London council to probe 'growing concerns' about short-term lets

Kensington & Chelsea council in central London has set up a series of hotline services and a working party to investigate what it calls “growing concerns” about the impact of short-term lets across the borough.

It is informing residents of telephone numbers and email addresses on which they can report problems caused by short-term lets in terms of rubbish, noise and planning breaches. 

Meanwhile a report on the effect of the short-term lets is to be released to residents at a public meeting at Kensington Town Hall on Wednesday September 13. 

At the end of last year - following growing pressure from a number of London councils including Kensington and Chelsea, according to the borough authority -  Airbnb announced that its systems will automatically limit the listing of whole flats and houses in Greater London to the statutory maximum of up to 90 nights a year.

The move means hosts now have to confirm they have the required planning permission to rent their property more frequently. It is already a breach of planning control for landlords to let out their homes on short-term lets for more than 90 days without planning permission. 

Now Kensington & Chelsea council says discussions are continuing with Airbnb and other providers to see how the present system can be enhanced further to improve monitoring and enforcement.