Running holiday lets in South Devon, where Salcombe's population rises thirteenfold in summer
Salcombe has about 1,900 people in winter and nearly 25,000 in summer. Around it, South Hams District Council counts roughly 4,022 second homes and has charged them double council tax since 1 April 2025. Upbridge's AI operations assistant, Cleo, works over WhatsApp with vacation rental operators and cleaning companies and organizes the cleanings and the inventory for each place.
What a holiday let in the South Hams has to deal with
Devon has several district councils, and each sets its own council tax premium. This page covers the South Hams, and the national rules apply across the county. We checked everything on 24 October 2026.
| Topic | What it says | Status | Since | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Second homes in the South Hams | South Hams District Council agreed to double council tax for second homes, and the government approved the timing for April 2025. By the reckoning of the council's chief finance officer there were about 4,022 second homes across the district, including 70 in Totnes. | In force | 1 April 2025 | South Hams Gazette, June 2024 |
| Where the money goes | The district keeps about 8% of the extra council tax, and the rest goes mainly to Devon County Council, fire, police and town and parish councils. South Hams wants its share ring-fenced for social housing. | In force | 1 April 2025 | South Hams Gazette |
| Business rates | For a Devon cottage to be rated as a business, a 12-month period has to show 140 nights on the commercial market and 70 actually let, plus the intention to offer 140 nights again. Long stays of over 28 nights are left out of the 70. | In force | Updated 29 September 2026 | GOV.UK |
| Register | England plans a short-let register, and GOV.UK gives March 2027 as the likely start. | Not yet in force | March 2027 (expected) | GOV.UK |
When the premium was agreed in February 2024, Cllr Denise O'Callaghan said the district had more second homes than social homes, and that Salcombe and East Portlemouth had more second homes than first homes. Cllr Jonathan Hawkins said he would have gone to 200%.
The higher bills haven't moved many houses yet. According to LandSale, quoted by Property Investor Today in August 2026, Devon's housing transactions grew by only 1.5% from 2024 to 2025, against 4.4% for England, even as more holiday let owners put their properties up for sale. Its founder, Adam Morris, said returning homes to residential use was always going to take time.
Nothing here is legal or tax advice for a particular cottage. Upbridge doesn't contact councils or the Valuation Office for owners.
Summer on the estuary
Salcombe Yacht Club runs its regatta every August with up to 400 dinghies, and the town regatta falls in the same fortnight. Those two weeks are when the town is at its fullest, and they are when cleaners are hardest to find.
The park and ride runs only in summer, so guests arriving by car in August may not be able to drive to the door. Ferries cross to East Portlemouth and run to South Sands, and in summer a boat goes up to Kingsbridge when the tide allows.
How Upbridge helps in Devon
Each departure from your Lodgify, Guesty, Uplisting or Hostaway calendar, or from an iCal feed, becomes a cleaning in Upbridge with a photo checklist for every room. On your phone you can see which cottages above the harbour are finished.
The parking, the park and ride and the ferry go into the guest guide, so guests know where to leave the car before they arrive. With inventory per property the towels and dishwasher tablets are subtracted after each stay, so nothing runs out in regatta week.
If you run a cleaning company in Devon
In August every client wants the same Saturday. The cleaning-company account puts all the owners' changeovers in front of you at once, so you can plan the regatta fortnight before it starts, and the clients carry on being yours.
Questions about holiday lets in Devon
Is there a second-home premium in the South Hams?
Yes, 100%, in force since 1 April 2025, which makes a second home's bill twice the usual amount.
How many second homes are there in the South Hams?
About 4,022, according to the council's chief finance officer as reported in June 2024.
When is the Salcombe regatta?
Every August. The yacht club's regatta and the town regatta run in the same fortnight.
Sources
Checked on 24 October 2026
- South Hams Gazette, “More second homes than social houses claim as council tax rises”, 16 February 2024.
- South Hams Gazette, Richard Torne, “Second home tax premium should address social housing crisis”, 11 June 2024.
- Property Investor Today, Liz Morrell, “Holiday let changes failing in Devon and Cornwall”, 13 August 2026.
- GOV.UK, “Apply for business rates for a self-catering property in England”, 29 September 2026 update.
- GOV.UK, “Letting out a self-catering holiday home in England: rules and regulations”, 2 October 2026 update.
- Wikipedia, “Salcombe”, read 24 October 2026.