Currently in England planning permission is not required to use an existing residential dwelling as a holiday let or short-term Airbnb-style rental. However the government is preparing to introduce new legislation that would allow local authorities to control the use of residential dwellings as short-term lets.
This is part of the government Levelling Up and Regeneration Bill (LURB) which would allow for planning restrictions to be placed on transforming homes into short-term lets. The government has just closed the consultation period on the introduction of a new use class for short-term lets which would be known as Class C5. With this new class local authorities would have the power to remove the permitted development right and planning consent would need to be obtained before changing the use of a property from Class C3 (residential) to Class C5 (short-term let or holiday let).
The proposal defines such property lets as the use of a dwelling house, that is not a sole or main residence, for temporary sleeping accommodation for the purpose of holiday, leisure, recreation, business, or other travel. This means that the letting out of rooms within a ‘sole or main’ dwelling house would not be affected by the introduction of the new class. There may also be additional flexibility to allow C3 dwelling houses to be let out for a number of nights a year, i.e. if an owner goes on holiday.
However to successfully enforce these new planning controls, all such rental properties would have to be registered on a central register within the local authority. The SafeUKation platform could provide such a service to local authorities and we are already in discussion with appropriate parties ahead of any new legislation. To also stay ahead of the curve landlords should contact SafeUKation to see what additional benefits they could provide to promote their rental business and protect their property portfolio, www.safeukation.com.
For further information see the government consultation on a registration scheme for short-term lets in England.
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