Holiday lets in Eryri (Snowdonia), where Wales sets the rules and the park controls new lets
If you manage or clean holiday lets in Eryri, you work where 17.4% of homes were already second homes or holiday lets in mid-2025, and since 1 June 2025 the National Park Authority has required planning permission to turn a main home into either. Wales has its own rules on top: a holiday let has to be let for at least 182 nights a year to pay business rates, and every host must join the Welsh visitor register by 31 March 2027. 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.
Wales's rules, as they apply in Eryri
Almost everything below comes from the Welsh Government, Cyngor Gwynedd or the National Park Authority. Council tax figures are Gwynedd's; a cottage in the Conwy part of the park is billed by Conwy. We went through all of it on 23 October 2026.
| Topic | What it says | Status | Since | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Planning inside the park | The Authority's Article 4 direction means planning permission is needed to change a main home (C3) into a second home (C5) or a short-term holiday let (C6), to switch between C5 and C6 either way, and to let a main home as a holiday let for part of the year. A use that was already running before 1 June 2025 is unaffected. | In force | 1 June 2025 | Eryri National Park Authority |
| Planning in the rest of Gwynedd | Gwynedd's own direction, for the county outside the park, was quashed by the High Court on 27 November 2025, and the council was refused permission to appeal on 6 February 2026. Those changes of use are permitted development again outside the park. | No specific law | 27 November 2025 | Cyngor Gwynedd |
| Business rates or council tax | A self-catering property is rated as a business only if, in 12 months, it was available to let for 252 nights and actually let for 182. Below that it is treated as a home and pays council tax, and the council's premium can apply. The Welsh Government's consultation on whether 182 is the right number closes on 23 October 2026. | In force | 1 April 2023 | GOV.WALES, consultation |
| Council tax premium | Welsh councils may charge up to 300% extra on second homes and long-term empty homes. For 2026/27 Gwynedd kept its 150% premium on second homes and raised the one on homes empty for a year or more from 100% to 150%. | In force | 1 April 2026 | Cambrian News, GOV.WALES |
| Visitor register | Anyone who takes bookings of 31 nights or less in Wales has to register with the Welsh Revenue Authority by 31 March 2027, whether or not the council charges a levy. A letting agent can register for the owner, but the owner stays responsible. | In force | Deadline 31 March 2027 | GOV.WALES |
| Visitor levy | The Visitor Accommodation (Register and Levy) Etc. (Wales) Act became law on 18 September 2025 and lets each council choose a charge of £1.30 per person per night, or 75p in hostels and campsites. Cyngor Gwynedd says it hasn't decided, and that October 2027 is the earliest a levy could start there. | Not yet in force | 18 September 2025 | Welsh Government, Cyngor Gwynedd |
| Licensing | The Development of Tourism and Regulation of Visitor Accommodation (Wales) Act 2026 got Royal Assent on 27 April 2026. Its licensing scheme starts with self-catering accommodation, and by default it comes into force in March 2030. | Not yet in force | March 2030 (default) | GOV.WALES |
| England's register | GOV.UK marks the register planned for March 2027 as applying to England, so a cottage in Eryri goes on the Welsh register above instead. The English rules are on our England page. | Not yet in force | March 2027 (expected) | GOV.UK |
The Authority suggests keeping evidence of how a property was used on 1 June 2025, such as tax records or letting records, in case anyone asks later whether a holiday let predates the direction.
This is not legal or tax advice, and Upbridge does not file anything for you: no registrations and no tax returns.
What the 182 nights mean for a cottage's year
The park says around 4 million people visit Eryri each year, with April to September the busiest months. A cottage needs 182 let nights to stay on business rates, so the half of the year with fewer visitors decides whether it gets there, and every winter weekend that's sellable needs a cleaner who can reach it.
The holiday homes are bunched. Cambrian News reported in July 2025 that second homes and holiday lets made up 45% of homes in Aberdyfi and 34.4% in Beddgelert, against 4.9% in Bala. If you clean in Aberdyfi, a busy Saturday can mean most of a street changing over at once.
How Upbridge helps in Eryri
The register, the rates test and the levy are for you, the owner and an accountant. We handle the turnovers. Each checkout from Guesty, Hostaway, Lodgify, Uplisting or iCal turns into a cleaning with a photo checklist, and the dated report from each one shows which nights a cottage was cleaned for guests.
A guest heading for a farmhouse up a single-track road needs the directions before they leave home. We build the guest guide with the route, where to park and how to get in. Inventory per property is deducted after each stay, so a cottage an hour's drive away doesn't run out of toilet roll or bin bags between your visits.
If you run a cleaning company in Eryri
Across a park this size, the drive between two cottages can take longer than the clean. The account for cleaning companies shows every owner's checkouts on one calendar, from their iCal or PMS, so you can plan a day village by village, and each owner stays your client.
Questions about holiday lets in Eryri
Do I need planning permission for a holiday let in Eryri National Park?
If you're turning a main home into a holiday let or a second home, yes. The National Park Authority's Article 4 direction has required it since 1 June 2025. A holiday let that was already running before that date can carry on.
How many nights must a holiday let in Wales be let to pay business rates?
182 nights let and 252 available, in a 12-month period, since 1 April 2023. A cottage that misses either figure pays council tax, which in Gwynedd carries a 150% premium for second homes unless an exception applies.
Do I have to register my holiday let in Wales?
Yes, with the Welsh Revenue Authority, by 31 March 2027. GOV.WALES says it applies to anyone taking bookings of 31 nights or less, even where the council charges no levy.
Sources
Checked on 23 October 2026
- Eryri National Park Authority, “Article 4 Direction in Eryri”, undated, read 23 October 2026.
- Cyngor Gwynedd, “Article 4 Direction”, undated, read 23 October 2026.
- Cambrian News, Dale Spridgeon, “Park authority curbs second homes in Eryri to control housing”, 2 July 2025.
- GOV.WALES, “Registering visitor accommodation: overview”, updated 8 October 2026.
- Welsh Government, “Visitor levy to support tourism becomes law”, 18 September 2025.
- Cyngor Gwynedd, “Tourism Levy and Registration of Visitor Accommodation”, updated 1 October 2026.
- GOV.WALES, “Licensing of visitor accommodation in Wales”, updated 8 May 2026.
- GOV.WALES, “Council tax premiums for long-term empty and second homes: guidance for local authorities”, 11 November 2022.
- Welsh Government, “Review on holiday let tax rules to support tourism and local communities”, 31 July 2026.
- Cambrian News, Dale Spridgeon, “Gwynedd Council hikes council tax premium on empty homes”, 5 December 2025.
- Eryri National Park, “Plan your visit”, undated, read 23 October 2026.
- GOV.UK, the England holiday home guidance marked “Applies to England”, updated 2 October 2026.