The rise of short term rentals and on location filming has brought fresh attention to how homes on the Wentworth Estate are used. Platforms such as Airbnb have grown rapidly in popularity, drawing scrutiny from local authorities and national government—particularly around safety, noise, and the impact on long term housing. Laura Conduit and Adam Fletcher from law firm Farrer & Co explore the rules that apply, in terms of the current law, planning policy, and the covenants on the Estate.

Short lets

Many readers will be aware of the 90-day rule that applies in London, preventing properties from being let out for more than 90 nights in a calendar year. No such rule applies on the Estate. Instead, it is up to local authorities to decide what limits or licensing schemes they want to impose, and at present Runnymede has chosen not to introduce any cap on the number of days a property can be let.

Rather than a numerical threshold, the key question for the local authority is whether the pattern of letting is frequent and impactful enough to amount to a “material change of use”. In short, is the regularity of the letting and its impact sufficient that the home is no longer a home, but more akin to premises for a lettings business? Runnymede will take these decisions on a case by case basis, and if the Council concludes that the property is being used as a commercial venture, business rates could be applied instead of council tax.

Similarly, Runnymede does not require any form of licence for a short let, unless the property is considered a House in Multiple Occupation (typically three or more unrelated tenants in one house, so not the focus of our article here). This may change, and while a short term rental register was first proposed by Michael Gove in the Levelling-up and Regeneration Act 2023, the Renters' Rights Act 2025 preserves the government's ability to include homes let under licences on the new Private Sector Rented Database.

In September 2025, the Prime Minister confirmed it remained high on the government's agenda and the current target for implementation is late 2026, though this may yet slip. If progressed, we may see a two tier system emerge: national registration for all short term landlords, alongside any additional licensing schemes adopted locally.

Whether or not these new obligations come into force, there is an existing statutory catalogue of requirements for landlords, which apply across the board to short lets and long term tenancies alike. These include gas and electrical certificates; the installation of smoke and carbon monoxide alarms; and fire precautions. Failure to comply with these would leave a landlord vulnerable to legal action.

One of the reasons for the introduction of a national register is to standardise compliance and improve safety in a market that has grown rapidly and often informally.

The covenants that apply to properties on the Estate may present a problem for those seeking to let their properties on short lets, particularly with regularity. Typically, the covenants will include a prohibition on anything that may become a nuisance to neighbouring properties or which shall tend to deteriorate the value of the Estate, although potential complainants should bear in mind that in legal terms the threshold for nuisance is quite high.

There is also a use covenant, requiring properties to be used only as a private residence, or (with the permission of the Wentworth Estate Roads Committee) for premises for a physician or surgeon "or a learned or artistic profession". The courts have repeatedly found that Airbnb style lets will almost certainly constitute a breach of a covenant requiring use as a private residence. Such a breach would be particularly conclusive if the letting was so regular as to require a change of use class in planning terms.

Filming on the Estate

There is very little legal framework around offering your property for use as a filming location. Typically, a homeowner will receive an approach from a location scout, and agree terms (including timing and a fee) directly with the production company.

The key legal considerations centre around the privacy of other individuals and their property and the processing of their data. Generally, it is an individual's right to decline to be caught on camera and if a property owner intends to allow filming at their home, they will need to ensure that the privacy of neighbours is respected.

On the Estate however, there is again a question as to whether allowing one's home to be used as a filming location could amount to a breach of the covenant requiring use only as a private residence.

This isn't a question that has directly been considered by a court, so it isn't possible to be definitive, but a court would look at the matter by reference to the nature and locality of the property and the precise wording of the covenant. A single day's filming may not be sufficient to amount to a breach, but letting a property on the Estate for a three-month shoot is more likely to be open to challenge.

Conclusion

The legal framework governing short lets and filming on the Wentworth Estate remains fluid, with national reforms, local planning discretion, and the Estate’s long standing covenants all shaping what owners can and cannot do. While Runnymede currently imposes few formal limits, frequent or commercially organised short lets risk being treated as a material change of use and are likely to breach the Estate’s requirement that properties be used only as private residences—an issue that may equally arise where filming is more than occasional or low impact. Until legislative changes and local authorities provide firmer guidance, homeowners considering short term letting or film work should proceed cautiously, seek early advice, and ensure any proposed activity aligns with both statutory obligations and the Estate’s protective covenants.

For more information contact Laura Conduit and Adam Fletcher, Farrer & Co