MP puts forward law to stop Airbnb ‘exploiting York’s housing supply’

A York MP has introduced a bill to licence short-term and holiday-let accommodation in a bid to stop visitors to the city turning “wonderful little communities into nightmares.”

Rachael Maskell said she is being contacted by constituents who no longer feel safe in their homes due to an increasing number of Airbnbs, with many becoming “party houses” hired by stag and hen groups.

Ms Maskell said there were around 2,000 Airbnbs in her constituency and that they were becoming increasingly common in the outskirts of the city and in the more rural villages.

As YorkMix reported previously, the York Central MP has been contacted by constituents whose quiet family streets have been blighted by AirBnB ‘party houses’.

A private members’ bill introduced by Ms Maskell this week would see a licence required to turn domestic properties into short-term and holiday-let accommodation, give local authorities the power to issue fines and to remove licences, and seek to introduce bans on such properties in certain areas.

Ms Maskell pointed to European cities such as Nice and Lisbon which have had success in introducing licensing schemes. Scotland is also seeking to introduce similar measures.

She added that the plans for a simple registration scheme being considered by the government did not go far enough.

“In introducing legislation to end the exploitation of York’s housing supply, it will help cool the housing market and return more homes to families,” the Labour MP said.

“It is wrong for an unregulated holiday market to take away the opportunity of local families to access housing, while profiteering from their loss. 

“Family streets are also reporting their streets being turned into rowdy weekend nightmares, as once peaceful weekends have been replaced with noise into the night and anti-social behaviour. 

“My bill will also give Local Authorities new powers to remove holiday-let permission on problem properties.”

The next stage for the bill, its second reading, is scheduled to take place in December.