Mayor of London Sadiq Khan has again called for a mandatory registration system for anyone wishing to rent out a property for short-term let to register with local authorities.
Current rules allow short-term letting for 90-days per year. The rule is proving hard to enforce without suitable data.
Khan said: “Short-term lets play an important role in London’s tourism industry but that mustn’t come at the expense of Londoners who need a place to live.
“We need transparency about how many properties are being rented out for longer than the rules permit and accountability to local authorities and residents.
“This is why I’m calling on the Government to work with me and borough councils to design a licensing system to bring some order to this rapidly growing sector and prevent us losing yet more homes for Londoners to the short-term let sector.”
UKHospitality Chief Executive Kate Nicholls said: “The Mayor is absolutely right to raise the issue of short-term lets in the capital. Whether it’s a lack of visibility preventing checks of basic standards of safety and accessibility or the impact it has on housing stocks, it’s clear that action is needed.
“We’ve backed the Government’s proposals for a registration scheme to tackle the issue in England and we agree with the Mayor that the data captured needs to be shared between both national and local authorities to drive good decision-making.
“A well-functioning scheme to bring short-term lets up to standard would be hugely significant and I hope that the Government can work with Mayors and local authorities across the country to make it a success.”