Dear East Cambridgeshire District Council,

Please could you advise me as to any planning requirements for permission to operate a short term holiday let in your area. For example properties and rooms that may appear on online portals such as Airbnb, Booking dot com etc.

This is also often known as Serviced Accommodation. It is generally full furnished rooms or properties with cooking facilities etc.

It may be let out for a single night, or it could be let for a much longer period of time.

This question excludes apart-hotels, hotels, hostels, bed and breakfast and similar properties clearly defined in the Use Class Order.

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1) Which planning use class should the property be operating in?

Should it be C1, C3 or Sui Generis for example? Or can it operate in more than one?

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2) Is planning permission required? if the property is not operating in that Use Class?

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3) Does that Use Class change if a certain number of nights are occupied during the year? Or is planning permission required if a certain number of nights is exceeded per annum even if operating in the correct Use Class?

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4) Does your answer vary if it is a full unit such as a house or flat, as opposed to an annexe or a room or two within a C3 dwelling? If yes, how would the partial or full holiday let differ?

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5) Are there any other rules that serviced accommodation or short stay holiday let providers advertising on Airbnb etc., adhere to in addition to any number of nights per annum (question 3) within your area?

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Thanking you in advance for your assistance in this matter.

Yours faithfully,

Peter Johns