PM 'determined' to tackle holiday lets issue

Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer said the government was "ploughing ahead" with the rollout of a mandatory national registration scheme for short-term and holiday lets

Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has confirmed the government will introduce controls on short-term holiday lets, widely blamed for exacerbating the housing crisis in places like the South West.

Plans for a mandatory national register for short-term lets - inherited from the last government - are under way, but ministers had not yet confirmed a pre-election pledge to introduce further restrictions.

During a visit to Plymouth as leader of the opposition in 2023, Sir Keir said a licensing system for holiday lets "should be in operation as quickly as possible".

The government previously said the registration scheme would help councils to understand the effect of short-term lets on communities.

'Stage-by-stage'

Asked whether he would commit to introducing further controls, which could allow councils to control the number of holiday and short-term lets in an area, Sir Keir said his government would continue "working with others" to make sure it got to "the underlying issue".

Sir Keir said: "We're going stage-by-stage, so this is basically stage one, we'll then carefully review what stage two should look like, but in terms of the sort of underlying concern, or issue, I completely understand that and I'm determined that we'll get to grips with it, working with others to make sure that we get it right."

The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government previously said it understood the "frustration" of communities where large numbers of properties were used as second homes and holiday lets.

"That's why, to protect communities we are giving councils powers to charge a council tax premium on second homes," a spokesman said.

"We are also introducing a registration scheme for short-term lets and removing tax incentives for landlords."

Licensing for holiday lets is already in force in Scotland.