20th June 2022
Today, Rachael Maskell MP for York Central, presented a pioneering Airbnb and Holidays Let’s Bill for its first reading.
The Short-term and Holiday-Let Accommodation (Licensing) Bill, which is set to gain significant cross-party support, will give Local Authorities new powers to control the spread of Airbnbs and Holiday Lets across their communities.
Rachael’s Bill will enable local authorities to require all holiday properties to not just be registered, but licensed, and will allow Councils to deny licenses to ‘airbnbs’ in some areas, ensuring homes continue to be available for local families.
Last week in Parliament, Rachael spoke about the impact that this deregulated market is having on York, where nearly 2,000 local homes now being used as commercial holiday lets. As many as 1 in 4 homes are now holiday lets in parts of Cornwall and other English Tourism hotspots. In contrast, local guest houses and B&Bs in the city, have spoken to the MP to highlight the negative impact they are having on their businesses, which are highly regulated and pay tax.
This will bring English powers in-line with those in Scotland, Wales and London, where Local Authorities are already taking bold moves to limit the impact of Airbnbs and Holiday Lets on their communities.
Rachael Maskell MP said:
“The unregulated holiday let market is fuelling York’s housing crisis as local families try and get on the housing market, investors from London and the South East are hoovering up York’s housing stock to profit out of short city stays.”
“Without affordable homes, local people are exiting the city and it is having a significant impact on jobs and the local economy. Some residents in the private rented sector are being turfed out of their homes, so that they can be converted into holiday lets, generating excessive incomes for these property tycoons. I am constantly fighting for affordable and social housing for residents in York so that they have a secure home they can call their own.”
“In introducing legislation to end the exploitation of York’s housing supply, it will help cool the housing market and return more homes to families. It is wrong for an unregulated holiday market to take away the opportunity of local families to access housing, while profiteering from their loss. Family streets are also reporting their streets being turned into rowdy weekend nightmares, as once peaceful weekends have been replaced with noise into the night and anti-social behaviour. My bill will also give Local Authorities new powers to remove holiday-let permission on problem properties.”
“Communities in Scotland and Wales already have the powers to regulate holiday homes, and are taking bold moves to do this. Homes in York and other places are being hoovered up as holiday lets at a very quick and dramatic rate. It is essential that we legislate now before it is too late.
“As an MP for York, I seek to use every opportunity to further the calls from residents in addressing issues that they face and fight for change, and I certainly take all these opportunities in Westminster.”
About the Bill
The MP presented the Bill in Parliament today. The Bill is due to receive it’s Second Reading on Friday 9 December 2022.
The full title of the Bill:
Short-term and Holiday-Let Accommodation (Licensing) Bill
A Bill to give local authorities the power to require licences for the conversion of domestic properties into short-term and holiday-let accommodation; to give local authorities the power to issue fines and to remove such licences when safety, noise and nuisance conditions have not been met; to make provision about banning the licensing of such properties in defined geographical areas; to give local authorities the power to vary the rates of local taxes in relation to such properties; to give local authorities the power to restrict the number of days per year for which such properties can be let; and for connected purposes.