A Conservative MP who has already suggested a 25 mile limit around some rental properties to reserve them for people with local connections, is now backing a clampdown on Airbnbs and other short lets.
Simon Jupp, MP for East Devon, says short lets help support tourist economies in areas such as his, and provide income for some ordinary householders letting out a room. But he insists a balance is to be struck.
“Homes to buy and for long-term rent are out of reach for many people who grew up in Devon, work locally, or need the support of family to look after a loved one” Jupp writes in a column in the Sidmouth Herald.
He says recent changes to laws – the higher rates of stamp duty on additional properties, closing tax loopholes and plans to let local authorities double council tax on vacant second homes – are not sufficient by themselves.
Jupp says he backs the government’s review into the impact of Airbnbs and other short lets, and believes there are good suggestions coming through already.
“Measures being considered include a registration kitemark scheme with spot checks for compliance with rules such as gas safety, and physical checks of premises to ensure regulations in areas including health and safety, noise, and anti-social behaviour are obeyed” he writes.
And he concludes by saying that landlords and second-home owners who see property as an investment opportunity also make it harder for local people to have a home of their own.
“We clearly need a better balance for communities in East Devon and the South West” he claims.
Jupp’s idea on a 25 mile limit for certain rental properties would mean that a tenant would have to meet one of the following conditions: they currently live or work within 25 miles of the property; they were born within 25 miles of the property; or they can demonstrate a ‘care network’ within 25 miles of the property.
“It would permanently protect a percentage of any new housing stock from second-home ownership, giving local families an opportunity to own or rent a home in places where prices are increasingly out of reach and often being sold to cash-buyers from elsewhere” he says.
