'Airbnb bill' aimed at second home owners

A bill proposing a law change aimed at second home owners looking to "dodge council tax" has been presented to parliament by a North Cornwall MP.

Dubbed the "Airbnb Bill", it proposes homeowners be required to seek planning permission before short-term letting their property.

Liberal Democrat MP Ben Maguire said it would "close a loophole" which allowed property owners to avoid council tax by reclassifying their second homes as business lets.

John Brown, CEO of Cornwall Chamber of Commerce, said the bill "was not a silver bullet, but a start".

Mr Brown added: "It must sit alongside tougher regulation and a robust registration system for short-term lets.

"If it deters those looking to extract profit from Cornwall without putting anything back — good.

"If it helps restore housing stock for local people, even better.

"And if it ensures our hospitality and tourism sectors can find workers with secure housing, then it's a win for all of Cornwall.".

Describing a "surplus" of Airbnb homes, he said there were 14,000 second homes in the county, while 22,000 people were on the housing waiting list.

The bill follows a campaign led by Mr Maguire, who put the proposal directly to the Housing Minister in order to "deliver deep change for North Cornwall".

He added: "The bill is about restoring fairness in our system and giving local people a better chance at owning their own home," he added.

In January 2023, Cornwall Council approved plans for owners of second homes in the county to be charged double council tax.

In September 2024, Airbnb called for Cornwall Council to be given more data, powers and tools to regulate short-term rentals.

The US online rental platform said previously it had written to local MPs and councillors across Cornwall to inform them of its for new rules being implemented in the county.

Airbnb also said it ed the introduction of a registration scheme for people who wanted to let their homes to tourists.

In response to the bill, Carl Thomson, public policy manager for Airbnb in the UK, said: "Calls to impose restrictions, red tape, and fees only protect hotel chains' profits at the expense of local families.

"The vast majority of hosts on Airbnb are everyday people renting their place casually to make a little extra money."

He said a "typical host" in Cornwall shared just one home for fewer than three nights a month, while Airbnb travel boosted the Cornish economy and provided jobs to 3,500 people in the area.

A Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government spokesperson said it would fix the "inherited" housing crisis through its Plan for Change.

They said it recognised the "excessive concentrations" of second homes and short-term lets could "price out local people and damage public services".

It had scrapped the furnished holiday lets tax regime, it said, and councils now had powers to increase council tax bills of second homes, while it was "committed" to introducing a national mandatory registration scheme for short-term lets.

Before a short-term let can be assessed for business rates it must first have been available for short-term letting for at least 140 days in the previous year, and actually let for at least 70 days in the previous year.

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