Local residents are set to benefit from enhanced protections against the impacts of excessive short-term lets due to pivotal changes in planning rules announced today.
These adjustments mandate planning permission for future short-term lets and introduce a compulsory national register to aid in ensuring accommodation safety and providing essential information to local authorities.
The measures aim to grant communities more influence over the growth of short-term lets while still allowing homeowners to rent out their primary residences for up to 90 nights annually without needing planning permission.
The intention is to support local residents in areas where an abundance of short-term lets has made it challenging to find affordable housing for purchase or rent, thereby preventing the “hollowing out” of communities and addressing issues such as anti-social behaviour.
Secretary of State for Levelling Up Housing and Communities, Michael Gove, commented on the balance between supporting the UK’s tourism economy and ensuring local housing availability: “Short-term lets can play an important role in the UK’s flourishing tourism economy… But in some areas, too many local families and young people feel they are being shut out of the housing market… So the Government is taking action… That means delivering more of the right homes in the right places, and giving communities the power to decide.”
Tourism Minister Julia Lopez also highlighted the government’s commitment to maintaining equilibrium: “Short-term lets provide flexibility for homeowners and give tourists more accommodation options than ever before, but this should not prevent local people from being able to buy or rent homes in their area.”
Amanda Cupples, General Manager for Northern Europe at Airbnb, expressed support for the initiative: “The introduction of a short-term lets register is good news for everyone… Families who Host on Airbnb will benefit from clear rules that support their activity, and local authorities will get access to the information they need to assess and manage housing impacts and keep communities healthy, where necessary.”
The proposed planning changes, set to commence from this summer, involve creating a new planning ‘use class’ for short-term lets not used as a sole or main home. This approach is part of the Government’s broader strategy for housing, which includes delivering one million homes this Parliament, supported by a £10bn investment.
