MPs also claimed the sharp rise in short-term lets has distorted the housing market and “stripped out” communities.
There is currently no single source of data on short-term lettings in England, a House of Commons report, external states, but Airbnb is “widely regarded as the market leader” and was referenced repeatedly by MPs during the debate.
Blake highlighted how Airbnb was no longer a peer-to-peer marketplace but an “increasingly commercial” space, with nearly 28,000 short-term lets in her constituency.
“What started as a way to make some additional income from a spare room has now become a significant cause of the decline in the number of homes available for local residents,” she said.
Truro and Falmouth MP Jayne Kirkham added “the private rental sector in Cornwall has all but collapsed” as a result of soaring numbers of whole properties being rented out for holiday lets.
In the Lake District town of Keswick there are 1,000 holiday lets in a population of 5,000, which local MP Markus Campbell-Savours said cause “so much harm” that a licensing and capping scheme “is the way forward”.
Conservative housing spokesman David Simmonds said his party wanted a “light touch” register that would record the number of lets rather than introducing new enforcement powers, insisting this could be done via the planning system.
Junior housing minister Rushanara Ali said the government was “committed” to introducing a register of short-term lets – but stopped short of promising the licensing scheme demanded by Labour MPs in the debate.
Blake had suggested there was “an opportunity” for a licensing scheme to be included in the English Devolution Bill. The Ministry for Housing declined to comment further.
The Scottish Government introduced a licensing scheme for short-term lets, aimed at tackling antisocial behaviour and the housing crisis, in 2022 despite opponents branding it “unfair”.
A spokeswoman for Airbnb said they had also been calling for a national register.
“Airbnb was the first platform to help enforce home sharing rules in London, and we have called on the government to introduce a national host registration system across England,” she said.
“We have zero tolerance for illegal activity and parties, which are banned on Airbnb, and we take action on matters brought to our attention.”
She added: “The root cause of housing challenges in the UK is a lack of housing supply to meet demand.”
