Airbnb landlords being advised on how to break the law - BBC London

In recent years, companies like Airbnb have totally transformed the tourism industry by making it easy for people to rent out their homes to visitors. Here in the capital, hosts are usually restricted to renting out their homes for a maximum of 90 nights a year. But an undercover investigation by BBC London has revealed that large management companies are advising landlords on how to break the law and dupe both the authorities and Airbnb. Guy Lynn has this exclusive story.
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[@landlord5552]

Low income nurse cant live in central London with or without Airbnb.

[@fhm21]

Low income people should increase their income or change the location. I can't live in luxury apartment in London that's why I found another place that suits my income

[@Pining_for_the_fjords]

@@fhm21 "Increase their income" lol I wonder why they don't just think of that. It's so simple! The issue is that people working full time doing a required job are being priced out of a major part of the country. Personally I don't like London and I'd never want to live there, but many people do, but are unable to find affordable accommodation close to their work.

[@user-od8eq8bd1g]

@@fhm21 So central London doesn't need nurses? Here's the fact: If it becomes impossible for people to live near their work there will be shortages of important positions like nurses.

[@kopend8638]

the problem is that its not just c london, its the whole of greater london. i've seen people picking up keys for air bnb from local newagents in east london. so if you work in a london hospital youll have to live in essex or somewhere like 50 miles away in the future.

[@campkira]

used Airbnb to for place to live? I am not trusting you with a permanent place to stay. why would I trust you with my health and live.

[@bitbloop]

moaning about a few people making a bit of extra cash on the side when the real problem is the government is failing to provide enough affordable housing for qualified people like nurses ... the cost of living in london is also insane, why do you think people are renting out their homes in the first place ??

[@MobilediscowirralCoUk]

@1ICHIR0 true and now a landlord act where local councils can pick on investors with there hard earn cash because of bad tenant 👍🏻

[@MrErnogoldfinger]

They make it out like people make mega bucks with these things... anyone who runs any kind of business knows there are good days when you do make money and lots of bad days when you get nothing.

[@garfield5986]

Air bnb is about to change my life. But BBC doesn’t talk about the real situation...

[@jackmcslay]

"A nurse in a low income" Question: Why is an important job such as nursing low income?!?

[@bs4real]

@@cdd1craig EXCUSE ME? Nursing requires a 4 year "uni" college degree along with months and months of on t he job preceptorship!!! Who in the fk are you to say what THE PROFFESSION OF NURSING IS LIKE??? HOW DARE YOU??!!!

[@osamafarooq1669]

Yeah and doctor is even longer. Nursing is three years btw. Yet no one cries about Doctor salaries.

[@shh_you_are_wrong]

@@osamafarooq1669 Doctors do, constantly....

[@tonyj4271]

she is a nurse and is low income.? that is very sad, she has an important job and has a stressful enough life and now cannot even find a place to live!

[@mrmonopoly3734]

Tony J they should offer her accommodation thru the local council BUT no they would rather house some freeloader from overseas

[@ladytee4269]

😭😭

[@landlord5552]

Get real

[@TheHedgehogDirective]

I work in central London and I earn likely similar to a Nurse, maybe a little more but not by much... I’ve managed to live and have a very nice life on my salary! I feel more sorry for people on minimum income that literally struggle to get by. Nurses really don’t do too badly (and yes I understand they have a hard job - they 100% deserve the salary and more but, they sign the dotted line for what they get)

[@andrewstones2921]

I don't want to sound unsympathetic to the nurse, but when she chose nursing as a career it was with the full knowledge that she would not be able to afford to live in central London.

[@pedrosousa9780]

The problem is AirBNB is supposed to be for landlords to rent out tey spare room but the greedy companies go into the system to cash in too.

[@fwd105]

Nice for the law to go after the small fish rather than the big fish builders building lots of high rise flats across London (where we are told there is a shortage) and selling them to foreign buyers who have no intention of ever living in them... I'm sure their contribution to house prices and rental prices is quiet significant.

[@sarahtaavetti]

Living in the city center is expensive regardless of airbnb or city... in the end you pay for location - not the flat...

[@abb5596]

*lives in a capitalist country* *gets shocked when people put profit above the law*

[@ozzieone16]

If you are owner of the home or your landlord is okay with you subletting it why doesn’t anyone have the right to tell you what you can and can’t do with your property This sounds ridiculous why is anyone problem if I decide that to let my property as AirBnB permanently

[@andrewcharlton2709]

Maybe hotels should not be so overpriced

[@emjayay]

Hotel rates are based on supply and demand just like flat rents. These days they are often way higher in the high tourist or convention seasons, just like airline tickets, and lower in mid winter.

[@MeMe-ii1nc]

Just because you think hotels are ‘expensive’ doesn’t mean you should feel entitled to bomb residential buildings or neighborhoods with your weekend vacation rental. And Airbnb’s are just as expensive if not more than many hotels nowadays. It’s not what it was when it started AT ALL.

[@rezatashakori2]

And how much of London housing is on Airbnb? 0.1%? so your logic is having 0.1% of housing on Airbnb is the reason why it's unaffordable? if the city is concerned about people ask them to loosen their zoning laws for new development. nonsense!!

[@cdd1craig]

The percentage of housing is irrelevant, the percentage of single room or flat rentals is The number which matters and combined with gumtree bnbs and other sites its much higher than 0.1% and it has a big affect not so much on larger properties but on flat lets which lower wage earners rely on. If the property owners decide to just air bnb in peak seasons that person is moved out an as its peak season cannot find property close to work. Its also just bad for the whole london economy long term, and drives further inequality. 48 percent of profit on air bnb went to 10% of the property owners. These are not just peoples spare rooms. What i would like to see is London council to stop developing free council housing in areas which low wage workers cannot afford to live on income they earned themselves. Move the unemployed out of central and allow working people who have long commutes to move in. It would help negate the affects of airbnb

[@rezatashakori2]

@@cdd1craig I would like to look at the real numbers and see how many rooms are on Airbnb to see if it has a big impact on the local rental market or not

[@beth-bi9yv]

I understand the concerns but I still think that you should be allowed to do what you want with your own property. .....

[@JerryGolayy]

And turn whole neighbourhoods into ghostowns. Yay, that's alright.

[@beatrizmedeirosnoleto9391]

As long as you pay the same taxes that hotels pay.

[@JerryGolayy]

@@beatrizmedeirosnoleto9391 That's no the only problem

[@juslangley]

"Your" land? As long as you're paying property taxes, there is no such thing as private property. Even if you have paid off your debt for a piece of property, you and those that you pass it onto will forever be renting it from a governing power.

[@juslangley]

No one owns their own geographical property; it is an impossibility in the western world to possess and own land. Why? Everyone who has land under their name, in one form or another, pays property tax, and even if you don't pay property tax, such as if you're a non-profit or religious group, the state can at any time come and take what you thought you owned.

[@tahiramehmet7163]

If you own a home and want to rent a room or loan it out when you're on holiday, that should be your right. Perhaps the law should stipulate short term rentals are only permissible when you can prove the seller actually lives there full time. That would eliminate companies from buying homes and flats purely to use as hotels, and reduce the housing crisis. Businesses should be regulated like any hotels which is different than letting the spare room or trading spaces on holiday.

[@thetruth2929]

If there a housing crisis may be the government should stop allowing McDonalds popping up everywhere....retail parks with food courts and shops? If people are so broke and can't afford regular rent how can they afford to eat out and spend money furnishing their homes like a its going to be advertised on TV show? Everyone is so broke yet they all have 65inch flat screens....nice clothes....they're all going out to eat rather than cooking at home....average family can afford 1 or 2 holidays a year that cost an approx 4-7k for a family of 4. Not to mention afford £200 gas and electric bills....£100 council tax....most people are claiming something from the government as well as all this. Nobody is BROKE everyone can survive in the UK if they want. I'm a landlord and i see the crap that goes on. I own a spare property....i should be able to rent it out to whom and when i like. As long as i pay my tax its not their business.

[@Consistent30]

Bbc really ruining people’s businesses😂

[@lewiskelly14]

But saving the people who live in London and want to pay rent which isn't extortionate

[@Consistent30]

Lewis Kelly I’m all for it tbh. So many scamming companies these days

[@luca7069]

@@lewiskelly14 "people who live in London and want to pay rent which isn't extortionate" Sadly, those things don't really go together, do they? And that' with or without arbnb...

[@themightydash1714]

You're an idiot.

[@iBOXRIVER]

That’s EXACTLY what I thought when I saw this on the news yesterday. I know they need to be impartial. But damm, snitching at best.

[@havoc7323]

Who gives one if someone rents their property, for over 90 days. It should not be illegal. Also BBC is uploading this footage of people without thier permission.

[@memailbox1]

They dont need pols permission

[@tomasbickel58]

@@memailbox1 ... it's called journalism. *facepalm*

[@QQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQ0]

BBC is the worst and it’ll be the worst.

[@andrewstones2921]

I love arbnb as a traveller, but as a landlord, I can tell you its a nightmare. It depends on what kind of people want to visit your city and stay in your property. I'm the least racist person in the world so its painfiil for me to say this, but Indians and Chinese can be really difficult customers.. It starts with wanting to book 3 people and arrive with 8 people, they ask to check in early and expect that to mean before the previous guests have checked out! They want to check out late and don't understand that the place has to be vacated and cleaned before the next guests arrive, then they want to argue about the cleaning fee. I' m not suggesting all Chinese or Indian guests are like this, but 90% of problems come from those two nations. If you want to rent your property to short term tourists then be prepared for the 90 day rule to be the LEAST of your concerns.

[@richiesd1]

Andrew Stones, my experience is that low class Americans are the worst. Asian tourists are very clean and polite.

[@tomasbickel58]

Have been tourist guide: Bus drivers are least fond of Chinese - you need basically a separate rolling stock for them. Haven't had much of Indians here as well as "low class Americans". Middle and upper Class, yes, generous and easy to satisfy - basically a jackpot.

[@campkira]

The whole point is to rent out place for people to stay not being a hotel. If they so much trouble you just refuse to serve them.

[@andrewstones2921]

@@campkira Its not possible to be selective and to refuse people on airbnb

[@lauraroberts4290]

I’ve found pushing the price up slightly and aiming it to a different audience helps. I have experienced both of these guests and am now just super strict on numbers and arrival and departure times. But the price increase was what stopped them coming... the 8 people in 2 bedrooms is about cost and they do make a massive mess!!!

[@stefansoder6903]

London does not have a housing shortage. It has a shortage of AFFORDABLE housing. Big difference. In London you can find a place to rent in a day if you are willing to pay. In Stockholm, where I now live, there is a housing shortage even if you can pay a lot.

[@campkira]

Shortage is where the premium too high.

[@stefansoder6903]

@@nativenewlondoner I did live there for seven years. Would not have commented if I didn't know what I was talking about...

[@milanehr]

I didnt even know this was a law. I know landlords who rent their Kensington/Knightsbridge apartments out 365 days a year for 2 or 3 times the price of a long let.

[@lisasebros]

This is exactly why short-term rental is regulated. For a landlord, it's so much better than long-term, especially if someone is managing the property for you: more money and none of the complications that can happen with long-term. For the locals looking to rent long-term it is horrible, because there's way less on offer so prices go up.

[@campkira]

They all know, they just break the law and face consequence later.

[@MeMe-ii1nc]

Those landlords should be prosecuted.

[@tc9634]

How is stopping air BnB hosts making money going to help the housing crisis? 1. Build more affordable homes 2. Only let UK residents own UK property - no more foreign investors buying up london/UK property 3. Have you considered offering low income Londoners a job outside the city centre? Instead of moving to your job, money your job to do you. 4. Replace council tax with a national land value tax 5. Ban landbanking - if you're going to own land you need to use it. 6. The Germans have a law that land must be used for public good, not purely for profit. This only really applies to development projects.

[@saif1980saif]

Nhs in central london should provide accomodation for nurses

[@asimsparks]

Central London or elsewhere, adequate housing will now never be built in this country. Tony Blair led this neo liberal policy of very high increase in property prices, so even at low interest rates, money lenders still make tonnes of money. Any party government will not have the bottle to stand up to money lending mafia, who are the actual masters of the country.

[@Raquesheety]

Why is the housing problem a small landlord’s problem? Does McDonald’s is forced to feed the hungry? If the fuel is not affordable; why is the government not forcing the big companies to sell it for less?

[@jlong5987]

wait. so she works in central london and she wants to live IN central london? honey, thats not reasonable. look zone 2-3.

[@TheMrpanda23]

This is bizarre that people who own a PROPERTY that they have PAID FOR can NOT short term let to others for more than 90 days??!! Are you serious

[@andrewstones2921]

The clue here is in the definition of “short term”, you can indeed rent your own property for as long as you like, but it falls outside a definition of short term.

[@jackdudgeon2346]

Policing the tiny man who gets by.. first it started with amazon by ensuring businesses register with HMRC .. now ebay and Airbnb.... great!

[@muserussell2377]

Yeah its screwed

[@JHayler7]

Social housing should be made available not just for those deemed in need (single parents etc) but young professionals like this Nurse. The government could make flats specifically for these essentially workers and other young professionals, but charge more of a reasonable rent.

[@alexrussell2903]

Communist!

[@ColinYapp]

This is why I laugh at people who say "less regulation will make the market more accessible", yes, sure it will, for the landlord's pockets.

[@kynchan3332]

Social/government housing would have stopped this problem from occurring in the first place. Even limiting the number of houses that a company/owner can own can be useful, except if the entity builds its own houses (in which case it can have as many as it can build).

[@kevinwellwrought2024]

Landlords have been ripping off the tenants and government for ages. Time to wake up.

[@qlus]

Wake up and do what?😂

[@bendover-bz4bc]

Yeah wake up and fill your bags and get out 😂😂😂😂

[@stevenlamar6927]

Gov interfering with markets.. never a good thing

[@deu8894]

Why is this video restricted to 480p resolution in the year 2019

[@Divinatonio]

De U good question

[@judechauhan6715]

I was playing factorio and the music at 7:40 is in the game and it made me think I had my game still open and my stuff was gonna get destroyed...

[@TRockeveryday]

Who cares, if it’s your home you go and do whatever you want with it, I had a friend who stayed on my couch for months, with no problems. And if someone offers you something in return for staying why not. It’s just government want to come and collect that check for everything

[@DomWayne]

Yep, they want their share on everything. It’s absolute nonsense.

[@brunolondinese5857]

You could rent out your couch, spare room, or all your spare rooms on Airbnb without a limit.

[@sulemanqayyum8149]

T - Rock bastads the lot ofbthem

[@disarmsox]

Heaven forbid people make a bit of extra money.

[@DanielSadjadian]

Exactly! Large corporations get away with billions of pounds of tax evasion, but we're not allowed to make a bit of extra money..... totally ridiculous.

[@fuckoff3366]

@@DanielSadjadian My heart bleeds for the fact you can't rent out your second property all year long when many people are struggling to buy their first. World's tiniest violin mate.

[@MHiggins]

I can’t blame the folks on Airbnb or the home owners. In reality the real problem is with the established hotels in London. Imagine 300 pounds a night or 250 pounds a night or 400 pounds a night. If the hotels charged reasonable rates for London no one would want to live in some disgusting walk up in Chelsea. They would rather stay in the Four Seasons or the Ritz Carlton. But Airbnb exists because of the hotel industry price gouging customers.

[@irwin770]

I think the real atrocity is that why is this video uploaded in 480p?

[@Y_Canada]

One of the reasons I choose AirBnb for traveling is because I'd rather give my money to a local, instead of giving it to a global corporation like a hotel. The private owners renting their homes isn't the problem here. The commercial renters is the real problem. If I have a spare bedroom, I'd love to see it bring it money. But when someone rents out 10 properties and lists them on AirBnb... that's the issue here.

[@ark194]

Anyone who was left high and dry from air bnb would be angry about it.

[@Tubekeny1]

Hotels had a monopoly on accommodation in big cities. So they resented Airbnb just like taxis resent Uber. They put pressure on politicians and the answer was the 90 day rule. Go figure.

[@fuckoff3366]

Lot of pro-landlord comments here. The landlords that are doing year-round lets on second, third, fourth properties are rich property collectors that live elsewhere and don't care about the city their AirBnb properties are in. When every house is a hotel there's a loud and transient temporary population and it's not a community anymore. It's not just a problem in London, in Edinburgh there's a shortage of rentals and areas which used to be nice communities are filled with tourists dragging their suitcases around at all hours of the day and night, leaving flat doors unlocked, having parties etc. I'm sure you'd all love to live in a building where every flat except yours is a year-round hotel and you have zero real neighbours. The BBC aren't picking on the people who make additional income from letting out their place for 3 months or less. It's about stopping rich landlords destroying communities for money so they can retire somewhere nicer. Wake up.

[@hlynurstefansson9947]

Finally some sense in the discussions, living off rent is not beneficial for the economy. These are just illegal hotels people are running and how many of them factor in the actual work that goes into the rental ? I used to P2P rent out my cars but quit that after finding out that my salary was basically zero (but i could use the car for free all year around, but depreciation of the car would also end up taking to much toll on it, so i stopped this activity, meanwhile the AirBnb equal car rental would take home 2000 GBP a year for my efforts, they did nothing but got the rewards)

[@jackmcslay]

Isn't doing stuff for money in order to have a nice retirement what most people do? It's their property and they have the right to decide who is allowed in it. One common pattern I see is that Airbnb is a "problem" only on large cities with heavy housing regulations. When developers are prevented from making efficient use of land space with high-rise apartment buildings and hotels, it shouldn't be surprising that it results in shortages

[@fuckoff3366]

Jack Mcslay "doing stuff" being the operative phrase. Owning multiple properties doesn't contribute to society, it's a parasitic activity devoid of work.

[@SD-vm9po]

People should be able to let there properties without restrictions!

[@djtwo2]

They can. They just have to get planning permission ... and part of the reason for that is to protect those who pay rent.

[@fhm21]

@@djtwo2 why landlords have to pay (with reduced income) for those who rent? It's your business to deal with your financial problems

[@campkira]

In the past 6 family living in 1 bedroom apartment. A little restriction would not be bad.

[@emjayay]

Only if they know the difference between "there" and "their".

[@ZombiePowerDrink]

The law should be broken if its stupid. No one has a right to tell you what to do with your property.

[@arcadiaenlightened6330]

Airbnb is a disgrace of a company.

[@SimuLord]

This is why AirBNB should be banned outright. I live in an area with a _massive_ housing crisis (King County, Washington, which includes Seattle.) We could open up so much stock on the housing market if we just banned it county- (or better yet, state-) wide.

[@tobeytransport2802]

Its their own property they can do with it what they want

[@milosveselinovic1]

The number one reason for high housing prices according to most studies isnt AIRBNB but failure and corruption of Politicians (not giving Building permits etc.) If they would stop putting up regulations so only the big and politically established companies have a chance in the "free-market" then the housing prices wouldnt be as high as they are right now.

[@acomment5991]

A woman fled from her abusive husband with the clothes on her back and her dog. All of the shelters made her feel unsafe and did not allow her pet. Air BnB rentals provided her and her pet a reasonably priced place to stay. She got out of her city and could make all of the arrangements online, have access to the kitchen and clean bathroom and the privacy she needed for safer rest. Hotels were too expensive and didn’t allow her pet, a home rental was just right for her. Like any business, there are going to be mixed reviews but there is good coming from this too.

[@Baldrick_dogsbody]

Imagine I buy an apartment to be used as a Serviced Accomodation , but then find out I cannot rent it out as an SA for more than 90 days a year ! I will be be in debt and not make any money !! Also is it only central london, or outer London as well ?

[@markbishop6146]

Maybe pay nurses more so they can live in London rather deflecting the blame on the entrepreneur. It's hard enough to be in business as it is without more hoops to jump through. It's an excuse to charge business rates for airbnb hosts and nothing more.

[@ModernWarfareBroZ]

90 day rule needs to be enforced

[@Freightcrate]

If renters were better than Airbnb gest they would have as many houses as they would want. But the truth is that finding good renters is almost impossible.

[@lahabitaciondelatrapado4621]

Law enforcement in this country is a joke

[@stevenhike8575]

Owners are free to rent their homes, just not at short lets for a whole year and I think that is reasonable. Think of your neighbours having to put up with a new set of strangers every few days, it's not good for community spirit. I'd rather have a tenant in for a long period, it would please my neighbours more and the community.

[@keifer7813]

Why does the feelings of neighbours outweigh the freedom of a homeowner to do with their home as they please? Things like noise, I understand. But this is too much.

[@yeahokay1051]

The housing crisis is out of control... These companies need to be taken to court

[@khatarshab2214]

airbnb caused nothing good. because of airbnb the house prices growing so high that the local young people can't buy or rent a place in Amsterdam.

[@hbk4life]

Khatar Shab how is this driving the prices up? The increase in number of places where you can stay should usually drive the price down. Can you please explain?

[@khatarshab2214]

Stef Gh the price of property raise higher. because the private homeowners make more than 1500 euro a week by renting on airbnb user's. because of that there are less renting places for middle and low income. the situation is so bad that our new police chief can't offer to rent a place in Amsterdam. the property price in Amsterdam growth in last 4 years by 30% and that is because of airbnb.

[@sbIvanov]

How do they dare take away the money from the hotels... damn you, landlords!

[@mrlover4310]

Then the government should make it more easy to build house Simpal. Pepole who own their own house should be able to rent to how, and as long as they want.

[@thegrinch3691]

What a load of propaganda! Anyone who has been active in the rental market knows that rental prices are falling due to lack of demand, help to buy schemes, shared ownerships etc. Seems like someone at the BBC is worried about their rental income portfolio..

[@jakewilson8676]

What song is the piano at the start?

[@keifer7813]

Why doesn’t the nurse working in central London just move somewhere cheaper and get a job there? Not easy but it beats telling someone else what they can and can't do with something they own

[@paddyp3457]

Just need to make an example of a few people, to discourage the majority of the rest

[@bradzimmer239]

Airbnb are allowing illegal activities happen. Also a major problem is aiding in the displacement of full time renters.

[@nizarific001]

@ 1:50 I thought he was meeting Micky Flanagan for a second there.

[@RichardJanda]

Only 480p in 2019? Really?

[@heftyalan1152]

"Who's complaining?" HMRC. To the Nurse move to a hospital outside London as many and many with much more affordable housing. Ignorance is no defence in the eyes of the law. If they arrested a few it would soon reduce the numbers behaving fraudulently.

[@gabz91110]

Why are some agents face hidden an others we see their face?

[@spoorjason]

Maybe part of the BBC crew

[@Freakphoto]

If their face is hidden, they didn’t sign a release to be on tv.

[@sk.5]

Chuck Johnson who would sign to expose themselves on national tv?

[@noahulibarri9385]

wow, very cool !

[@HRPFayetteville]

OK but when you stay with a person that lives in the house that is not subletting the whole place and if you're the owner you have a right to rent it out however you want I don't see the problem here

[@marc-andreservant201]

Legal issues aside, if the Airbnb guest trashes the place, and you listed the wrong address, I don't think the insurance will cover it.

[@senzubean1358]

airbnb hosts just wanna make money🤷why doesn't she just rent a cheap airbnb apartment?

[@maskzed9586]

Why is the blondies face hidden??

[@pedrosousa9780]

I am a landlord, I am on AirBNB for 3 years and never had guests from them because prices are far too cheap and too attractive for the guests but for me, I couldn't cover my costs to go too down the prices. with this enforcement will push the price up and more availability to other Landlords that need the money.

[@littleowldme]

Are you having a laugh? Landlords NEED the money? PEOPLE NEED HOMES!!! You utter selfish crunt! Making money off the backs of others miseries!! Looking at your name...no doubt another festering off the carcass of Brits! W⚓!

[@AP-di8sy]

So now imaging a wealthy billionaire buying out half of the city flats for short rents to became ever richer. How would that affected everyone? Its not everything about individuals, we are community.

[@muhon19]

For Airbnb all hotel business dies that’s why this report 😂😂😃 and secretly recoding it’s illegal BBC doing illegal job

[@wecanseethetruth5917]

We can always trust the BBC to deliver open fair and ballance reporting. ... Just ask Tommy. Look up paradrama see the BBC for what they are

[@upamdebnath9725]

480p? Back to Stonehenge BBC?

[@TheAfrikanSuperstar]

Why does the government care what you do with your property.

[@chrsfavel5506]

air bnb needs to be regulated. They Suck. my landlord never refunded money he promised. airbnb did nothing.

[@yaredestifanos2369]

why Haben Girma's book been cancelled ?

[@TELEVISIBLE]

it is not like landlord will let there flat cheap if they cannot do short leasing . they will simply let the flat with higher rent for long lease 😅

[@mihaikoncz8903]

So a person BOUGHT their property and they still aren't allowed to do anything they want with it?! Nice... what's the point of buying a property then? just for paying mortgage your whole life?

[@tomasbickel58]

Maybe ... if you don't want to live in it ... you leave on the market for someone who actually needs a roof over his head. ... and no .. property rights is not "I do whatever I like". ... "A person" may have "BOUGHT their" Cocaine .. it's still illegal .. even for their private use.

[@campkira]

Zoning and population control.

[@jzk2020]

Stop snitching, bbc.

[@jasperedwards3341]

oh well this might stop soon there wont be any tourist after brexit

[@patrickdevitt1789]

No there won't be any tourists they will be refusing to leave and squatting in the flats.

[@nativenewlondoner]

If you own a property - however impossible that is to achieve - it’s your own business what you do with it. The local councils’ stazi need to keep their noses out of private people and their property.

[@BlownMacTruck]

You can do what you want with a property UNTIL it starts affecting those around you. Not only that, you CAN do short lets for longer than 90 days IF YOU DO IT PROPERLY. This is nothing but a shortcut scam to get around all that responsibility.

[@ridwanibrahim4697]

they are just envy

[@asiaexpat62]

Interesting how Brits feel that breaking the law is an imposition on their freedom. How about the rights and freedom of others impacted by short term rentals in private residential spaces? Security is greatly compromised for those living around such places as well as the noise and commotion created by short term rentals. Thailand has made short term rentals of most private properties illegal. Other countries are following the lead.

[@aryanosouhian9670]

You can get a short term rental anywhere in Thailand. If you run into johnny law, you pull some baht out of your pocket and problem solved.

[@fatimayusuf9497]

They should really focuse on the tragedy in our London street knife crimes are so high

[@user-ei7ed6zy9k]

This is why I'm moving to Texas

[@portaltaker]

“Soz caps”

[@doug2279]

The reason we have a shortage of property owes to one factor only and that is regulation. It costs 50k to build a small house, my family have done it several times, but as much to get through regulatuon and then 95% of land cannot be built on driving up prices of land and pushing folk to bilud in places with extra costs such as demolishing other properties ( and losing the value of them pushing up costs). When the mines opened hundreds of thousands of cheap houses were opened in villages on farm land but with our planning system as tech booms in places only prices increase as planning laws stop houses being built and wealthy elites want to keep prices high. Its like anti immigration policy but at a local level and keeps the poor poor. Airbnb creates many jobs as tourism was held back by regulation and associated high prices as these wealthy travellers spend a lot, and their places are serviced, if only we could bulid houses for 50k for those being displaced it would be win win. Airbnb just increases the issues cause by the stupid regulations around building properties! Imagine a society where to build 3 houses you did not have to buy and knock down two other houses after winning a 3 year planning battle which involved 3 lawyers and two planning consultants and an architect redrawing the plans 3 times and a huge cost to demolish a two houses and buy them over some empty field which is worth about 5-10k??? the costs hit 400k for the houses rather than 60k for the house. The prices would plummet and farmers would sell up quickly and we would not shackle the young in debt and keep the poor poor. We had high quality housing built for hundreds of years before our stupid planning laws came in post war. Strong building regs needed but zoning hmm not so much. Actually it keeps the whole country poorer as when an area dies people cannot move to the area with jobs as the regulation just pushes up prices in that area.

[@ranarouhana4171]

Preparing people for new restrictions! Advocate of all unfair desisions, BBC!

[@knicol46]

Its suppose to be an open market to find accommodation as councils don't help - yet councils put restrictions in place

[@pedrolopes3542]

Stupid laws created stupid reactions... the shortage of housing in some European cities (London specially) is not fixed by 90 days rules, the real problem is lack of housing, caused by extreme restrictions in construction of high rise affordable apartment buildings, and an unrealistic idea of concentrating services in very small areas of the cities, specially near the center, instead of placing them scattered in the periphery.

[@memailbox1]

90 days really..??? Only in England. I doubt there is similar country like this.

[@campkira]

Japan so did it. I have hard time finding new place all the time without paying high price for it. It did help.

[@emjayay]

Wrong. In big cities all over Europe and the US where there is a shortage of housing for residents they have passed various laws about short term rentals. It's not about renting your spare bedroom. It's about buying a whole flat and living somewhere else and renting it to different people every day, removing it from the market and making the neighborhood into a transient one. People renting one apartment or owning a condo in a building do this and the actual residents have strangers going up and down the halls and having keys to the front door and throwing parties and then disappearing all the time.

[@simonmorgan225]

Planning permission is the control on an overpriced bubble

[@kopend8638]

some of you are ignorant fools. this is not just people renting out spare rooms. some of these are massive property companies buying up all the houses and turning them into hotels. rich people owning 20 houses each and renting them out at hotel rates whilst the locals are left homeless. if you check these listings they are going for 10 or 20 times the normal rate of a rental property.

[@yasmeenamzk]

KOP END this is true

[@86marcoz]

It’s a global phenomenon

[@arnaldobermudez8894]

There must be a balance between what is good for society and what is good for your pockets now is possible to claim that it is yours but have you ever thought what would happen if the shortage of residences continuous for an indefinite lapse?. I am not implying that short let is the only reason of it but it is something to consider in a possible solution.

[@Amiri2x]

helen its not landloads fault

[@ivancounsell4077]

The BBC break the law with their license...

[@Steampunksaly]

Nurses on low income? Where?

[@MrHarumakiSensei]

I don't see how the 90 day rule helps. I don't know much about real estate so I guess I'm missing something obvious. If someone is forced to rent out their place LESS, how does that help with housing shortages?

[@markgaterbondifinancialguy3885]

It's supposed to be your primary residence so you could put it on airbnb why you went on holiday. It seems these are people putting investment properties on that would normally be available to long term renters.

[@806bigsteve]

If it’s your property you should be able to do with it as you will.

[@maryharvey6909]

What about the safety of the neighbors in the building with so many strangers in and out?