The charity Action on Empty Homes, which is mounting a campaign against short let properties, has attacked Airbnb for making a charitable donation.

Airbnb gave a £1.25m donation to the conservation charity English Heritage to support its bid to “boost heritage tourism” and to continue the conservation of key historical attractions and houses.

Will McMahon, director of Action on Empty Homes, has told The Guardian: “Airbnb’s donation seems to serve one purpose – it is a sort of cultural greenwashing for what has become an investment platform taking homes out of residential use and worsening our housing crisis.

“Airbnb clearly has a strategic understanding of their own vulnerabilities and in my view are making corporate donations to offset the poor publicity they are now receiving countrywide due to short lets impacting on long-standing local communities in city, coast and countryside alike.”

He added: “Airbnb clearly has a strategic understanding of their own vulnerabilities and in my view are making corporate donations to offset the poor publicity they are now receiving countrywide due to short lets impacting on long-standing local communities in city, coast and countryside alike.”

Action on Empty Homes wants planning reforms, a licensing system and demands councils be given a ‘right to refuse’ new listings – a regime similar to that coming into effect in Scotland, and under discussion in Wales.

The current Action on Empty Homes campaign argues that there is evidence from cities such as Manchester that the proliferation of short lets is typically associated with “neighbourhood gentrification, community displacement and skyrocketing rents”. 

English Heritage chief executive Kate Mavor defends her charity accepting the contribution, saying: “We are very grateful to Airbnb for its most generous donation. English Heritage is an independent charity and support like Airbnb’s is vital to protect the great stone circles and castles, abbeys and historic houses in our care. It is thanks to support like this that the charity is spending more money than ever before conserving sites for the benefit of the public – right across England.”