The Liberal Democrat MP for North Cornwall has launched a Private Members’ Bill aimed at curbing landlords letting out by Airbnb or other short lets.

Ben Maguire seeks to close what he regards as a loophole that currently allows second home owners to use their properties as holiday lets without planning consent. He claims this fuels housing shortages and undermines council tax obligations.

Maguire and other Cornish MPs – including Labour ones – recently met with housing minister Matthew Pennycook to press for official action on the issues.

Maguire says on Facebook, describing his Private Members’ Bill: “It’s a simple change with a big impact: requiring planning permission before homes can be turned into short-term holiday lets, to put a stop to the avoidance of paying council tax.Enough is enough. Too many local families are being priced out while homes sit empty or churned through weekly rentals. This Bill is about restoring fairness in our system, and giving local people a better chance at owning their own home.”

And Maguire concludes this social media entry by saying he is “fed up with second home owners dodging council tax.”

Although the Bill stands little chance of success without government backing – which it does not have – its second reading on July 2 will be an opportunity for Maguire to air the issues once again.

However, Maguire may be less keen on the first response to his Facebook entry publicising his Bill. 

It reads:  “I get the properties sitting empty, but ‘churning through weekly rentals’ is what keeps some of the coastal areas alive – shops; cafes; pubs; museums etc. Don’t throw the baby out with the bath water!”

In January 2023, Cornwall Council passed a resolution pledging that owners of second homes in the county would be charged double council tax, when the law permitted this to happen.

In September 2024, Airbnb called for Cornwall Council to be given more data, powers and tools to regulate short-term rentals: the platform wrote to local MPs and councillors in the county, saying it backed the introduction of a registration scheme for people who wanted to let their homes to tourists.

In response to the latest measure put forward by Ben Maguire, an Airbnb spokesperson told the BBC: “Calls to impose restrictions, red tape, and fees only protect hotel chains’ profits at the expense of local families. The vast majority of hosts on Airbnb are everyday people renting their place casually to make a little extra money.”

He said a “typical host” in Cornwall shared just one home for fewer than three nights a month, while Airbnb travel boosted the Cornish economy and provided jobs to 3,500 people in the area.