Pivotal changes to planning rules have been announced today, intending to provide local residents with robust protections against the impact of excessive short-term property lets.

These adjustments necessitate planning permission for future short-term lets and introduce a compulsory national register, enhancing accommodation safety and providing crucial information to local authorities.

The primary objective of these measures is to empower communities in influencing the growth of short-term lets. Homeowners retain the ability to rent out their primary residences for up to 90 nights annually without requiring planning permission.

The aim is to support local residents in areas where an abundance of short-term lets has made it challenging to find affordable housing for purchase or rent, mitigating concerns about the "hollowing out" of communities and addressing issues such as anti-social behavior.

Secretary of State for Levelling Up Housing and Communities, Michael Gove, emphasized the government's delicate balance between supporting the UK's tourism economy and ensuring local housing availability: "Short-term lets can play an important role in the UK’s flourishing tourism economy… But in some areas, too many local families and young people feel they are being shut out of the housing market… So the Government is taking action… That means delivering more of the right homes in the right places, and giving communities the power to decide.”

Tourism Minister Julia Lopez underscored the government’s commitment to maintaining equilibrium: “Short-term lets provide flexibility for homeowners and give tourists more accommodation options than ever before, but this should not prevent local people from being able to buy or rent homes in their area.”

Amanda Cupples, General Manager for Northern Europe at Airbnb, expressed support for the initiative: “The introduction of a short-term lets register is good news for everyone… 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.”

The proposed planning changes, scheduled to commence this summer, involve creating a new planning 'use class' for short-term lets not used as a sole or main home. This approach is part of the Government’s broader housing strategy, including the delivery of one million homes this Parliament, supported by a £10bn investment.