Government to step up plan to crackdown on short-term lets

Government to step up plan to crackdown on short-term lets

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The new Labour government is pressing ahead with plans to clampdown on short-lets across England.

The government wants to restrict short-let supply by granting local authorities greater powers to introduce planning consent for landlords where deemed necessary. A new mandatory national register for short-term lets has also been proposed.

A ministry source told The Telegraph that the registration scheme will be introduced “as quickly as possible”.

In Wales, councils already have a similar register – known as an “Article 4 Direction” – but the policy extends to second home ownership as well as holiday lets. Northern Ireland has long had a registration scheme in place.

The short-term let rules were initially promised by former Conservative housing secretary Michael Gove in December 2022, as part of a package of measures designed to reassure Tory backbenchers in uproar over his planning changes.

Some analysts have warned against a new registration scheme for short-term let controls – a move they say has so far backfired in Edinburgh.

Andy Fenner, the chief executive of the Short Term Accommodation Association (STAA), warned that a locally run scheme could be a “mess”.

“We are very concerned that the registration scheme is not going to be national. We’re concerned that it is going to be introduced either by county, region or council,” he said. “We are worried that it [a registration scheme] is one step away from some poorly done licensing scheme, which is not what we want.”

Sophie Lang, of ARLA Propertymark, said: “Similar measures elsewhere have led to operational issues for landlords regarding the short term lets market, which in turn driven up prices and damaged tourism in some areas that depend on it.

“It’s vital to have a fair balance that encourages landlords back into the long-term rental market while still supporting local economies that rely on tourism.”

A ministry of housing spokesman commented: “We are introducing a short-term lets registration scheme to help give councils greater oversight and control of housing in their areas.”

 





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