Short lets in York, where the council asked for licensing and a local MP wrote a bill for it
If you manage or clean short lets in York, about 1.87 million of the city's 8.88 million visitors in 2025 stayed the night, according to Visit York, and they stayed 3.1 nights on average. Second homes in York have paid double council tax since 1 April 2025. In 2022 the council told the government it wanted a licensing scheme for short lets, and in July 2026 a York MP brought a bill to Parliament that would allow one. 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 City of York Council has said and done
York charges the second homes premium and has asked for more powers, but it has no rule of its own for short lets yet. We checked each row against its source on 23 October 2026.
| Topic | What it says | Status | Since | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rules for all of England | York hosts follow the fire safety guidance, the new tax treatment of furnished holiday lets and the 140 and 70 night rates test, and will have to join the national register once it opens, which the government expects in March 2027. Each one is explained, with dates, on our UK short-lets page. | In force | Varies | UK page |
| Second homes premium | A furnished home that is nobody's main home pays an extra 100% council tax. Homes with an occupancy restriction for part of the year, long-term furnished lets to a tenant and homes marketed for sale or let (for one year) don't pay it. | In force | 1 April 2025 | City of York Council |
| Licensing and planning powers | In its 2022 answer to the government's call for evidence, the council said standards would be best kept through licensing, the way shared houses are licensed, and that changes to the planning use classes order should be looked at too. Without one, its planning officers judge each case on its own. | No specific law | September 2022 | City of York Council |
| Short-Term Let Accommodation Bill | York MP Rachael Maskell has a private member's bill that would let councils license every short let, cap the number in hotspots and require planning permission for a change of use. Landlord Today reported in July 2026 that its second reading was set for 11 September 2026. We couldn't find a record of what happened that day, and as of 23 October 2026 the bill hadn't become law. | Bill, not law | 2026 | Landlord Today |
| A York rule for short lets | We found no Article 4 direction and no night limit for short lets in York in any council source we could open. | No specific law | Not applicable | City of York Council |
The council's 2022 figures, taken from AirDNA, show 937 active listings in January 2018 and 2,055 in July 2022, and 83% of them were entire homes. Only 433 holiday lets were on the business rates list, and two thirds of those were in two city centre wards. In September 2022 YorkMix reported that Councillor Pete Kilbane described Bishophill and Guildhall as being "hollowed out".
This is not legal or tax advice, and Upbridge does not file anything for you: no registrations and no tax returns.
Race days, the Christmas Market and the train from London
The Christmas Market runs from 12 November to 21 December, open Wednesday to Monday and closed on Tuesdays, according to Visit York. Tuesday is a good day to book deep cleans and restock, while the stalls are shut.
York Racecourse holds eighteen days of flat racing a season. The 2027 Dante Festival is on 12 to 14 May, and the June Meeting is on 11 and 12 June, so those dates are worth blocking for cleaners now.
Visit York gives the train time from London as 1 hour 50 minutes, 1 hour 30 from Manchester and 2 hours 23 from Edinburgh. Guests who drive can leave the car at one of the six Park & Ride sites, where parking is free and the bus goes into the centre. If your flat has no parking, put the nearest Park & Ride in the arrival message.
Where Upbridge helps a York operator
The premium and any future licence are for you and your accountant. Our part is the changeover. Each checkout from Guesty, Hostaway, Lodgify, Uplisting or your iCal becomes a cleaning with a checklist and a photo for each room, and on a Saturday in December you can see on one screen which flats near the market are ready.
We put the Park & Ride, the walk from the station and how to get in into the guest guide, which the guest opens on their phone. Inventory per property goes down after every stay, so you know which flats need tea, coffee and toilet roll before race week.
If you run a cleaning company in York
On the Sunday after a race meeting, flats belonging to several owners may all check out before ten. The account for cleaning companies brings every owner's iCal or PMS onto one calendar, so you can group the checkouts by street, and the owners stay your clients.
Questions about short lets in York
Do I need a licence to run a short let in York?
We found no York licensing scheme. The council asked for the power in 2022, and Rachael Maskell's bill would give it to councils, but that bill had not become law in any source we read.
Do second homes in York pay extra council tax?
Yes. City of York Council has added a 100% premium since 1 April 2025, so a second home pays double. A home on the market for sale or let is excused for one year.
When is York busiest for short lets?
The Christmas Market weeks from mid-November to 21 December, and race meetings such as the Dante Festival in May. In 2025 the average overnight visitor stayed 3.1 nights.
Sources
Checked on 23 October 2026
- City of York Council, “Second homes additional premium”, undated, read 23 October 2026.
- City of York Council, scrutiny paper on the call for evidence about a tourist accommodation registration scheme, September 2022.
- YorkMix, Joe Cooper, “These areas of York are being ‘hollowed out’ by tourism trend, councillors say”, 23 September 2022.
- Landlord Today, Graham Norwood, “Labour bid to clampdown on Airbnbs and other short lets”, 21 July 2026.
- Visit York, “York's economy continues to grow” (STEAM 2025), undated, read 23 October 2026.
- Visit York, Christmas in York, undated, read 23 October 2026.
- York Racecourse, home page with the 2027 fixtures, read 23 October 2026.
- Visit York, “Travel to York”, undated, read 23 October 2026.