The government says it’s setting up a statutory registration system for hosts of all short-lets “very soon”.
Government minister Chris Bryant says this is “because we want to make sure that local authorities have all the data that they need to assess local accommodation needs, and so that there is a level playing field for different kinds of accommodation.”
He says the object of the system is to ensure there is “a really strong local visitor economy, but we do not want to undermine local housing strategies.”
When asked by MPs about a more precise timing of its introduction, Bryant told the Commons: “We have already done the initial phase. I hope that we will be able to make an announcement fairly soon about the technical elements, which we hope to get up and running this year.”
In the same debate Tim Farron, the former leader of the Liberal Democrats and now a backbench MP representing Westmoreland, said: “Holiday lets play an important part in the tourism economy; 20 million people visit the lakes every year, and they need somewhere to stay.
“Having said that, in the last five years especially, we have seen a gobbling-up of the long-term private rented sector and local people forced out by a massive growth in short-term lets.”
Bryant said he agreed with Farron’s call for a change in planning legislation to allow councils to stop the proliferation of Airbnbs and other short lets if required.
The government has already indicated that the register will be used, in areas where this is deemed necessary, to prevent the letting out of Airbnbs for more than 90 nights a year, as is currently the case in London.
Landlords of short lets will be required by the register to submit the address of the property, contact details, number of nights people stay at the property in total each year, and proof of adherence to safety and quality minimum regulations including for gas, furniture, electrical, boiler and fire safety.