Oxford calls for powers to tackle short-term lets

Oxford City Council has called on the government to follow Scotland’s lead and let local authorities to crack down on short-term lets through websites like Airbnb.

The Scottish Government is planning to introduce new laws that will enable councils to regulate short-term lets, to ensure properties are safe and do not negatively impact on the local neighbourhood.

But there are no such regulations in England, meaning councils have few powers to tackle the issue.

In Oxford, the use of websites to rent out entire properties for most, or all, of the year has resulted in a loss of valuable family homes and, in extreme cases, properties being used for illegal or anti-social purposes.

Some short-term lets in the city have been used as brothels or for regular loud parties.

Currently, national planning laws in England require landlords to apply for planning permission only when there is a ‘material change’ in the use of the property.

But the phrase ‘material change’ is ill-defined in the law. This means many landlords convert their homes into short-term lets without seeking planning permission, meaning local authorities and neighbours are not given a notification about, or a say on, the conversion.

And there is no automatic notification that a property has been converted into a short-term let, local authorities are reliant on members of the public making complaints.

The Scottish Government’s proposals would require all short-term let landlords to receive a licence before they are allowed to operate a short-term let. The licence would require the landlord to meet minimum safety standards with their property or properties.

Under the plans, local councils would also be able to set their own conditions on the licence to address local needs or concerns, such as restricting noise levels at night or littering.

The issue of short-term lets has been particularly acute in Edinburgh.

In July, Edinburgh City Council called on the local short-term lets to help it tackle homelessness in the city long-term.

‘We welcome the proposals in Scotland, which come after cities like Edinburgh suffered exactly the same issues that Oxford has,’ said cabinet member for planning and housing delivery, Cllr Alex Hollingsworth.

‘Short-term lets have a place in a tourist city like ours, but making sure that they get planning permission and a licence will mean that the council can prevent the loss of too many family homes, and protect neighbours when there’s a problem.

‘This is exactly what English cities need, and we hope that the UK government will learn from what is proposed in Scotland.’

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