A housing commission has written to ministers calling for them to enforce new measures on holiday lets in Devon.

The Devon Housing Commission was only fully launched in July and has produced their report in commendable short order, though Owl has yet to find a copy in the public domain. 

Government is based in affluent London and the South East. This is the region where people seem to believe they have a “birthright” to a second home in the country. Despite our regional feelings, will Ministers drag their feet on this? – Owl

By Georgina Barnes www.bbc.co.uk

Companies such as Airbnb were responsible for properties switching from long-term to short-term lets, the Devon Housing Commission (DHC) said.

It called for new measures to control the growth of short-term lettings and curb a shortage of homes.

Airbnb said it welcomes regulation and supports the introduction of a host register.

The commission is a partnership between 11 local authorities in Devon to “address the broken housing market”.

Evidence from the University of Exeter suggested an increase of more than 10% in second homes across Devon since 2021, with one in 11 homes in South Hams being either second, holiday or empty homes.

The university also found some wards in Devon had more than 10% of housing as holiday homes – which was over 30% in Salcombe and Thurlestone.

The DHC said there was “widespread concern” that properties switching from long to short-term lettings were a “key reason for the fall of 50% in private lettings” across the county between 2019 and 2021.

Commissioners wrote to Michael Gove, Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, and Lucy Frazer, Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, calling for them to enable councils to “limit growth of short-term lets” by private landlords or companies.

The DHC said the letter set out two proposals for legislative change, with the first requiring registration of short-term lettings “in order to establish the facts”, and to require change of use planning consent for any new short-term lettings to allow local authorities to determine how many holiday lets “should be created” in their patch.

The commission also said it recognised the power government had given to local authorities to increase council tax on second homes by up to 100%, but recommended councils “ring fence the extra revenue” for “meeting the housing shortages that second homes can exacerbate”.

The local authorities involved include Devon County Council, Exeter City Council, East Devon District Council, South Hams District Council, Plymouth City Council, North Devon District Council, Mid Devon District Council and Teignbridge District Council, West Devon Borough Council, Torridge District Council and Torbay Council.

An Airbnb spokesperson said: “Airbnb welcomes regulation and has long-led calls for the introduction of a Host register to give authorities the information they need.

“The typical UK host rents their space for just three nights a month, and we want to work with policymakers to support everyday Hosts and clampdown on speculators that drive local concerns.”