Under the proposals will end the necessity to apply for planning permission currently required to let out a residential property for a period of less than 90 days in London.
However, Westminster City Council says it is extremely concerned about these proposals, which are a piece of red tape cutting which might be helpful to people who want to rent out their property elsewhere, but which take no account of central London's circumstances.
The rental sector in central London is constantly under pressure because tenants unable to afford to buy in the capital, rent over long periods and like the stability and financial security that a long term rental property provides.
According to Martin Bikhit, managing director of estate agents Kay & Co whose rental department acts on behalf of a large number of private landlords, believes the change will cause a severe lack of longer term permanent residential accommodation.
‘The number of people prepared to pay very high rents for short term lets will tend to push out would be long term tenants and owner occupiers. Permitting short term rents, will effectively blight properties, turning blocks into badly managed hotels and resulting in long term residents having to put up with unsocial noise, lack of security and loss of neighbourliness, not to mention potential issues with prostitutes and housing benefit fraudsters, and an increase in unauthorised rubbish dumping,’ he said.
Opponents cite a case in Barcelona, Spain where Airbnb was fined €30,000 for transgressing the short lets laws in Barcelona where concerns are being expressed that the city is being taken over by tourists.
According to Westminster City councillor Heather Acton the case highlights why deregulation would be a disaster for central London. ‘The property industry is right to be worried. The relaxation of laws around short term lets will cause major issues and disruption for Londoners. We are taking this issue seriously and are seeking assurances from the Department for Communities and Local Government that they are too,’ she said.
The council has recently written to the secretary of state stating its case for planning control to be retained locally. ‘The major impacts of short term letting will be felt in central London’s apartment blocks, flats, and estates,’ explained Acton.
‘It will cause issues for people living in Westminster who will have to suffer everything from refuse waste in corridors to thumping music all night. Westminster's flats and houses should be for residents and not be drawing holiday makers away from our hotels and hostels,’ she added.
