London Short-Term Lets: Why West End Platforms Are Under Pressure
Short-term letting in London’s West End is facing renewed secrutiny as Westminster City Council calls for greater cooperation from booking platforms.
Westminster has one of the highest concentrations of short-term lets in London. Council data estimates between 13,000 and 15,000 whole-home short-term lets in the borough, plus more than 2,000 individual rooms. In 2024, 9,389 homes were reportedly let for more than 90 nights.
The issue is not simply the number of properties. Westminster argues that limited access to booking data makes it difficult to identify properties operating beyond London’s 90-night limit, while duplicate listings and unauthorised subletting can make enforcement even more complicated.
Recent cooperation between Airbnb, the government and participating councils suggests that this could now begin to change.
So, why are booking platforms under pressure, how does London’s 90-day rule actually work, and what could stronger enforcement mean for property owners?
Table of Contents
The Scale of Short-Term Lets in London’s West End
Short-term accommodation has become a significant part of the central London property market, but its distribution is far from even.
How many short-term lets are there in Westminster?
Westminster City Council estimates there are 13,000 to 15,000 whole homes being used as short-term lets across the borough, alongside more than 2,000 rooms.
The highest concentrations are found in areas including the West End, Hyde Park, Marylebone, Bayswater and Lancaster Gate. Westminster also reported that short-term lets generated approximately £450 million in income during 2024.
This makes Westminster particularly exposed to both the benefits and challenges associated with short-term accommodation.
For owners, short-term letting can provide flexibility and access to visitor demand. For councils, however, a high concentration of short-term properties raises questions around housing availability, neighbourhood disruption and whether properties are operating within planning rules.
How many properties are exceeding the 90-night limit?
Council data indicates that 9,389 homes in Westminster were let for more than 90 nights in 2024, equivalent to 68% of the borough’s whole-home short-term lets according to Westminster’s figures.
However, being advertised or identified in short-term rental data does not by itself establish an unlawful planning breach. Individual circumstances and planning status matter.
As of 30 September 2025, Westminster’s short-term let enforcement team was investigating 2,870 properties allegedly being used unlawfully for short-term letting.
That distinction is important: properties under investigation should not automatically be described as illegal short-term lets.
Why Booking Platforms Are Under Pressure
The current debate is increasingly focused not only on hosts, but also on the booking platforms through which short-term accommodation is advertised.
The challenge of enforcing London’s 90-day rule
Under London’s short-term letting rules, eligible homeowners can generally let their home for up to 90 nights in a calendar year without applying for planning permission.
If the property is let for more than 90 nights, planning permission is normally required.
The difficulty is enforcement.
A local authority needs evidence that a particular property has exceeded the threshold. Westminster explains that investigating a suspected breach can require multiple visits to establish sufficient evidence.
The problem becomes more complicated when the same property appears on different platforms or under different listings.
Multiple listings make monitoring harder
A platform may know how many nights have been booked through its own system, but that does not necessarily give a council a complete picture of bookings made elsewhere.
For example, a property could potentially be advertised across several booking websites. Monitoring the cumulative number of nights across different platforms becomes considerably more difficult without consistent property identification and data sharing.
This is one reason registration and greater platform cooperation have become central to the debate.
Unauthorised social housing subletting is another concern
The issue goes beyond privately owned properties.
In July 2026, Airbnb entered into a government partnership designed to identify social homes being advertised as short-term accommodation without permission.
The scheme allows participating local authorities to compare social housing records with Airbnb listing data. Westminster and Kensington and Chelsea are among the councils participating in the initiative.
According to Westminster, early work identified 470 potential cases across participating authorities.
Listings confirmed to be operating without permission can be removed.
The agreement is significant because Westminster describes Airbnb as the first short-term rental platform to proactively share data with government under this initiative.
How Does London’s 90-Day Short-Term Let Rule Work?
The 90-day rule is central to understanding the dispute.
London homeowners can generally short-let an eligible home for a cumulative total of up to 90 nights between 1 January and 31 December without obtaining planning permission for that use.
Once the property exceeds that threshold, the owner normally needs planning permission.
But the 90-day exemption is not an automatic right to operate any London property as a short-term rental.
Property owners may also need to consider:
lease or freeholder restrictions;
mortgage conditions;
insurance requirements;
council tax status;
existing planning conditions.
Westminster specifically advises owners to check whether their lease permits subletting and whether permission is required from an insurer or freeholder.
This distinction is particularly important for leasehold properties.
For example, Westminster Housing leaseholders are not permitted to short-let their properties under the terms of their leases, even though the wider planning framework allows qualifying private homeowners to use the 90-night exemption.
In other words, the 90-day rule is a planning exemption, not a universal permission to short-let a property.
Why Councils Say the Current System Is Difficult to Enforce
The rule itself is relatively straightforward. Proving that it has been breached can be much harder.
Councils need evidence
Westminster states that enforcement officers may need to visit a property multiple times to establish whether unlawful short-term letting is taking place. Residents can also provide dates, times, advertisements, photographs and other evidence to support an investigation.
This creates an inherently reactive system.
A property may be advertised online, removed, relisted or offered through another platform before an authority has assembled enough evidence to take action.
Platforms hold valuable booking information
Booking platforms potentially possess information that councils cannot easily obtain independently, including listing details and booking activity.
This explains why data sharing has become such an important part of Westminster’s position.
The July 2026 Airbnb agreement provides an example of how platform data can be used to identify potentially unauthorised social housing sublets. Westminster’s council leader described the agreement as an important first step while calling for other platforms to participate.
What Does Westminster Want Booking Platforms to Change?
Westminster’s position increasingly focuses on making the short-term rental ecosystem easier to identify and regulate.
Greater cooperation from platforms could give authorities a clearer picture of where short-term lets operate and make it easier to distinguish compliant properties from suspected breaches.
Better data sharing
The Airbnb partnership demonstrates one potential approach.
Rather than relying exclusively on physical inspections and complaints, councils can use platform information alongside their own housing records to identify suspicious activity.
Westminster has called for broader cooperation from other platforms following the Airbnb agreement.
Clearer identification of individual properties
Another challenge is establishing whether different online listings represent different properties or the same property advertised multiple times.
A national registration system could make this easier by creating a consistent way of identifying short-term accommodation.
That brings us to one of the most important regulatory developments for property owners.
What Could Change Under England’s Short-Term Let Registration Scheme?
The UK government is introducing a mandatory national registration scheme for short-term lets in England.
However, there is an important distinction owners should understand: the registration requirement is not yet in force.
Current government guidance states that the scheme is expected to begin in 2026.
The legislation enabling a national register was established through the Levelling Up and Regeneration Act 2023, and the government remains committed to implementation.
Once operational, a registration system could give local authorities significantly better visibility over where short-term accommodation is operating.
That could, in turn, make enforcement of London’s 90-night rule more systematic.
Owners should therefore be careful with claims that every short-term rental already requires a national registration number in England. As of September 2026, that is not yet the case.
What Does This Mean for London Property Owners?
Eligible homeowners can still use the 90-night planning exemption, provided they meet the relevant conditions.
What is changing is the regulatory environment around it.
For property owners, there are four practical considerations.
Check whether your property is eligible for short-term letting. The 90-night exemption does not override lease restrictions, planning conditions or other contractual obligations.
Track nights across every platform. The 90-night threshold concerns the property, not simply activity on one booking website.
Keep accurate records. As registration and data sharing develop, the ability to demonstrate compliance is likely to become increasingly important.
Do not assume the 90-day rule is the only requirement. Insurance, leasehold terms, planning permission and other property-specific conditions can all affect whether short-term letting is permitted.
For landlords who do not want to manage changing rules, guest operations, maintenance and occupancy themselves, professionally managed alternatives may also be worth considering.
Key Takeaways
Westminster has one of London’s largest concentrations of short-term lets, with the council estimating 13,000–15,000 whole-home properties across the borough. In 2024, 9,389 homes were reportedly let for more than 90 nights, while 2,870 properties were under investigation for suspected unlawful short-term letting as of September 2025.
London’s 90-day rule remains in place: eligible homeowners can generally short-let for up to 90 nights per calendar year without planning permission, but leases and other restrictions may still apply.
The direction of regulation is toward greater transparency and data sharing. Airbnb’s 2026 agreement with government and participating councils is an important example of this development.
England is also preparing a mandatory national registration scheme for short-term lets, although government guidance confirms that it is not yet in force.
FAQs
What is the 90-day rule for short-term lets in London?
Eligible homeowners can generally short-let their London home for up to 90 nights per calendar year without planning permission. Letting beyond this normally requires planning permission.
Is Airbnb legal in Westminster?
Short-term letting can be legal in Westminster if the property meets the relevant requirements. The 90-day planning exemption does not override restrictions in a lease or other property-specific conditions.
Can I rent my London property on Airbnb for more than 90 days?
Generally, you need planning permission to short-let a London property beyond the 90-night annual threshold.
Why does Westminster want more data from booking platforms?
Better data could help the council identify individual properties, investigate suspected breaches and detect unauthorised subletting more efficiently. The 2026 Airbnb-government partnership already allows participating councils to compare certain social housing records with Airbnb data.
Does England already have a short-term let registration scheme?
Not yet. The government says a mandatory national registration scheme is expected to begin in 2026, but the registration requirement is currently not in force.
Do leasehold properties have to follow the 90-day rule?
Yes, but the 90-day planning exemption does not override lease restrictions. Some leases prohibit short-term letting altogether.
