners from renting out their entire home for more than 90 days in a calendar year without obtaining planning permission from the local council.

This applies specifically to entire home listings used as temporary sleeping accommodation (stays under 90 consecutive days). The rule originates from the Deregulation Act 2015 and applies only within Greater London boroughs.

The Airbnb 90 day rule governs how property owners can use their homes for short term letting. If you’re liable for Council Tax at a London property, you can short-let the entire property for up to 90 nights per calendar year without planning permission.

Key points to understand:

• Nights count from 1st January to 31st December each calendar year
• Any short stay under 90 consecutive days counts toward the cap
• The rule primarily affects entire home rentals, not private rooms or shared spaces

This is laid out clearly in the City of London’s short-term letting guidance and reinforced by the Greater London Authority guidance.

Separate from planning law, Airbnb states that starting from early 2017 its systems automatically limit entire home listings in Greater London to 90 nights per calendar year, and it explains how this works in Airbnb’s London short-term rental laws article.

The 90-day rule was introduced as part of the Deregulation Act 2015 to balance the benefits of short-term rentals with the need to preserve long-term housing availability in London. Before this, the Greater London Council (General Powers) Act 1973 treated any short term letting as requiring planning permission.

The policy goals were clear:

• Prevent residential properties from becoming de facto tourist accommodation
• Protect housing supply for long term rentals
• Balance host income with neighbourhood stability (noise, transience, anti-social behaviour)

This follows a global shift in how major cities regulate home sharing. Amsterdam caps at 30 nights, Paris at 120 nights, and New York requires registration for stays under 30 days.

The statutory cap applies exclusively within the Greater London area - the 32 London boroughs plus the City of London. Outside this boundary, there’s no uniform UK-wide night limit.

There are two layers here: what happens on Airbnb, and what can happen legally.

What happens on Airbnb?

Airbnb states that once you reach 90 nights of bookings for the current calendar year, its systems automatically limit entire home listings in Greater London from taking further bookings for the rest of that calendar year, unless you certify you have the relevant permissions. This is described in Airbnb’s London short-term rental laws article.

One big consideration to make is that Airbnb’s cap only applies to Airbnb bookings. If you accept bookings on other platforms or direct, you can hit (or exceed) 90 total nights without Airbnb being able to “save you". This is one of the easiest ways well-meaning hosts accidentally drift into risk.

Pass the Keys uses professional booking and calendar management systems to monitor total nights across Airbnb and other platforms.

Legal risk if you exceed 90 nights without permission

London’s guidance states that letting in breach of the law risks local councils taking planning enforcement action, as noted in the GLA guidance.

Some borough guidance describes consequences more directly:

• Tower Hamlets says it is against the law to let without planning permission for more than 90 nights, or if you are not the Council Tax payer, and references increased fines in its Tower Hamlets short-term lets guidance.
• RBKC states that if you let for more than 90 nights (or are not liable to pay Council Tax) you may be served with an enforcement notice, and notes the local land charges impact in its RBKC short-term letting guidance.

If you’re hosting in Greater London, the best approach is to treat 90 nights as a finite annual resource and plan around it intentionally.

Track nights the right way

The cap is counted across the calendar year (1st January to 31st December), not 12 months from your first booking. You’ll see the calendar-year definition stated clearly in Westminster’s short-term lets law page and reflected in the GLA guidance.

If you list on multiple platforms, keep one source of truth. Airbnb’s cap is helpful, but it only applies to Airbnb bookings.

Make a plan

A simple way to make the cap feel manageable is to think strategically and plan the year:

• Reserve nights for peak periods (summer, school holidays)
• Allocate nights for high-demand weekends and local events (Wimbledon (late June-July), Notting Hill Carnival (August), London Marathon (April)
• Keep a buffer for last-minute opportunities

People often ask how to “get around” the 90-day rule, but the accurate framing is how to host beyond 90 nights legally.

Route 1: Apply for planning permission

Property owners in Greater London must apply for planning permission if they wish to rent out their entire home for more than 90 days in a calendar year, as set out in the GLA guidance. Applying for planning permission from the local council can allow property owners to operate their short-term rental beyond the 90-day limit, although approval is not guaranteed.

Obtaining planning permission is not guaranteed, as local councils may deny applications if there is a shortage of housing supply in the area. Boroughs like Westminster and Camden scrutinise applications carefully.

Once planning permission is granted, property owners can operate their short-term rental property beyond the 90-day limit, provided they comply with all local regulations.

Route 2: Consider mid-term lets

Airbnb states that in London, reservations of 90 days or more are not considered short-term stays under the relevant framework and will not count towards your short-term limit on Airbnb. This is stated in Airbnb’s night limits FAQ for London.

This does not override lease restrictions, building rules, mortgage conditions, or insurance requirements, but it can be a legitimate strategy for some households.

This creates a practical pattern: use your 90 nights for tourist-style stays, then pivot to 3-6 month corporate, relocation, or student lets.

The well-known 90 nights per calendar year framework is a Greater London specific approach. Outside London, there usually isn’t a single UK-wide 90-day cap. However, outside London:

• Local councils may regulate through planning rules
• Lease terms and freeholder approvals often restrict holiday lets
• Mortgage conditions and insurance requirements frequently apply
• Long term rental platforms may have different terms

Policymakers have discussed introducing similar local regulations in other major cities, so staying informed matters for long-term planning.

Pass the Keys is an experienced UK-wide property management company with deep expertise in London’s local regulations. The team handles listing creation, pricing, guest communication, cleaning, and maintenance, which allows hosts to benefit from the 90-night allowance without operational burden.

Despite the cap, operating a highly profitable London property is entirely achievable with the right strategy. Pass the Keys uses a combination of local expertise, data and technology to prioritise high-yield dates within the 90-night allowance.

The integrated approach includes:

• Listing on multiple platforms with unified calendar management
• Revenue management tools for dynamic pricing
• Professional photography to boost bookings
• 24/7 guest support maintaining exceptional guest ratings

Alongside the 90 nights are used, Pass the Keys incorporates mid-term lets to maintain occupancy and revenue legally.

If you want to host confidently, Pass the Keys can help you run a stress-free short-let while staying on the right side of local rules.

Visit our website and book a call with us today.