Beautiful UK seaside city set for crackdown on holiday lets after 'crazy' rise in tourists

Thousands of homes in and Hove are being used as holiday lets while locals struggle to get on the property ladder, according to a new council report. Figures published by the regional authority have laid bare the extent of the popular seaside city's crisis - with up to 6,000 properties being used as short-term lets for holidaymakers in the area. The local authority is considering introducing a restrictive licensing scheme for holiday lets to ensure they don't dodge health and safety standards and are appropriately penalised for breaches linked to business rates and using tax loopholes.

The Places Overview and Scrutiny Committee report also concluded that anti-social behaviour in the city was linked to the rise in tourist accommodation, alongside a strain on the housing market and council services, including . Green councillor Ollie Sykes told The Argus: "Basically, there is nowhere to rent in Brighton and Hove anymore. It's all Airbnb, which is absolutely crazy."

"I'm all for compliant, regulated short-term lets ... but also clear that [they] should be controlled by planning due to the impact on housing," Cllr Sykes added.

Despite ranking among the UK's most popular spots for a seaside getaway for decades, Brighton has seen a sharp rise in footfall over the last few years.

The city was ranked as one of the most congested parts of the country during summer in a 2023 study, at which point its number of short-term lets was estimated to be just over 4,000.

Deputy council leader Jacob Taylor said: "Without regulation, the rapidly growing short-term lets sector impacts the housing supply for our city's residents as fewer properties are available for sale or for long-term rent, especially in areas with high housing demand.

"While there are no immediate plans for licensing short-term lets, we're committed to lobbying the government for a licensing scheme with conditions on the operators," he told The Independent.

"We want operators to provide evidence that the property meets health and safety standards, is registered correctly as a business with the right arrangements in place for wastr management, tax and business rates, parking and insurance, and to have good financial penalties for breaches.

"This type of scheme would also allow us to have a more exact idea on the number of short-term lets in the city."