Brighton & Hove Council could push for an earlier crackdown on short lets rented via platorms such as Airbnb in the city rather than waiting for government restrictions.
The authority’s Short Term Lets Task & Finish Group believes that in the absence of regulation, it should try to influence the government’s thinking while national plans are still in development.
It recommends that councillors lobby government on issues including licensing and registration schemes. “It is also because it may be some time before legislation or a national STL (short term let) registration scheme is in place, and there are local measures that could be introduced in the interim,” adds the report.
It wants a new planning use class for short-term lets with no permitted development rights and a licensing scheme with conditions on operators to provide evidence that their property meets health and safety standards, is registered correctly as a business with the right arrangements in place regarding waste management, tax and business rates, parking and insurance - and to have good financial penalties.
The group believes any licensing or registration scheme should allow data sharing and says additional resources for planning enforcement investigations should be available.
The report urges the council to consider and investigate adding a clause in leases for new builds and conversions that they cannot be used as full time short-term lets and to investigate introducing zones in the city where STL development would be permitted or restricted.
It adds that there are also measures Brighton & Hove could take locally which government plans are unlikely to cover, such as ensuring that operators get information and advice to follow best practice around registering for business rates and applying for the correct insurance.
The council's cabinet meets later this month to make a decision on the report.
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