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Business Guidance

Planning and building control

Contents

Contents

Planning and building control

Planning Permission and Building Regulations may apply if you are considering starting a business offering tourist accommodation; if you plan to convert, extend or make structural alterations to an existing property; or construct a new building for the purposes of short term holiday let. Serviced accommodation includes, hotel, bed and breakfast, guesthouse, guest accommodation and hostel.

A short-term let is typically described as a property or room being rented out for a short period of time – ranging from one night to a few weeks – where the visitors are not using the property as their main or permanent house. These types of lets are commonly advertised on online holiday letting platforms such as booking.com, Airbnb, HomeAway, etc.

You should note that the Building Regulations' definition of ‘change of use' differs substantially from the meaning of 'change of use' in the planning terms, therefore Planning Permission may be required for a change of use where Building Regulation approval is not needed and vice versa. You may also require building regulations approval even if you are not contemplating any structural changes in turning your house into a short term holiday let.

Planning Permission

You should contact the Planning Department of your Local Council for advice on Planning Permission at a very early stage if you are considering using a house, apartment, student accommodation or other premises for a short-term holiday let.

Even if you only wish to start offering a bedroom in your home or to equip an existing building as a holiday let where no structural alterations to the property will be carried out, you may need 'change of use' Planning Permission to do so.

The need for Planning Permission will depend on the extent to which the short-term holiday let changes the character of the property and the degree to which it impacts on its surroundings, for example the effects on neighbours and the environment, the loss of residential accommodation, traffic generation, access from the highway, car parking facilities and the number of bedrooms offered for letting.

Local Council policies on granting Planning Permission may vary between Council areas, therefore you should consult with the Local Council Planning Officers to determine whether a change of use application is required.

Restrictions on what you can do are usually stricter in specially protected areas such as:

  • Green belts
  • Conservation areas
  • Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB).

If you are in any doubt about whether you need to apply for Planning Permission you should contact your Local Council Area Planning Office.

Further information can be gained from NIBusinessinfo:

Building Regulations

Building Regulations apply whenever a building is erected, extended, materially altered or made subject to a material change of use.

Under the Building Regulations, there is a material change of use where there is a change in the purposes for which, or the circumstances in which, a building is used, so that after the change the building is used for a different purpose, where previously it was not.

As with determining whether Planning Permission is required, Local Council policies on granting building control approval for change of use may vary between Council areas, therefore you should consult with the Local Council Building Control Officers to determine whether change of use application is required.

Note: even if you are not thinking of structurally altering your house to accommodate a short term holiday let, and Planning Permission is not required, you may still be required to do work to your property in order to meet Building Regulations requirements. Again, you need to contact the Building Control department of your local authority as early as possible.

If you are in any doubt about whether you need to apply for Building Control approval you should contact your local area Building Control Office.

Further information can be gained from: https://www.nibusinessinfo.co.uk/nicouncils

 

Updated: 24/08/20
This information is provided as a guide and is not designed to be definitive. Each business has its own requirements, depending on the type of accommodation.

For precise or detailed information, or on the legal implications for you in particular, you should consult your local council Planning and Building Control Officer.