Holiday warning issued over famous UK seaside city's 'ghost neighbourhoods'

The dominance of AirBnB in a popular seaside resort looks set to trigger a clampdown on short-term holiday lets.

Ellen McLeay, a Green Party councillor in Brighton, has asked officials to look into giving the council more powers to deal with short-term holiday lets.

She recently told a meeting that families are being priced out of the centre of Brighton, leading to "ghost" neighbourhoods, according to the BBC.

AirBnB told the broadcaster its guests accounted for a very low proportion of visitors to Brighton and Hove in 2023, but contributed tens of millions of pounds to the local economy.

A spokesperson blamed the supply and affordability of housing instead, saying this was driven by a lack of new homes being built.

Ms McLeay said just two holiday rental sites list 4,500 properties in Brighton and Hove, adding: "Families are priced out and therefore there are fewer kids living in the area - another factor contributing to class number decline for our inner-city schools."

Gill Williams, a Labour councillor at the council responsible for housing, had wanted a voluntary registration scheme and changes to national planning rules which would let councils decide whether to grant licences in places most at risk.

Anne Meadows, a Conservative councillor, welcomed the idea of a register and claimed too many short term lets were linked to anti-social behaviour.

An AirBnB spokesperson said housing supply and affordability challenges are primarily driven by a lack of new homes being built.

They added: "In contrast, only a small fraction of housing is used as short-term lets - with a typical host in Brighton and Hove renting one home for less than four nights a month - and two thirds of hosts say the extra income helps them afford to stay in their homes and the communities they love."

The spokesperson added Airbnb accounts for a small proportion of visitors to Brighton, yet contributes tens of millions to the local economy and helps support local families and small businesses.

They continued: "We welcome the recent announcement of new national short-term rental rules and we hope to work with the Government on measures that help - not hurt - local families while making tourism more sustainable for everyone.

"Two thirds of Airbnb guests to Brighton visit with their families and the typical guest is around 40 years old. We have zero tolerance for bad behaviour, parties are banned on our platform, and we may remove users who violate our strict policies.

"Our 24/7 Neighbour Support line enables anyone concerned about a listing to contact us at any time."

The previous government announced plans in February to introduce new rules on short-term holiday lets, arguing a balance would be struck between promoting tourism and making sure locals have opportunities to buy or rent homes.

Former Housing Secretary Michael Gove said people who wanted to let their home for more than 90 days per year would have to secure planning permission.

A national register would also be introduced so councils would know the details of short term lets in their areas.

AirBnB's general manager for northern Europe, Amanda Cupples, welcomed the move that time, saying a register would be "good news for everyone".

She said the company had long led calls for the introduction of a host register.

Brighton and Hove is not the only council to consider the impact of short-term lets on housing. Cornwall Council has also been calling for government support as it grapples with a nationwide housing crisis.