Call for extended Airbnb tax to offset damage to rental market

A fund instituted by Airbnb to help compensate for the effects of short let accommodation should be extended, local politicians say.

In a bid to buy off criticism of the shift of rental accommodation from long term to short term,  Airbnb in August will contribute £5 to local causes for every booking made in the city during August in an effort to “rebalance tourism.”

The SNP-led Scottish Government and several local councils in the country have been sharply critical of the impact short lets have on the local rental market, taking properties out of the long term lettings sector.

Now politicians in Cornwall want Airbnb to extend its fund to that area, too.

The Cornishman newspaper reports that the county has over 10,000 properties on Airbnb but a critically low number of homes available for long term tenants.

Steve Double, Conservative MP for St Austell and Newquay, wants the platform to extend the fund to Cornwall, saying: “I have read with interest Airbnb’s announcement … if this is something that Airbnb would consider a similar scheme for its hosts in Cornwall for this year, I would certainly support and encourage it.”

Falmouth Labour councillor Jayne Kirkham also backs the fund - but says there should also be formal regulation and safety checks on Airbnb properties, as with long term rental homes.