Airbnb hosts will need planning permission under government plans

Airbnb-style short-term lets will soon require planning permission to operate, the government has announced.

Under new legislation due to come into force from this summer, councils will be given greater powers to control short-term lets through the introduction of a mandatory national register of holiday homes.

Short-term lets will be subject to increased safety checks and a new planning use class will be applied to properties that are not used as a sole or main home.

Councils will also be able to remove planning permissions for short-term lets where necessary.

An associated scheme allowing a site to be changed from a short-term let to standard residential accommodation and vice versa is also due to be launched.

The government said the proposed changes formed part of its plan to prevent a "hollowing out" of communities and to address concerns over anti-social behaviour.

Homeowners will still be able to let out their main or sole home for up to 90 nights a year without planning permission.

Existing short-term lets will not require a separate planning application and will instead be reclassified into the new use class.

Airbnb said it welcomed the new regulations and the register was "good news for everyone".

Amanda Cupples, general manager for northern Europe, Airbnb, said: "Families who host on Airbnb will benefit from clear rules that support their activity, and local authorities will get access to the information they need to assess and manage housing impacts and keep communities healthy, where necessary.

"We have long led calls for the introduction of a host register and we look forward to working together to make it a success."

The hospitality industry has long campaigned for reforms to short-term lets to ensure greater parity with government requirements for hotels.

In December, the All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) for Hospitality and Tourism published a report that stressed it was "essential" for short-term lets to be held to the same standards as the wider accommodation sector.

Edinburgh introduced tighter restrictions on short-term lets in September 2022, which required hosts to show proof of planning permission in order to operate.

The government held consultations over the issue of short-term lets last year and will set out further details of the proposals in its response ahead of the summer.