Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the merits of sharing HMRC data with local authorities to facilitate the identification of unregistered short-term lets.

The Government is taking action to manage the impact of short-term lets on local areas. This includes making fair and progressive changes to the tax system, by abolishing the furnished holiday lets tax regime and increasing the higher rates of Stamp Duty Land Tax on additional dwellings from three percentage points above standard rates to five percentage points above standard rates. In addition, we are empowering Mayors to introduce a visitor levy on short-term overnight accommodation in their region. We are considering what additional powers we might give local authorities to enable them to respond to the pressures created by short-term lets.

The government expects landlords to take active steps to tackle fraud and ensure social housing is used fairly – this may include taking legal action.

Further, the government has commissioned a review exploring how effectively social housing providers manage their stock, including tackling issues such as fraud. Findings will be published later this year.