Topic

Premises & Operations

Business premises, locations, and operational setup

Business Premises

Take on a short-term space for a pop-up shop

Before you trade from a pop-up in England, get a written agreement that settles whether you hold a lease or a licence and who pays business rates. Check your use fits the unit's planning class, and carry out a fire risk assessment if you control the space.

What the Renters' Rights Act means for landlords in England

No. Section 21 ended in England on 1 May 2026. To recover possession under a private assured tenancy in England, you must rely on a section 8 ground and obtain a possession order unless the tenant leaves. You will also need to register on a new landlord database once it opens.

Permission to run a bootcamp or fitness class in a park

Usually yes, if you charge for sessions: the council or other park manager must give you permission first. No law requires a fitness qualification, but permits usually ask for one.

Accommodation regulations for hotels, B&Bs, and short-term lets

Anyone providing paid accommodation in the UK, from hotels to short-term lets, faces rules that depend on the nation. Scotland requires a short-term let licence, Wales requires registration by 31 March 2027, and England's registration scheme is not yet in force; everyone needs a fire risk assessment.

Comply with the ground rent ban on new residential leases

If you grant a long residential lease in England or Wales on or after 30 June 2022, ground rent is limited to one peppercorn a year. Trading Standards can fine you up to £30,000 for each lease where you demand more.

Take in a lodger

When you let a room in your own home, you are a resident landlord. A lodger who shares your kitchen, bathroom or living room can usually be asked to leave on reasonable notice without a court order. You stay responsible for gas safety, Council Tax and checking your mortgage, lease and insurance allow it.

Get listed building consent for work on your premises

Any works that would affect the character of a listed building, inside or out, need listed building consent from your local planning authority, which costs nothing to apply for. Working without it is a criminal offence carrying an unlimited fine and up to 2 years in prison.

Manage commercial waste in a hospitality business

You have a legal duty of care for all your waste, so hand it only to a registered carrier and complete a waste transfer note for every load. In England you must also separate food waste and dry recycling, and you need your water company's consent to discharge trade effluent to the sewer.

Pubs Code for tied tenants

If you are a tied tenant in England or Wales of a pub company owning 500 or more tied pubs, the Pubs Code gives you rights, including the option to go free of tie under Market Rent Only. The Pubs Code Adjudicator enforces the Code and resolves disputes.

Leave your business premises

To leave leased premises, check how your lease ends, serve any break notice exactly as the lease requires, put right the repairs it demands and hand back the premises. You stay liable for rent and business rates until the lease ends, so the date it ends matters more than the date you leave.

Maintain your business premises

Whoever employs people at, or controls, business premises must keep the fire safety equipment, gas appliances, electrical installation and water systems in safe working order. Use a schedule that names who does each check and how often, with competent people for the main tests, and record every result.

Protect a tenant's deposit in an approved scheme

If you take a tenant's deposit, protect it in an approved scheme and give the tenant the scheme details within 30 days in England and Wales, 30 working days in Scotland or 28 days in Northern Ireland. Missing the deadline can cost you up to three times the deposit in Great Britain.

Check a commercial lease before you sign

A commercial lease decides who pays for repairs, how the rent can change, whether you can leave early and whether you can pass the lease on. Most of your rights and costs come from the lease itself, so check each of these terms and negotiate them before you sign.

Rules for selling property as an estate agent

Estate agents who act for buyers and sellers must register with HMRC for anti-money-laundering supervision before they trade, join a government-approved redress scheme and follow the Estate Agents Act conduct duties. In England and Wales, every property they market must also have a valid EPC.

Fit alarms and protect deposits as a landlord in Scotland

If you let a home in Scotland, it must have interlinked smoke and heat alarms and a carbon monoxide alarm beside any carbon-fuelled appliance. Any deposit you take must go into an approved scheme within 30 working days, or a tribunal can order you to pay the tenant up to three times the deposit.

Sell property listed as an asset of community value

If your property in England is on the council's list of assets of community value, you must tell the council in writing before you sell. A community group then has 6 weeks to ask to bid; if one does, you cannot exchange contracts for 6 months, and after that you can sell to anyone.

Business rates relief in Wales

Business rates in Wales are set by the Welsh Government, with their own multipliers and reliefs. Small Business Rates Relief is permanent and needs no annual renewal; it gives full relief on smaller properties and tapers off above that. Other reliefs, including help for food and drink hospitality businesses, are set year by year.

Meet alarm, electrical and HMO duties as a landlord in Northern Ireland

If you let a home in Northern Ireland under a private tenancy, you must fit interlinked smoke, heat and carbon monoxide alarms and have every electrical installation inspected and tested at least every five years. A house in multiple occupation also needs a licence from the district council before anyone moves in.

Understand business rates in Scotland

Non-domestic rates (business rates) are a property tax paid to your council, usually by whoever occupies the property. Your bill is the rateable value times a poundage set by the Scottish Government, less any reliefs. Assessors revalue every three years, and you can challenge a valuation by making a proposal.

Where to run your business

Where you run your business affects your tax, insurance, legal duties and costs. Working from home costs least and rarely needs planning permission, but you must tell your lender and insurer. Serviced offices offer flexible all-in terms, while a commercial lease commits you for years and brings repair duties and business rates.

Claim Small Business Bonus Scheme relief

The Small Business Bonus Scheme reduces or removes non-domestic rates for small businesses in Scotland whose properties fall within its rateable value limits. You apply to your local council, declare every property you occupy in Scotland, and must report changes in your circumstances or the council can recover relief.

Understanding business rates

Business rates are a tax on non-domestic property, paid to your local council by whoever occupies it. Your bill is your property's rateable value, an estimate of its open-market annual rent, multiplied by a multiplier set by government, and the rules differ in each UK nation.

Secure your business premises

Security requirements for business premises including CCTV compliance, SIA licensing, and physical security measures.

Renew your business lease

Most business tenants in England and Wales can stay on when their lease ends and ask for a new one. Either side starts the process with a formal notice given 6 to 12 months ahead, and the landlord can refuse only on grounds set out in law, sometimes paying you compensation.

Claim Small Business Rate Relief in Northern Ireland

If you occupy one occupied non-domestic property in Northern Ireland with a net annual value of £10,000 or less, Small Business Rate Relief can cut your rates bill by up to 50%. Land and Property Services usually applies it automatically, so check your rates bill.

Comply with Renting Homes (Wales) Act landlord duties

Since 1 December 2022, residential landlords in Wales must use occupation contracts under the Renting Homes (Wales) Act 2016. To end a standard occupation contract without fault, you must give a Section 173 notice of at least 6 months.

Register a lease with HM Land Registry

A lease granted for more than 7 years must be registered with HM Land Registry, and unregistered it gives you no legal lease. If the landlord's title is unregistered you have 2 months from the grant, and you send any Stamp Duty Land Tax return first.

Understand business rates in Northern Ireland

If you occupy non-domestic premises in Northern Ireland, you pay business rates: the property's Net Annual Value, set by Land and Property Services, multiplied by the regional and district rates. Industrial derating, Small Business Rate Relief and other reliefs lower the bill, and empty premises are charged at a reduced rate.

Meet electrical safety and alarm duties as a landlord in Wales

If you let a home in Wales under an occupation contract, you must have a valid electrical condition report, renewed at least every five years, and give the contract-holder a copy within 14 days. Each storey needs a mains-connected, interlinked smoke alarm. Without them the home counts as unfit to live in.

Register and run a letting agency in Scotland

If you let or manage homes for landlords in Scotland, you must be on the Scottish Letting Agent Register and follow the Letting Agent Code of Practice. Doing letting agency work while unregistered is a criminal offence, punishable by up to six months' imprisonment, a fine of up to £50,000, or both.

Managing noise from hospitality premises

How to prevent and manage noise complaints from hospitality premises including statutory nuisance law, planning conditions, licensing conditions, soundproofing options, and the Agent of Change principle.

Handle dilapidations at the end of a lease

When your lease ends, your landlord can claim for repairs, redecoration and reinstatement the lease required you to carry out. The claim cannot exceed the drop in the value of the landlord's interest, and courts expect both of you to follow the Dilapidations Protocol and its timetable before any claim is issued.

Appeal your business rates valuation in Scotland

How to challenge your rateable value with Scottish Assessors and the Valuation Appeal Committee, including deadlines and evidence requirements.

Claim Improvement Relief for business premises in Wales

How to claim Improvement Relief in Wales, which delays any business rates increase resulting from property improvements for 12 months. The Welsh scheme operates independently of England's equivalent.

Outdoor trading and pavement licensing for hospitality

Pavement licences for outdoor seating, A-board permits, and requirements for placing tables, chairs and signage on public highways for pubs, cafes and restaurants.

Meet energy efficiency standards for let properties

In England and Wales, you cannot let a residential property with an EPC rating below E unless a valid exemption is registered. Local authorities can impose penalties of up to £5,000 per property per breach.

Renew a business tenancy in Northern Ireland

A protected business tenancy in Northern Ireland carries on after its term ends until the landlord serves a notice to determine or you request a new tenancy, 6 to 12 months ahead. If you cannot agree terms, either side can apply to the Lands Tribunal, and you may be paid compensation if you must leave.

Register with the Scottish Housing Regulator as a new social landlord

How a housing association or other not-for-profit body registers as a registered social landlord in Scotland, the criteria the Scottish Housing Regulator applies, and the annual returns and assurance statements you must make once you are on the register.

Utilities & Services

Meet your gardening and landscaping duties

You do not need a licence to garden or landscape for payment. Carrying green waste, using professional pesticides and working on hedges or trees each bring their own rules, and some of them differ by nation.

Meet your business waste duty of care

Every business that produces, stores or disposes of waste has a duty of care under section 34 of the Environmental Protection Act 1990, and stays responsible after it hands the waste on. Use only registered waste carriers, complete waste transfer notes correctly, and follow the stricter rules for hazardous waste.

Deposit return points for drinks retailers

From 1 October 2027, supermarkets, grocers, convenience stores and newsagents in England and Northern Ireland must charge a 20p deposit on in-scope drinks and, unless exempt, run a return point. Apply to register with Exchange for Change before then; pubs and cafes charge the deposit on takeaway drinks only.

Apply for development consent for a major infrastructure project

If your energy, transport, water or waste project in England or Wales crosses a Planning Act 2008 threshold, you need a development consent order instead of planning permission. You notify and publicise the project, apply to the Planning Inspectorate, and a Secretary of State decides after an examination.

Simpler Recycling - what your business must do

Businesses in England must separate dry recyclables and food waste from general waste and arrange separate collections. Firms with 10 or more full-time equivalent employees have had to comply since 31 March 2025, and smaller firms must comply by 31 March 2027.

Separate food waste in Wales

Since 6 April 2024, every workplace in Wales producing 5 kilograms or more of food waste a week must keep it separate and have it collected separately. The rules cover restaurants, pubs, takeaways, manufacturers and staff kitchens alike. Food waste must not go down the sewer, and Natural Resources Wales enforces separation.

Prepare for Digital Waste Tracking

Digital Waste Tracking will replace paper waste transfer and consignment notes. Permitted and licensed waste sites will use it first, with carriers, brokers and producers due to follow from October 2027; until it applies to you, keep using paper notes.

Register a waste exemption

If your business stores, treats, uses or disposes of small amounts of waste in low-risk ways, you may be able to register a waste exemption with the Environment Agency instead of getting a full environmental permit. Register before you start: operating without an exemption or permit is a criminal offence.

Separate your business recycling and food waste in Scotland

Every business in Scotland must take reasonable steps to have glass, metals, plastics, paper and card collected separately from general waste. Most food businesses must separate food waste too, and outside rural areas food waste must be kept out of drains and sewers.

Premises Compliance

Electrical safety in your business premises

If you employ anyone or control business premises, you must keep electrical systems safe under the Electricity at Work Regulations 1989. The law sets no fixed testing interval, but guidance suggests an Electrical Installation Condition Report every 5 years for commercial premises.

Keep a rented home fit for human habitation

Every lease of a home in England for under 7 years carries an implied promise by the landlord that it is fit for human habitation when the term starts and stays fit throughout, and you cannot contract out of it. Tenants can sue you for breach, and councils can enforce against the hazards.

Passenger lift compliance for building owners

If you own or manage a building with passenger lifts, LOLER requires a thorough examination by an independent competent person every 6 months, separate from routine servicing. New or replacement lifts must meet the Lifts Regulations 2016, and higher-risk residential buildings carry extra duties for firefighting lifts.

Martyn's Law for pubs, shops and venues

Martyn's Law applies to your pub, shop or venue only if you can reasonably expect 200 or more people there at the same time, staff included. The duties have not started and no start date has been set; the Security Industry Authority will enforce them.

Create and maintain the golden thread

Every higher-risk building in England needs a golden thread: a digital record of building information kept from design through to occupation. The Principal Designer and Principal Contractor build it, then hand it to the Accountable Person, and gaps can block your Gateway 3 completion certificate.

Air conditioning and F-gas compliance

Air conditioning and refrigeration systems bring two separate sets of duties. A system rated above 12kW must be inspected by an accredited energy assessor at least once every 5 years, and the F-gas rules, enforced by the Environment Agency, require regular leak checks and careful handling of refrigerants.

Insulation requirements for commercial and residential buildings

Part L sets maximum U-values for walls, roofs, floors and windows in England, and the lower the U-value the better the insulation. For new dwellings, walls must reach 0.26 W/m²K; renovating a thermal element can also trigger an upgrade.

Water systems and legionella compliance

Every employer, landlord or person in control of business premises must have a competent person assess the legionella risk in its water systems and control it, for example by keeping hot water at 60°C at the calorifier and flushing little-used outlets. Keep records.

Lighting requirements for business premises

Key lighting requirements for business premises, covering workplace lighting standards under the Workplace Regulations 1992, emergency lighting duties, and Part L energy efficiency standards for non-domestic buildings.

Meet building envelope thermal performance requirements

If you build, extend or renovate walls, roofs or floors in England, as owner or tenant, the work must meet the Part L maximum U-values. Renovating a large enough share of a thermal element can trigger an insulation upgrade under Regulation 23.

Getting building control approval

Most building work in England needs building control approval, from your council's building control team or a Registered Building Control Approver. Some work can be self-certified by a competent person scheme installer, and higher-risk buildings must use the council.

Keep gas appliances safe in your business premises

Whoever controls a workplace must keep its gas appliances, pipework and flues in a safe condition, and only a Gas Safe registered engineer may work on them. The law sets no annual check for commercial premises, but landlords of living accommodation must arrange one every 12 months.

Make your website accessible to disabled users

The duty to make reasonable adjustments for disabled people covers your website and apps as well as your premises. No law sets a technical standard for private businesses, but WCAG 2.2 level AA is the accepted benchmark. Public sector bodies must meet it and publish an accessibility statement.

Heating system compliance for business premises

Replacing a boiler or installing a heat pump in business premises must meet the Building Regulations 2010. A replacement boiler must be a condensing type rated at least 92% efficient, and if your installer is not in a competent person scheme, you must apply to building control before work starts.

Building Safety Levy for developers

The Building Safety Levy applies to new residential development in England where the building control application is made on or after 1 October 2026, and pays to remove unsafe cladding. Schemes of fewer than 10 homes are out of scope, and brownfield sites pay a reduced rate.

Electrical installations and Part P compliance

Understanding Part P of the Building Regulations, BS 7671 (IET Wiring Regulations), notifiable versus non-notifiable electrical work, competent person schemes, and how Part P relates to the Electricity at Work Regulations 1989 for commercial premises.

Ventilation and indoor air quality requirements

Most business premises must meet two ventilation regimes: the Workplace Regulations 1992, which require fresh or purified air in every enclosed workplace, and Part F of the Building Regulations when ventilation is installed or significantly changed. HSE guidance suggests 5 to 8 litres of fresh air per second per occupant.

Building envelope compliance

Building work on walls, roofs, floors or windows in England must meet the Building Regulations on insulation, moisture and safety. The envelope also drives your EPC rating, and since April 2023 you cannot lawfully let a commercial property rated below E.

Energy Performance Certificates for business premises

If you sell, let or build a commercial property in England or Wales, you need a valid Energy Performance Certificate, which lasts 10 years. Since 1 April 2023 you cannot let or continue to let a property rated below E unless you have registered an exemption, and breaches can cost up to £150,000.

Keep children safe on farms

Children under 13 must never ride on or drive a tractor, self-propelled farm machine or ATV at work, and the law does not exempt parents. Children of 13 to 15 may use only some machines, trained and supervised. Give young children a fenced play area away from work.

Building regulations for replacing windows

Replacing windows in England, even like for like, is controlled building work. Use a FENSA or CERTASS registered installer, who certifies the work and notifies the council, or apply to building control yourself, and keep the certificate for when you sell.

Chimney and flue compliance for business premises

If your premises have a boiler, stove, open fire or other combustion appliance, its chimney or flue must meet Part J of the Building Regulations. Fit a carbon monoxide alarm in any room with a fixed combustion appliance, other than a gas cooker.

Make your premises and services accessible to disabled customers

If you provide goods, services or facilities to the public, you must anticipate the barriers disabled customers face and make reasonable adjustments to your policies, premises and communication before anyone asks. Not making a reasonable adjustment is discrimination, and you cannot charge disabled customers for the cost.

Planning & Development

When your business needs planning permission

In England you can change between uses within Class E, which covers shops, cafes, offices, gyms and clinics, without planning permission. A pub, hot food takeaway or nightclub nearly always needs a planning application, so get permission before you start trading.

Planning for small sites (under 10 units)

Housing schemes of 1 to 9 homes in England count as minor development, which usually means an 8-week decision period, a decision by planning officers rather than committee, and fewer supporting documents. You still need to meet local planning policy and any site constraints.

Apply for planning permission

Most building work and changes of use in England need planning permission unless permitted development rights apply. Submit a complete application with the right documents, because invalid ones are returned; most minor applications are decided within 8 weeks and major ones within 13.

Host weddings and events on your farm

Hosting weddings or events in farm buildings needs planning permission for the change of use, because agricultural permitted development rights do not cover event use. You also need alcohol and entertainment licensing, a fire risk assessment, event insurance and food safety arrangements if you provide catering.

Convert farm buildings to holiday accommodation

Converting a farm building to holiday accommodation needs planning permission or a permitted development route, then building regulations approval and a fire risk assessment. It also changes how the building is rated and ends Agricultural Relief on it, so settle the planning route before you commit to the work.

Understand the Community Infrastructure Levy

The Community Infrastructure Levy is a charge per square metre that councils in England and Wales with a charging schedule put on new development of 100 square metres or more, or any new home. Someone must assume liability and send a commencement notice before work starts; payment normally falls due within 60 days.

Meet heritage and nature requirements in a Scottish planning application

A Scottish planning application can face several separate heritage and nature requirements: National Planning Framework 4 policies, consultation of Historic Environment Scotland and NatureScot, environmental impact assessment, appropriate assessment for Natura sites, and protected species surveys and licences. Check which apply to your site before you commission design work.

Mandatory SuDS approval in Wales

How to obtain mandatory Sustainable Drainage Systems (SuDS) approval from your local authority SAB in Wales, including thresholds, fees, timelines, and penalties for non-compliance.

BNG for small sites (under 10 units)

Most small residential developments in England must deliver at least a 10% gain in biodiversity, using the simpler Small Sites Metric. Householder applications and developments with very small habitat impacts are exempt, and you must plan to manage new habitats for 30 years.

How planning permission differs in Wales

Key differences in the Welsh planning system, including PPW, TANs, LDPs, permitted development rights, fees, and application types under the Planning (Wales) Act 2015.

Archaeological assessment for development in Scotland

When archaeological assessment is required for development in Scotland, how to carry out desk-based assessment and evaluation, mitigation strategies including preservation in situ and excavation, and your obligations under the Treasure Trove system.

Apply for scheduled monument consent in Scotland

Any work that could damage, alter, repair, flood or cover a scheduled monument in Scotland needs scheduled monument consent from Historic Environment Scotland, separate from planning permission. Some minor works fall under class consents, but you should still tell Historic Environment Scotland before starting.

Section 106 for small sites

National policy says affordable housing contributions should not normally be sought on schemes of fewer than 10 homes, except on sites of 6 to 9 homes in designated rural areas. Other Section 106 obligations, such as highways or open space, can still apply, and each must pass three statutory tests.

Apply for planning permission in Northern Ireland

Most planning applications in Northern Ireland are decided by one of the 11 district councils, while the Department for Infrastructure handles regionally significant and called-in cases. Check first whether permitted development covers your work; councils aim to decide local applications within 15 weeks.

Show your development is nutrient neutral

If your development adds homes or other overnight accommodation in one of 27 nutrient-affected catchments in England, the council can grant permission only once it is satisfied the scheme adds no nutrient pollution. Work out your nutrient budget with Natural England's calculator, secure mitigation to offset it, and submit the evidence.

Understanding heritage protection in Scotland

Scotland protects its heritage under its own laws, with Historic Environment Scotland designating scheduled monuments and listed buildings and councils designating conservation areas. Each designation carries its own consent rules, and unauthorised works to a listed building can bring an unlimited fine and up to two years in prison.

Environmental impact assessment in Wales and Northern Ireland

When a building, road, railway, pipeline, harbour or similar project in Wales or Northern Ireland needs an environmental impact assessment, how to check the thresholds, request screening and scoping, prepare the environmental statement and plan for the longer decision period. Wales and Northern Ireland have separate regulations with different thresholds and different decision-makers.

Apply for listed building consent in Scotland

Any work that would affect the character of a listed building in Scotland, inside or out, needs listed building consent from your local planning authority, separately from planning permission. Protection covers the whole building and fixed objects, and Historic Environment Scotland is consulted on works to category A and B buildings.

Navigate Section 106 agreements

A Section 106 agreement is a deed that binds your land to obligations the council needs to make a development acceptable, such as affordable housing or infrastructure payments. Each obligation must pass three legal tests, you can argue viability, and after five years you can apply to change it.

Respond to an infrastructure project that affects your property

If a nationally significant infrastructure project would take or affect your land or business premises, you can register to take part in the examination and ask for hearings. You may be able to make the promoter buy your property early, and you can claim compensation if land is taken.

Get planning permission for nursery premises

A day nursery falls in planning use class E(f). If your premises are already in Class E, such as a shop or office, you can usually open a nursery without planning permission for a change of use. Other premises need permission, and councils often attach conditions on hours, numbers, noise and parking.

Plan a scheme of 10 to 49 homes

A scheme of 10 to 49 homes is major development in England: the council has 13 weeks to decide, you submit a planning statement and supporting reports, affordable housing and other obligations can apply, and the Building Safety Levy is charged. Biodiversity net gain follows permission.

Make a planning appeal

If your planning application is refused, granted with conditions you object to, or not decided in time, you can appeal to the Planning Inspectorate. The deadlines are strict: 6 months from the decision for most appeals, and 12 weeks for householder and minor commercial refusals.

Set up camping or glamping on your farm

In England, you can run tent camping on farmland for up to 60 days a year, with no more than 50 pitches, without planning permission, if you notify the council first and keep records. Glamping pods and static caravans need planning permission, and caravan sites also need a site licence from the council.

Discharge planning conditions

Planning conditions that need the council's approval must be discharged in writing before the stage they apply to, and pre-commencement conditions before work starts. The council must decide within 8 weeks, or 16 weeks for environmental impact assessment development, and you can serve a deemed discharge notice if it runs late.

Claim CIL exemptions and relief

Community Infrastructure Levy exemptions and relief must be claimed and agreed before work starts. Self-build, annex, charitable and social housing claims each need their own form, a commencement notice in time, and compliance through a clawback period of three or seven years, or the charge becomes payable.

Get pre-application advice

Pre-application advice lets planning officers assess your proposal before you apply, and is worth getting for anything beyond minor works. Their response covers policy, site constraints, design, the documents you will need and likely obligations, and says whether the officer would support the scheme.

Purchase biodiversity credits

If your development in England cannot deliver its 10% biodiversity net gain on site, buy off-site units from a habitat bank on Natural England's biodiversity gain site register. Statutory credits from Natural England are a last resort, and your ecologist works out the shortfall with the statutory metric.

Understanding permitted development rights

Permitted development rights let you change some buildings and uses without applying for full planning permission. Within Class E, premises can switch between shop, office, café, clinic and gym uses freely, and some changes, such as commercial to residential, need prior approval from the council first.

Understanding planning conditions

What planning conditions are, why they are attached to permissions, the different types, and your rights if you consider a condition unreasonable. Essential reading before starting development.

Working in conservation areas in Scotland

You cannot demolish any building in a Scottish conservation area without conservation area consent, and doing so is a criminal offence. Conservation areas also limit permitted development rights for some external changes, and you must give the planning authority 6 weeks' notice before cutting or lopping any tree.

Apply for planning permission in Scotland

Planning application process in Scotland under the Town and Country Planning (Scotland) Act 1997, including NPF4, application types, and fees.

Respond to planning refusal

What to do when your planning application is refused. Understand your options: amend and resubmit, negotiate, appeal, or move on. How to decide which approach is right for your situation.

Permitted development rights in Northern Ireland

Permitted development rights in Northern Ireland come from the Planning (General Permitted Development) Order (Northern Ireland) 2015 and differ from England's. Work within a class's limits needs no planning application, but exceeding them, an Article 4 direction or a listed building means you must apply.

Film and TV production permissions and insurance

Film and TV production needs no single national licence, but you need written permission for every location, proof of public and employer's liability insurance, and CAA registration if you fly a drone. Council filming fees vary widely and are usually higher in London.

Welsh infrastructure consent for former DNS projects

Do not apply under the Developments of National Significance (DNS) route in Wales: it ended on 15 December 2025. Major infrastructure projects now fall under the consent framework of the Infrastructure (Wales) Act 2024.

Permitted development rights in Scotland

What you can build or change without planning permission in Scotland under the GPDO (Scotland).

HES Managing Change guidance for construction

Historic Environment Scotland's Managing Change guidance notes are not law, but planning authorities use them when deciding applications that affect heritage assets. They sit under the Historic Environment Policy for Scotland and cover topics such as demolition, extensions, interiors, roofs, new design and setting.

Guides

Get the licence or registration your holiday let needs

Scotland requires a short-term let licence from your council, Wales requires registration with the Welsh Revenue Authority, with penalties from 1 April 2027, and Northern Ireland requires a Tourism NI certificate. England has no licence, but a national register is expected to begin in March 2027.

Find business rates relief you can claim

Business rates relief cuts your bill and is applied by your council. Small businesses, charities and empty properties can qualify in every nation, and shops, restaurants and leisure venues get separate help. Thresholds differ by nation, and you usually have to apply and report any change that affects your bill.

Challenge your business rates valuation

If your rateable value looks wrong, check the property details, challenge the valuation within four months of the check decision, then appeal to the Valuation Tribunal within four months of the challenge decision. Keep paying your bill meanwhile. Scotland and Northern Ireland run different systems.