Jan

LATEST: Minister signals likely U-turn on Airbnb regulation with consultation

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The government is to launch a consultation on plans to introduce a national register in England for holiday lets which will look at their effect on local housing supply and whether greater compliance with health and safety regulation is needed.

Farron is both the party’s housing spokesperson and MP for a leading holiday hotspot constituency in the Lake District, Westmorland and Lonsdale.

This announcement came during a parliamentary debate on the issue in parliament called by former LibDem leader Tim Farron. The announcement follows previous government rebuttals that holiday lets could be a problem for communities in holiday hotspots, and that it was largely a matter for the market, not government, to tackle.

In answer to comments by speakers including Hunters founder and MP Kevin Hollinrake and shadow housing minister Matthew Pennycook that a national register would shed light on how many holiday rentals there are in England, housing minister Chris Pincher revealed that a consultation on the matter is due.

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“We recognise that a large number of second homes and holiday lets can have adverse effects in some areas, so I will look closely at his proposals and at the points raised by other colleagues,” he said.

“We also do not have the information needed to understand how, and for how long, a property is being used.

“I can confirm that we propose to consult on the introduction of a tourist accommodation registration scheme in England so that we can build an understanding of the evidence and the issues that second homes present, particularly when driven by the rise of online platforms such as Airbnb.

“We will launch that consultation later this year and will begin the process of a call for evidence in the coming weeks.

“We want to look at not just the issue of short-term holiday letting, but the effect that it has on supply. We will also look at compliance, health and safety regulations and the effect of antisocial behaviour and so on.”

Read the debate in full.

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