Sep

Rubbish! Oxford latest to crack down on whole-house Airbnb rental properties

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Oxford City Council is set to become the next local authority to charge landlords of whole-house short-let properties for refuse collection.

This follows similar decisions by other councils including Scarborough, Isle of Wight, Dorset and Hampshire.

At the moment, most councils empty recycling and waste bins for whole-house short-let or holiday properties as if they were private homes.

But Oxford is proposing to treat any properties registered as businesses – which many are for the tax benefits by their landlords – as if they were ‘commercial premises’ such as a restaurant or office.

If Oxford’s council cabinet approves the proposals, the council will notify the owners of whole-house short lets registered as businesses and either agree a commercial waste contract with them or complete the removal of domestic waste containers by the end of the year.

Enforcement

And enforcement action against non-compliant short lets registered as businesses will begin in 2023.

The council says whole-house short lets rented out via Airbnb or Homeaway are beginning to reduce the number of family homes available to rent in Oxford, with AirDNA data revealing that some 869 are offered online at the moment.

“The government needs to act to ensure there’s a proper level playing field with the rest of the rental market and other highly regulated commercial businesses,” says Councillor Linda Smith, Cabinet Member for Housing.

“Until then, we will continue to use our planning enforcement powers against unauthorised change of planning use class, and we are now removing this unfair advantage of free waste collection for whole house short lets that are registered as businesses.

“They will need to organise a commercial waste agreement contract just like other businesses in the city; it’s only fair as these properties avoid paying council tax.”

The government recently launched a review into the impact of short term tourist accommodation in England and is consulting on a potential short let registration scheme until 21 September.

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