Accountants in Brighton

The visitor trade is the obvious starting point. A council Cabinet report on the Visitor Economy Strategy for Growth 2024 to 2034 puts the city at 10.2 million day trips and 1.6 million staying trips in 2023. That spending keeps cafes, bars, guest houses, short lets and event businesses going, many with seasonal staff and takings that rise and fall through the year.

The council's Economic Plan 2024 to 2027 lists capitalising on the city's digital competitive advantage and building its standing as a creative destination among its core imperatives, which fits the many designers, developers and small studios working in the city as sole traders or through their own companies.

Students shape the rental market too. The council's population summary records 34,695 students at the city's two universities in 2024/25, a decrease of 3.3% on the year before, and a shift like that can affect occupancy for student landlords.

Brighton landlords may need a licence even for fairly small shared homes. The city-wide additional HMO licensing scheme was designated on 19 March 2024 and came into force on 1 July 2024 for five years. It covers all 23 wards and applies to HMOs of two or more storeys with three or four occupiers. These dates come from the public notice reproduced by Brighton and Hove News, so confirm them with the council before relying on them.

On top of that, selective licensing applies to privately rented homes in Kemptown, Moulsecoomb and Bevendean, Queens Park, and Whitehawk and Marina wards from 2 September 2024 to 1 September 2029. A planned extension into Central Hove and Regency wards has been paused, as explained on the Hove page. Keep licence paperwork with your rental records, because licence fees form part of what each property costs to run.

Brighton and Hove City Council is a unitary council, so there is no county council layer. For reliefs and discounts, check the council's business rates pages directly.

The council's business support page points to the Brighton and Hove Growth Hub, a digital service working with the Business and IP Centre at Jubilee Library. The Brighton and Hove Chamber of Commerce has its office at Tower Point, 44 North Road.

Anyone in the UK can call themselves an accountant, because the title is not protected by law. "Chartered accountant" is different, being reserved by the institutes' Royal Charters and rules for their members, so it is fair to ask which body someone belongs to.

Separately, anti-money laundering rules mean anyone offering accountancy services needs a supervisor, either HMRC or a professional body, and GOV.UK is clear that trading while not registered is a criminal offence. Ask for the fee and the scope of the work in writing, and if your income is above the Making Tax Digital thresholds, check they use compatible software.

• Self assessment tax returns for freelancers and people with side income.
• Rental accounts for student lets and licensed HMOs.
• Payroll for hospitality businesses, where the National Living Wage for workers aged 21 and over is £12.71 from 1 April 2026.
• Year-end accounts and company tax returns for small studios and agencies.

The cost guide explains what affects fees, and how it works explains what happens after you contact us.