Changes to planning law designed to curb "excessive" numbers of short-term lets put up for holiday accommodation have been put forward by ministers.
Under the proposals, councils will be given greater powers to control short-term lets by making them subject to the planning process.
A new mandatory national register, meanwhile, will provide local authorities a better overview of the short-term lets in their area to better understand their community impact.
The government, though, said it recognised short-term lets are now "a significant part of the UK’s visitor economy" providing "increased choice and flexibility" for tourists and business travellers.
In recognition of this, homeowners will still be able to let their main or sole home for up to 90 nights a year without planning permission under a new "use class".
Setting out the proposals on Monday (19 February), which span the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities and the Department for Culture, Media and Sport, the government said it was “considering how to apply the register so it does not apply disproportionate regulation for example on property owners that let out their home infrequently”.
Amanda Cupples, Airbnb general manager northern Europe, said the introduction of a short-term letting register was "good news for everyone".
"Families who host on Airbnb will benefit from clear rules that support their activity, and local authorities will get access to the information they need to assess and manage housing impacts and keep communities healthy, where necessary," said Cupples.
"We have long led calls for the introduction of a host register and we look forward to working together to make it a success."
‘Important role’
Existing short-term lets will be automatically reclassified into the new use class and will not require a planning application. The legislation does not apply to hotels, hostels or B&Bs.
The government also plans to associated permitted development rights allowing property owners to switch dwellings from residential to short-term let and vice versa more easily, albeit with provision for local authorities to interview and require full planning permission where they deem it necessary.
Michael Gove, secretary of state for levelling up housing and communities, said that while short-term lets played "an important role in the UK’s flourishing tourism economy", they were – in some areas – shutting families and young people out of the housing market, denying them the opportunity to rent or buy in their own community.
