Asked by: Lord Bailey of Paddington (Conservative - Life peer)
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 introducing a two-week timeframe for companies and individuals that offer properties for short-term let to respond to enquiries from the local council.
Answered by Baroness Taylor of Stevenage - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
While short-term lets can benefit local economies, the government appreciates that excessive concentrations in some areas of the country can impact on the availability and affordability of homes to buy and rent, as well as having a detrimental impact on local services.
That is why we remain committed to introducing a national mandatory registration scheme for short-term lets, which will give local authorities access to valuable data to help address housing impacts and to protect the spirit of our communities. Public testing on the register is due to start in September. This means that we are on track to launch a full version of the scheme by next year. From April 2025, the furnished holiday lettings tax regime was abolished, eliminating the tax advantages that short-term let owners had over private rented sector landlords.
We are considering what additional powers we might give local authorities to enable them to respond to the pressures created by short-term lets.
Asked by: Caroline Dinenage (Conservative - Gosport)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, whether he plans to hold discussions with Cabinet colleagues on his proposed changes to energy performance certificates; and if he will make an assessment of the potential impact of (a) this policy and (b) his other energy policies on the viability of the short-term rental sector in (i) rural and (ii) coastal communities.
Answered by Miatta Fahnbulleh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
On the 4th December 2024, the Government published the consultation on Energy Performance Certificate Reform. Alongside the Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government, my Department is currently considering all the responses and the Government will publish a response in due course.
The Government is also consulting on increasing minimum energy efficiency standards in the domestic private rented sector, including whether short-term lets should be included in the scope of our changes. We encourage stakeholders to feed in their views and evidence on the potential impact of these proposals. Following the consultation process, a government response and full impact assessment will be published.
Asked by: Mike Amesbury (Independent - Runcorn and Helsby)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what her planned timeline is for the regulation of short-term lets.
Answered by Chris Bryant - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
Following public consultation in 2023, Parliament legislated for a registration scheme for short-term lets in the Levelling Up and Regeneration Act 2023. The Government is committed to delivering this scheme as soon as possible to support our thriving visitor economy while protecting local communities through improved oversight of the short-term lets sector. The Government has now concluded the initial development state of the registration scheme and expects to begin publicly testing the scheme in 12 months time.
Asked by: James MacCleary (Liberal Democrat - Lewes)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what steps she is taking to support people who let short-term furnished holiday properties.
Answered by Chris Bryant - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
We are introducing a registration scheme for short-term lets in England. Our aim is to reap the benefits of a thriving tourist economy whilst protecting the spirit and fabric of communities, including by giving local authorities valuable data on short-term lets in their area to help address housing impacts through the scheme.
The registration scheme will work to create a level playing field across the guest accommodations sector and ensure short-term lets are set to the same standards as more traditional accommodations such as hotels and B&Bs.
The scheme will support operators of short-term lets by boosting the reputation of England’s guest accommodation sector and attracting more visitors by giving visible assurance we have a high-quality, safe guest accommodation offer.
Asked by: Luke Evans (Conservative - Hinckley and Bosworth)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, whether she has had discussions with the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government on the potential impact of proposals for the regulation of short-term lets on the tourism industry.
Answered by Chris Bryant - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
Short-term lets are integral to our visitor economy and we know they bring a range of benefits to the UK on a national and local scale. We believe that communities in tourism hot spots need to be able to benefit from a thriving tourism sector, but they also must be able to access genuinely affordable housing to rent or buy in their local area. DCMS and MHCLG continue to discuss their respective policies to ensure a joined up approach that looks at the short-term lets sector as a whole. DCMS will be examining the impact of the registration scheme for short-term lets on the sector through an impact assessment and will update in due course.
Asked by: Neil Duncan-Jordan (Labour - Poole)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, if she will take steps to introduce a national register of short-term rented properties to help ensure that those properties are compliant with relevant safety legislation.
Answered by Chris Bryant - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
Short-term lets are an important part of the UK’s visitor accommodation offer and the government recognises the benefits to the visitor economy.
Parliament legislated for a registration scheme for short-term lets in the Levelling Up and Regeneration Act 2023. This government is exploring the introduction of such a scheme, as a statutory requirement. This will promote a level playing field in the guest accommodation sector across England, particularly in the application of existing health & safety regulations.
Asked by: Mark Menzies (Independent - Fylde)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, if she will make an assessment of the potential impact of differences in the (a) licensing and (b) regulation of (i) short-term holiday lets and (ii) other providers of accommodation on (A) hotels, (B) bed and breakfasts and (C) other accommodation providers.
Answered by Julia Lopez - Shadow Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology
On 19 February 2024, the government announced a mandatory national registration scheme for short-term lets.
The scheme aims to preserve the benefits of short-term lets, as well as tackling the challenges they present in a proportionate way. The evidence collected through the call for evidence in 2022 and public consultation held in 2023 suggests that a form of registration rather than a licensing model is the optimum form of regulation in this sector in England.
Our aim is to make the scheme as light touch, low cost and simple as possible. The registration scheme is focussed on short-term lets, and therefore the register will not affect hotels, hostels or B&Bs. We will be examining the impact of the scheme on the sector through an impact assessment. Further details of the register will be set out in the government’s response to the consultation.
Asked by: Lord Taylor of Warwick (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Budget statement announced by the Chancellor of the Exchequer on 6 March, what assessment they have made of the long-term implications of abolishing tax relief for holiday lets and ending multiple dwelling relief from stamp duty land tax on the housing market and local economies.
Answered by Baroness Vere of Norbiton
By abolishing the Furnished Holiday Lettings tax regime, the government will remove the current incentive for landlords to offer short‑term holiday lets rather than longer-term homes. This will level the playing field between short-term holiday lets and long-term lets and support people to live in their local area.
An external evaluation exploring the use of Multiple Dwellings Relief showed no strong evidence the relief is meeting its original objectives of supporting investment in the private rented sector.
Asked by: Rosie Duffield (Independent - Canterbury)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, whether he has made an assessment of the potential impact of provisions in the Renters (Reform) Bill on the ability of students to acquire short-term lets for the purposes of their education.
Answered by Jacob Young
Since introducing the Renters (Reform) Bill, we have heard from across the sector that the Bill would interrupt the student housing market, potentially reducing a vital supply of properties. We have listened to these concerns and recognise that further changes are needed.
We have amended the Bill to include a new ground for possession which will allow landlords of HMOs to seek possession ahead of each new academic year, facilitating the yearly cycle of short-term student tenancies. This will mean students can sign up to a property in advance, safe in the knowledge they will have somewhere to live while studying.
Asked by: Robert Buckland (Conservative - South Swindon)
Question
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, with reference to her Department's consultation entitled Developing a tourist accommodation registration scheme in England, published on 29 June 2022, what assessment she has made of the potential implications for her polices of the Visitor register scheme used in the Netherlands.
Answered by Julia Lopez - Shadow Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology
A call for evidence on developing a tourist accommodation registration scheme in England was held between June and September 2022, and received almost 4,000 responses. Respondents were asked, amongst other questions, to provide insights or evidence on the impact of schemes or approaches that are already in place elsewhere in the world.
The findings of the call for evidence have indicated that there is a case for light-touch regulation of the sector, and therefore the Government is introducing a registration scheme for short-term lets through the Levelling Up and Regeneration Bill. The exact details of how the scheme will operate will be explored through a public consultation which will be published shortly. Where appropriate, schemes that have already been implemented in other countries such as in the Netherlands may be considered as we develop the details of how the scheme in England will be designed.