A prominent Labour MP is making another bid to clampdown on Airbnb and other short lets platforms.
York MP Rachael Maskell has introduced a Private Member’s Bill urging a dramatic reduction in the freedom of short let landlords.
Shortly before Sir Keir Starmer left office she asked him to lobby new Prime Minister Andy Burnham to support the move.
Maskell’s Short-Term Let Accommodation Bill seeks to regulate short term rentals. She made a similar bid for a clampdown two years ago, but it failed to secure government support and Parliamentary time.
Her latest Bill gives local councils powers to license all short-lets, introduce health and safety standards, restrict letting days, ban them in specific areas, and fine or revoke licenses for anti-social behaviour.
Specifically it wants:
- Mandatory Licensing: Require all short-term and holiday lets to secure a license to operate, bringing them in line with hotels and B&Bs regarding health, safety, and energy standards;
- Tackle Anti-Social Behaviour: Give councils the authority to fine landlords or revoke licenses if properties are used for repeated nuisance, noise, or criminality;
- Control Housing Stock: Empower local authorities to cap the number of licensed properties in “hotspot” areas and restrict the maximum number of days a property can be let per year;
- Planning and Taxation: Allow councils to require planning permission for change of use and to adjust local taxation on these properties to support local services.
The Bill’s second reading in the Commons is scheduled for September 11.
