Popular destinations will struggle without better regulation of short term lets

Local authorities and city governments must have more power to regulate short term rentals, if popular UK and European travel destinations are to cope with the expected rise in demand for holiday accommodation, finds a new report by UCL researchers. The authors argue that without stronger regulation and cooperation from digital letting platforms, cities, rural and coastal areas face possible shortages in housing stock as more properties are let out to holiday makers and so-called digital nomads, who work remotely and can afford to temporarily relocate. In launching the new report, published by the Property Research Trust , lead author Professor Claire Colomb (UCL Bartlett School of Planning) called for councils to have more regulatory powers. "Local governments need to find a middle ground between maintaining their cities' attractiveness to visitors while tackling housing inequalities, protecting long-term residential uses and quality of life," she said. "City councils and governments need tools to regulate short-term lets and enforce regulations in an effective way. This requires appropriate national legislation and the full collaboration of digital platforms." For the report, experts from UCL and Oxford Brookes University examined 12 large European cities, finding that many struggled to cope with the rise in demand for short-term accommodation before the pandemic. The short term rental (STR) market had boomed in the years prior to the first lockdown, with properties let through digital platforms such as Homeaway and Airbnb.