Council backtracks on plans to clamp down on short-term lets

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Brighton & Hove has failed in its attempt to restrict second homes and holiday lets in the city.

The council had hoped to clamp down on landlords profiting from the staycation boom amid fears that the sector had impacted on the availability of long-term rentals and forced up rental prices. However, Labour councillors were unable to win the support of other political parties for plans to set up an online registration scheme.

Tourist industry

Labour Councillor Amanda Evans asked the council’s tourism, equalities, communities and culture committee to support a proposal, reports The Argus. She told the meeting: “It’s not just individuals letting out a room a couple of times a year. There are a lot of professionals involved with this now who are making a lot of money, not paying tax on it and harming our tourist industry as well. It causes misery and has a knock-on effect on our already crisis-hit housing market.”

Committee co-chair councillor Martin Osborne said while he supported the idea of a registration scheme it should be a government-regulated national scheme. The committee agreed to support sending a response to the government’s ongoing consultation into the sector, providing evidence about the problem and detailing how housing demand and rising private sector rents have an adverse effect on the affordability of housing.

Party houses

A Brighton and Hove City Council report says that more than 3,000 properties could currently be in use as short-term holiday lets – some of them as party houses.

Earlier this year, the DLUHC was reportedly drawing up plans to ban second homeowners from renting out their properties on websites such as Airbnb by giving powers to regional mayors to restrict people renting out second properties for fewer than 90 days. Instead, landlords would have to apply for planning permission for a change of use.

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