The surge in the number of homes marketed for Airbnb is crippling the residential rentals market and plans to give councils power to curb the rise in short term lets are long overdue.
The problem is worse in staycation hotspots, where hundreds of homes previously available to rent to local people have been switched to short-stay holiday rentals. Meanwhile the housing crisis – which is particularly acute in rural areas – has seen thousands of families added to social housing waiting lists.
Earlier this week it was revealed how holiday lets advertised through platforms such as Airbnb will soon need planning approval in areas where councils decide local people are unable to afford housing after the Government unveiled plans for short term lets to require planning permission if local authorities decide it is necessary.
PLANNING PERMISSION
Under the new rules, the government says planning permission will be required for future short-term lets alongside a new mandatory national register.
Paul Miner, CPREPaul Miner, Head of Campaigns and Policy at countryside charity CPRE, says: “These new planning rules are good news for rural communities.
“Everyone deserves a home they can afford to live in. But the recent surge in short-term lets has prevented people in the countryside from finding housing they can afford to buy or rent and in some cases local workers have been turfed out of their rented accommodation.”
He adds: “We have long led calls on the government to introduce a second home and short-term lets register, with local authorities having the power to regulate the provision of short-term lets and to levy extra council tax on second homes.”
STRANGLING
He adds: “The explosion in the number of homes marketed for Airbnb-style short-term lets is strangling rural communities. The worsening housing crisis is felt most acutely in rural areas which is why we’ve been calling for rapid action from the government.
“We want everyone in the countryside to have a fair chance in life, whatever their circumstances. To make this a reality, we need to ensure there are enough low-cost homes to rent or buy in our villages and market towns.”
