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What are the fines for not registering in Wales?

£100 per property to start. The Welsh Revenue Authority (WRA) can charge £100 for each property you should have registered but did not. If it is still not registered 30 days after the penalty notice, it adds £10 per property per day for up to 30 days, then a further £1,000 per property: up to £1,400 per property in total. The fines only start from 1 April 2027, so registering free by 31 March 2027 avoids them completely.

How do the fines add up?

The fines are counted per premises, which means per address. Three cottages at three addresses are three premises. A cottage and a converted barn at the same address are one. For one property that is never registered, the most it can reach is £1,400.

The daily fines stop as soon as you register. Once the £1,000 has been charged, no more fines build up for that same failure. If the WRA registers you itself because you did not, it still counts as late and the same fines apply.

When do the Wales registration fines start?

From 1 April 2027. If you take bookings before then, you must register every property by 31 March 2027. If you start taking bookings after 1 April 2027, you must register before you open for bookings, and you can register up to 30 days early.

A worked example: a farm near Llandeilo and a flat in Aberystwyth

A host lets a shepherd's hut and a cottage on the same farm near Llandeilo, plus a one-bed flat in Aberystwyth on Airbnb. The hut and the cottage share one address, so this is 2 premises, not 3. The host forgets to register by 31 March 2027.

The day count follows the WRA's own example, where registering on the 15th day means 14 days of daily fines. Registering by 31 March 2027 would have cost nothing.

Are there fines for not updating or deregistering?

Yes, the same scale. You must update your registration within 30 days of a change, such as more bedrooms or new contact details, add a new property before you advertise it, and deregister within 30 days of your last guest leaving if you stop. Each miss can cost £100 per property, then £10 a day, then £1,000.

For now the WRA's online service only takes new registrations. Its guidance says that if your details change, you will need to update them by 31 March 2027, and that updates will open early next year. Ignoring a written WRA request for information or documents has its own £100, £10 a day and £1,000 fines.

Can I get out of a registration fine?

Only with a reasonable excuse, and the WRA decides. Its guidance gives examples it may accept, such as a close bereavement, unexpected problems with the WRA's online service, postal delays you could not have predicted, or delays linked to a disability. It will not accept relying on someone else without taking care, a mistake on the form, pressure of work, not being reminded, or not knowing the law.

To challenge a fine, ask the WRA for a review first. Only after a review can you appeal to the tribunal. While a review or appeal is running, the 30 days before daily fines start are paused. Register as soon as the problem behind your excuse is over, or the fine can still stand.

Are the Cardiff levy fines the same thing?

No, they are separate. Registration is about being on the list, and it applies everywhere in Wales. The levy is the money: only Cardiff has decided to charge it, at £1.30 per guest per night from 1 April 2027. Late levy returns earn penalty points (4 points on quarterly returns means a £100 fine), and late payment can cost 5% of the unpaid levy, at least £100 and at most £5,000 each time, plus interest.

What to do, step by step

1. List every address where you take paid bookings of 31 nights or less: holiday lets, spare rooms, B&B rooms, pitches, pods, static caravans.
2. Go to the WRA registration service, sign in with GOV.UK One Login and add every address in one registration.
3. Keep the registration number the WRA gives you.
4. Write down any changes as they happen, and update them once updates open (by 31 March 2027 at the latest).
5. If you get a penalty notice, pay within 30 days or ask for a review, and register straight away to stop daily fines.

For what the form asks, see How do I register my holiday let in Wales?

Related

• How do I register my holiday let in Wales?
• Do I need to register my spare room or Airbnb in Wales?
• Free check: do I need to register in Wales?

General information, not tax or legal advice. Sources: Welsh Revenue Authority, Failing to register, update details, or deregister your visitor accommodation (1 October 2026); WRA, Registering visitor accommodation: technical guidance (1 October 2026); WRA, Registering visitor accommodation: overview (updated 8 October 2026); WRA, Technical Visitor Levy guidance; Visitor Accommodation (Register and Levy) Etc. (Wales) Act 2025. Last checked 9 October 2026. Nero Engine Group Ltd, company 16521432, 66 Paul Street, London EC2A 4NA. Privacy · Terms