A month in London

In Greater London a whole home can be used as temporary sleeping accommodation for at most 90 nights a calendar year without planning permission, and the host must pay council tax on it. A 30-night booking uses a third of that allowance, and Airbnb stops taking bookings for an entire home once it reaches 90 nights in the year, so a host late in the year may have no nights left.

The Housing Act 1988 excludes from assured tenancies any tenancy whose purpose is to let someone occupy the home for a holiday. Ordinary private tenancies changed on 1 May 2026, when the Renters' Rights Act made them assured periodic tenancies and ended section 21 evictions. Whether a furnished month counts as a holiday let depends on its purpose, so read what the agreement says.

A room in a host's own home is a lodger arrangement. GOV.UK calls a lodger who shares the kitchen, bathroom or living room with the landlord an excluded occupier, who can have a licence rather than a tenancy and can be asked to leave with notice matching the rent period, without a court order.

London has no tourist tax in 2026, and the overnight visitor levy announced in September 2026 still needs a bill. VAT is 20%. HMRC's rule for hotels and similar establishments cuts the VAT on stays of more than 28 days: from the 29th day VAT falls only on meals, services and at least 20% of the accommodation charge counted as facilities. Holiday accommodation pays VAT in full whatever the length, so ask which rule the property applies.

Greenwich suits a month by the river and the park, 12 km from Trafalgar Square by road. King's Cross suits a month built around trains, and Shoreditch a month near the City. South Kensington suits a family month near the Natural History Museum, the Science Museum and the V&A. For a month with a car, the borough matters as much as the street: Greenwich takes parking payments by phone only as its machines go, and Camden and Hackney keep their bays for permit holders and paying visitors during controlled hours. These choices are editorial.

Visitors from Europe and the USA need an ETA, GBP 20, valid two years or until the passport expires; Europeans have needed one since 2 April 2025. An ETA allows visits of up to six months, but not work for a UK company or living in the UK through frequent or successive visits. Irish and British citizens need none.

Apply on GOV.UK or in the UK ETA app; a decision usually comes within a day and can take up to three working days. The ETA is linked to the passport used for the application, so a new passport needs a new ETA before the next trip.

Airbnb calls 28 nights or more a monthly stay: the first month is charged up front and released to the host 24 hours after check-in, later months are charged 10 days in advance, and a long-term cancellation policy applies that generally needs 30 days' notice of changes. In London the platform also counts the 90-night limit for entire homes.

Visitor parking in residential zones runs through the resident. In Camden a resident buys electronic visitor permits online, in 15-minute blocks up to four hours or for a full day, priced by zone and vehicle. In Greenwich, many new developments are car-free and their residents cannot get a permit at all. Ask the host whether the flat has a space, whether it can buy visitor permits, and what they cost before booking a month with a car.

Booking a whole home for a month from a host who has already let it for most of the 90 nights.

Signing an agreement for a furnished month that reads like a tenancy when the stay is a holiday.

Counting on a hotel's long-stay VAT rule in a holiday let, where it does not apply.

Leaving the car in a residents' bay without a visitor permit from the host.