Commons Sense

House of Commons · Ministers' Questions

Short-term Holiday Lets: Licensing

Thursday 7 July 2022 · 4 questions

Summarised by AI from the official record, so it can contain mistakes.

Read the full transcript on Parliament.uk

At a glance

Answered 0 Partly answered 3 Not answered 0

Key points

  • Rachael Maskell raised concerns about short-term holiday lets affecting housing and tourism in York.
  • The government announced a review of short-term holiday lets to address issues in tourism-affected areas.
  • Michael Fabricant noted that short-term holiday lets generate income for local businesses and the economy.

Topics (select to filter)

Questions & Answers

Q1 Rachael Maskell Labour (Co-op) York Central
Housing Community Security
Context

The question concerns the impact of short-term rental platforms such as Airbnb on local housing markets and tourism sectors in York, where nearly 2,000 units are listed.

Question

Short-term holiday lets and Airbnb are blighting my city: we have nearly 2,000. That is undermining the regulated bed and breakfast and guesthouse sector. It is taking away houses from people in my city who are desperate to get homes, but it is causing antisocial behaviour and party houses on residential streets. Will the Minister ensure that the Government introduce a licensing system as opposed to a registration scheme, and also enable local authorities to create areas where there are no Airbnbs? Will the Minister meet me to discuss the crisis we are currently facing?

Answer from Nigel Huddleston

I am always delighted to meet the hon. Lady. She raises some important points, articulating precisely the need for the review, which we have brought in because we are very aware of some of the issues she raised. Some of the individual entities—Airbnb and so on—are already taking action on antisocial behaviour and the number of people who can be at parties. We expect, and require them actually, to continue to be responsible for and responsive to their customers and, indeed, local communities. We have not pre-empted the conclusions of the review, so I ask her to please contribute to that review.

Partly answered

Not addressed: Did not commit to licensing system or allowing local bans, instead invited input into ongoing review

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Q2 Rachael Maskell Labour (Co-op) York Central
Housing
Context

The question concerns the impact of short-term rental platforms such as Airbnb on local housing markets and tourism sectors in York, where nearly 2,000 units are listed.

Question

Short-term holiday lets and Airbnb are blighting my city: we have nearly 2,000. That is undermining the regulated bed and breakfast and guesthouse sector. It is taking away houses from people in my city who are desperate to get homes, but it is causing antisocial behaviour and party houses on residential streets. Will the Minister ensure that the Government introduce a licensing system as opposed to a registration scheme, and also enable local authorities to create areas where there are no Airbnbs? Will the Minister meet me to discuss the crisis we are currently facing?

Answer from Nigel Huddleston

The hon. Lady will be aware that, just last week, we announced a review of this very area. It is vitally important, particularly in tourism-affected areas of the country, and I know that her city, which I have had the pleasure of visiting, is one of them.

Partly answered

Not addressed: Did not commit to licensing system or allowing local bans, instead referenced ongoing review

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Q3 Michael Fabricant Con
Economy
Context

The question addresses the economic benefits of short-term rental platforms such as Airbnb in generating income for local businesses.

Question

The hon. Member for York Central (Rachael Maskell) is absolutely right to identify the issue that she has in York and in other parts of the country, but will my hon. Friend also bear in mind that these lets generate income for the area too, and many restaurants and other places would probably go out of business were it not for some of these lets?

Answer from Nigel Huddleston

My hon. Friend is making an important point, and that is why this is a call for evidence. It is about information; we have not come to conclusions or, indeed, decisions about potential legislation. There is a balance to be had here. Many people rent out a spare room, and in particular in these straitened times, it is very important that they can get additional revenue where they can.

Partly answered

Not addressed: Did not commit to considering economic benefits specifically, instead referenced ongoing review

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Q4 Kevin Brennan Lab
Parliamentary Procedure
Context

The question is a humorous one referencing the Prime Minister's temporary stay in the UK's official prime ministerial residence.

Question

With the announcement, just now, that the Prime Minister has resigned as the leader of the Conservative party, will his temporary occupation of No. 10 Downing Street over the summer qualify as a short-term holiday let?

Answer from Nigel Huddleston

I am sure the hon. Gentleman is enjoying himself, but that is nonsense. I think the important thing to make very clear, as people can see today, is that government continues.

Not addressed: Did not address whether Prime Minister's stay qualifies as a short-term holiday let

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