MPs to debate Airbnb and other short lets controls

The House of Commons will today debate a proposal for local authorities to have specific controls over the proliferation of Airbnbs and other short let properties.

Rachael Maskell, Labour MP for York, is introducing a Bill into the Commons calling for the Scottish licensing model to be extended across England, enabling local authorities to set up control zones to limit the expansion of holiday lets where housing is under pressure.

The measure would also give councils new powers to close down short lets that are causing a repeated nuisance to local residents, and returning these homes to mainstream residential use.

Maskell says her initiatives - which differs from that suggested by the government earlier this week - is backed by numerous other MPs who want to protect rural, coastal and urban communities with a common concern about ”villages hollowed out by holiday let investors and second home-owners, and urban streets that are now party streets.”.......