Running short lets in Liverpool, where second homes pay double council tax and April brings the Grand National
If you manage or clean short lets in Liverpool, we found no council scheme that licenses them, so you work under England's national rules. The council charges twice the normal council tax on second homes. A let that meets the self-catering test pays business rates instead, and England's national register is expected to open in 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.
The rules here
Liverpool is in England, so most of what applies comes from the government and not from the city. Each row was read on its source page on 24 October 2026.
| Topic | What it says | Status | Since | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Second homes | Liverpool City Council's council tax page says that twice the normal charge applies to second homes. The page has no date and doesn't say when the doubling began, so check your bill. | In force | Not stated | Liverpool City Council |
| Business rates or council tax | A self-catering property pays business rates and not council tax when it was available to let commercially for at least 140 nights and actually let for at least 70 nights in 12 months. Nights in stays over 28 nights don't count towards the 70. From 24 July 2026, an owner of five or more lets in one property can qualify without those tests. | In force | 24 July 2026 (five or more lets) | GOV.UK |
| Register | The government expects the registration scheme for short lets in England to start in March 2027. The guidance of 2 October 2026 doesn't yet say what hosts will have to provide. | Not yet in force | March 2027 (expected) | GOV.UK |
| Planning and licensing | We found no short-let licence or planning rule on Liverpool City Council's pages. In November 2019 Councillor Alan Tormey tabled a motion asking the government for a use class for holiday lets, a 90-day limit like London's and a licensing regime, and we could not confirm how it ended. The government said in February 2024 that it would create a use class of its own, and GOV.UK's guidance today says the local planning authority decides whether you need permission. | No specific law | Not set | Place North West, GOV.UK 2024 |
The council also runs a selective licensing area where privately rented homes must hold a licence, checked by postcode. Its page doesn't say whether holiday lets are covered, so ask the council's private sector housing team before you assume they aren't. The details are in its guide.
The tax change that ended furnished holiday lettings relief and the fire guide are on the England page.
This is not legal or tax advice, and Upbridge does not file anything for you: no registrations and no tax returns.
How it works on the ground
The Liverpool City Region Destination Partnership published its 2025 visitor figures on 17 August 2026. They cover the whole city region, from the STEAM model, and they put spending at £6.834 billion and total visits at 61.54 million. Day visits rose 8.7% to 55.55 million, while staying visitors, at 6.0 million, rose only 0.4%. So the growth of the year went to day trips, and the number of people sleeping in the region barely moved.
The Grand National Festival at Aintree runs from Thursday 8 to Saturday 10 April 2027 on the official site. Three racing days that end on a Saturday probably mean arrivals on the Wednesday and Thursday and a block of checkouts on the Sunday morning, so plan the Sunday team and the linen before the week starts.
Wikipedia counts two trains an hour from Lime Street to London Euston, all run by Avanti West Coast, and 14.43 million passengers through the station in 2024 to 2025. John Lennon Airport is about 12 km south-east of the centre and had around 5.6 million passengers in 2025, and Arriva's express route 500 runs from it to the city centre about every 30 minutes. Liverpool South Parkway is the nearest intercity station to the airport.
Where Upbridge fits
A three-day race meeting makes a hard Sunday. In Upbridge every checkout on your calendar becomes a cleaning with a photo checklist, so the cleaner on a Sunday morning can work through the room list and photograph any damage or missing item, and you can see from your phone which flats are ready.
The guest who lands at the airport and takes the 500 into town needs to know where to get off and how to find the door. The guest guide we build holds that route, and inventory per property shows how many towels are left before the weekend, because it's deducted after each stay.
If you run a cleaning company in Liverpool
In April one race meeting sets the calendar for all your clients at once. The account for cleaning companies brings each owner's calendar into one view, so you can see all the Sunday checkouts after the Grand National together, and every client stays yours.
Questions about short lets in Liverpool
Does Liverpool charge extra council tax on second homes?
Yes. The council's page says twice the normal council tax charge applies to second homes. It doesn't give the date it started.
Do I need a licence for a short let in Liverpool?
We found no short-let licence on the council's pages. It does have a selective licensing area for privately rented homes, and its page doesn't say whether holiday lets count, so ask the private sector housing team.
When is the Grand National in 2027?
The official site gives Thursday 8 to Saturday 10 April 2027 for the Festival.
More questions
When does the national short-let register start in England?
GOV.UK, updated 2 October 2026, says the scheme is expected to begin in March 2027.
Sources
Checked on 24 October 2026
- Liverpool City Council, “Council Tax”, undated, read 24 October 2026.
- Liverpool City Council, “Do I need a selective licence?”, undated, read 24 October 2026.
- Place North West, Charlie Schouten, “Liverpool considers restrictions on Airbnbs”, 12 November 2019.
- GOV.UK, “Letting out a self-catering holiday home in England: rules and regulations”, updated 2 October 2026, read for the registration date.
- GOV.UK, “Apply for business rates for a self-catering property in England”, updated 29 September 2026, read for the business rates test.
- GOV.UK, “Delivering a registration scheme for short-term lets”, 19 February 2024.
- Liverpool City Region Destination Partnership, “Liverpool City Region visitor economy hits record £6.8bn as tourism growth surges”, 17 August 2026.
- Grand National, official site, undated, read 24 October 2026.
- Wikipedia, “Liverpool Lime Street railway station”, undated, read 24 October 2026.
- Wikipedia, “Liverpool John Lennon Airport”, undated, read 24 October 2026.