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Written Question
Holiday Accommodation and Multiple Occupation: Tax Allowances
Thursday 21st March 2024

Asked by: Lord Taylor of Warwick (Non-affiliated - Life peer)

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Budget statement announced by the Chancellor of the Exchequer on 6 March, what assessment they have made of the long-term implications of abolishing tax relief for holiday lets and ending multiple dwelling relief from stamp duty land tax on the housing market and local economies.

Answered by Baroness Vere of Norbiton - Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)

By abolishing the Furnished Holiday Lettings tax regime, the government will remove the current incentive for landlords to offer short‑term holiday lets rather than longer-term homes. This will level the playing field between short-term holiday lets and long-term lets and support people to live in their local area.

An external evaluation exploring the use of Multiple Dwellings Relief showed no strong evidence the relief is meeting its original objectives of supporting investment in the private rented sector.


Written Question
Holiday Accommodation: Students
Wednesday 29th November 2023

Asked by: Rosie Duffield (Labour - Canterbury)

Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:

To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, whether he has made an assessment of the potential impact of provisions in the Renters (Reform) Bill on the ability of students to acquire short-term lets for the purposes of their education.

Answered by Jacob Young - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities)

Since introducing the Renters (Reform) Bill, we have heard from across the sector that the Bill would interrupt the student housing market, potentially reducing a vital supply of properties. We have listened to these concerns and recognise that further changes are needed.

We have amended the Bill to include a new ground for possession which will allow landlords of HMOs to seek possession ahead of each new academic year, facilitating the yearly cycle of short-term student tenancies. This will mean students can sign up to a property in advance, safe in the knowledge they will have somewhere to live while studying.


Written Question
Holiday Accommodation: Registration
Wednesday 1st March 2023

Asked by: Robert Buckland (Conservative - South Swindon)

Question

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, with reference to her Department's consultation entitled Developing a tourist accommodation registration scheme in England, published on 29 June 2022, what assessment she has made of the potential implications for her polices of the Visitor register scheme used in the Netherlands.

Answered by Julia Lopez - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)

A call for evidence on developing a tourist accommodation registration scheme in England was held between June and September 2022, and received almost 4,000 responses. Respondents were asked, amongst other questions, to provide insights or evidence on the impact of schemes or approaches that are already in place elsewhere in the world.

The findings of the call for evidence have indicated that there is a case for light-touch regulation of the sector, and therefore the Government is introducing a registration scheme for short-term lets through the Levelling Up and Regeneration Bill. The exact details of how the scheme will operate will be explored through a public consultation which will be published shortly. Where appropriate, schemes that have already been implemented in other countries such as in the Netherlands may be considered as we develop the details of how the scheme in England will be designed.


Written Question
Holiday Accommodation
Monday 16th January 2023

Asked by: Rachael Maskell (Labour (Co-op) - York Central)

Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, whether her Department's proposals for a new registration scheme for short term holiday lets will include a requirement for minimum (a) environmental and (b) safety standards equivalent to those found in the private rented sector.

Answered by Stuart Andrew - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)

The Government is aware that there are concerns about the inconsistent application of regulations and standards across the guest accommodation sector, including short term holiday lets. The details of how a registration scheme for short-term holiday lets will operate will be explored through a public consultation, to be published before the summer recess.


Written Question
Holiday Accommodation: Licensing
Tuesday 20th December 2022

Asked by: Rachael Maskell (Labour (Co-op) - York Central)

Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, if she will commission a pilot short term holiday let licensing scheme.

Answered by Stuart Andrew - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)

The Government supports the sharing economy and the benefits it can bring. However, it is also aware of concerns about the uneven regulatory requirements in the guest accommodation sector, and possible negative impacts on some local communities compared to other types of accommodation.

Between June and September of this year, DCMS held a Call for Evidence on the benefits and challenges presented by the rise of short-term and holiday letting in England over the last 10 to 15 years. We received almost 4,000 responses, with initial findings indicating that there is a case for light-touch regulation in the sector.

The Government is therefore introducing a registration scheme for short-term lets through the Levelling Up and Regeneration Bill. Further details on how the scheme will operate will be explored through a public consultation which we anticipate will be published before the summer recess in 2023, and we will subsequently set out how we will be introducing the registration scheme.


Written Question
Holiday Accommodation: Multiple Occupation
Tuesday 13th December 2022

Asked by: Luke Pollard (Labour (Co-op) - Plymouth, Sutton and Devonport)

Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:

To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what assessment his Department has made of whether landlords are using online platforms such as Airbnb to bypass Homes of Multiple Occupancy regulated standards.

Answered by Felicity Buchan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities)

A property is a House in Multiple Occupation (HMO) if it meets the definitions set out in the Housing Act 2004. Landlords of these properties cannot bypass HMO management regulations and, if applicable HMO licensing, by letting them through short term lettings platforms.

We are aware, however, that the proliferation of short-term lets has prompted concerns. The government's Call for Evidence to gather more information on the sector to inform the development of policy options was held between June and September of this year, and received almost 4,000 responses. We are therefore introducing a registration scheme for short-term lets through the Levelling Up and Regeneration Bill.


Written Question
Holiday Accommodation: Licensing
Friday 25th November 2022

Asked by: Rachael Maskell (Labour (Co-op) - York Central)

Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, if she will bring forward legislation to provide for licensing of short term holiday lets in the present Parliament.

Answered by Stuart Andrew - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)

The Government supports the sharing economy and the benefits it can bring. However, it is also aware of concerns about the uneven regulatory requirements in the guest accommodation sector, and possible negative impacts on some local communities compared to other types of accommodation.

In June, DCMS issued a Call for Evidence on the benefits and challenges presented by the rise in short-term and holiday letting seen in England over the last 10 to 15 years.

The Call for Evidence closed on 21 September and we are now carefully analysing the 4,000 responses we received. The analysis of the responses will inform the next steps, and we will look to provide updates to the sector in due course.


Written Question
Holiday Accommodation: Licensing
Thursday 24th November 2022

Asked by: Rachael Maskell (Labour (Co-op) - York Central)

Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of introducing a licensing regime for short term holiday lets in communities which are popular as holiday destinations.

Answered by Stuart Andrew - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)

The Government supports the sharing economy and the benefits it can bring. However, it is also aware of concerns about the uneven regulatory requirements in the guest accommodation sector, and possible negative impacts on some local communities compared to other types of accommodation.

In June, DCMS issued a Call for Evidence on the benefits and challenges presented by the rise in short-term and holiday letting seen in England over the last 10 to 15 years.

The Call for Evidence closed on 21 September and we are now carefully analysing the 4,000 responses we received. The analysis of the responses will inform the next steps, and we will look to provide updates to the sector in due course.


Written Question
Holiday Accommodation: Licensing
Thursday 24th November 2022

Asked by: Rachael Maskell (Labour (Co-op) - York Central)

Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what comparative assessment she has made of the potential merits of (a) licensing or (b) creating a register for short term holiday lets in the context of monitoring local housing availability.

Answered by Stuart Andrew - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)

The Government supports the sharing economy and the benefits it can bring. However, it is also aware of concerns about the uneven regulatory requirements in the guest accommodation sector, and possible negative impacts on some local communities compared to other types of accommodation.

In June, DCMS issued a Call for Evidence on the benefits and challenges presented by the rise in short-term and holiday letting seen in England over the last 10 to 15 years.

The Call for Evidence closed on 21 September and we are now carefully analysing the 4,000 responses we received. The analysis of the responses will inform the next steps, and we will look to provide updates to the sector in due course.


Written Question
Tourism: British Nationals Abroad
Tuesday 15th November 2022

Asked by: Rachael Maskell (Labour (Co-op) - York Central)

Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, if she will have discussions with the organisers of hen, stag and party weekends on the potential negative effects of those types of holidays on the destinations in which they take place.

Answered by Stuart Andrew - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)

We remain committed to supporting the tourism sector under the framework of the Tourism Recovery Plan (TRP). The objectives aim to support the sector to remain resilient and continue as an engine for growth.

DCMS considers issues and impacts across the tourism industry with senior industry representatives through the Tourism Industry Council. Also represented on the Council are Destination Management Organisations (DMOs), who speak for the impact on regional destinations, and the Local Government Association, who represent the views of local authorities and communities.

The Government supports the sharing economy and the economic benefits that it can bring. However, we are aware of some of the concerns about the potential negative effects on local communities that short term lets may have, as opposed to other types of accommodation. As a first step to address these challenges, we held a Call for Evidence between June and September 2022, and we are now analysing the responses.

The Home Office is responsible for the development and maintenance of alcohol policy, including the Licensing Act 2003. Decision-making on matters relating to alcohol licensing and enforcement thereof is devolved to local authorities. Anyone making an application for a premises licence must set out the steps they will take to promote the licensing objectives: prevention of crime and disorder, the prevention of public nuisance, public safety and the protection of children.