New regulations for holiday lets and second homes in Wales

The Welsh Government, along with Plaid Cymru, have laid out the next steps of their plans to create more homes for local communities in Wales. 

Their aim is to regulate the number of second homes and holiday homes across the country and give local authorities more control to manage the number of first homes, second homes and holiday homes in each area. 

The changes are as follows:

• New planning regulations: This will be the introduction of three planning classes. Primary home, second home and short-term holiday accommodation. Local planning authorities will be able to amend the permission required for a change of use from one class to another. 

Local authorities will also be able to control the number of second homes and holiday lets in an area. These changes will be introduced by the end of the summer.

• Short term holiday lets to require a license. The aim is to help raise accommodation standards across the industry.

• Local authorities are working together to develop a national framework so that they can ‘request increased land transaction tax rates for second homes and holiday lets to be applied in their local area’. This process started on the 4th July.

You can read the full press release by clicking here. You can also read details on the latest changes to business rates in Wales here, set to come into place in April 2023.