Plans to license Airbnb style rentals outlined

Ministers expect the licensing scheme to be rolled out in 2028-29 if the Senedd backs it

Providers of self-catering holiday accommodation in Wales will need to obtain a licence under new plans published by the Welsh government.

To secure a licence providers would need to ensure their accommodation met certain safety standards, including having smoke and carbon monoxide detectors.

The new rules would apply to those who let spaces on websites such as Airbnb, Booking.com and VRBO.

Providers could be fined for non-compliance.

According to Finance Secretary Mark Drakeford, the Development of Tourism Regulation of Visitor Accommodation (Wales) Bill aims to ensure that accommodation providers "are meeting the standards we and visitors would expect, in the same way as a more traditional visitor accommodation business".

Brought forward as part of the cooperation agreement that the Labour Welsh government previously had in place with Plaid Cymru, the draft legislation is also meant to help address challenges linked to high concentrations of second homes in certain areas.

It comes after the Senedd passed a separate law in July which will require accommodation providers to join a register and allow local authorities to tax visitors.

The Welsh government is "taking the opportunity to create a code of Welsh law relating to tourism", Drakeford said.

According to Welsh government figures, self-catering accommodation establishments - including cottages, houses, flats and chalets - accounted for 73% of the total accommodation establishments in Wales in June 2022.

Meanwhile, in May 2022 there were 21,718 Welsh properties listed on Airbnb alone, according to the Bevan Foundation.

In order to obtain a license providers of self-catering accommodation would need to show they have gas certificates, electrical condition reports, insurance, a fire risk assessment and that smoke and carbon monoxide alarms are in place.

A licence would need to be renewed every year.

Responding to the plans in the Senedd on Wednesday the Welsh Conservatives' economy spokesman Sam Kurtz said he "cautiously welcomed" the bill.

However, he urged the government to consider how similar models elsewhere have affected the tourism sector and warned that "if regulation becomes overbearing then we risk hollowing out the very communities we are trying to protect".

Plaid Cymru's Sian Gwenllian said: "This bill will help to ensure that visitors in short-term accommodation will be safe during their stay and in knowing that accommodation they choose to stay in is licensed, they will know that electricity and gas checks are regularly done and that the appropriate insurances are in place and that fire safety has been taken into account."

If the plans are given the go-ahead by the Senedd, the Welsh government expects the licensing scheme to be rolled out in 2028-29.