The ‘Airbnb effect’ is having a profound impact on the UK housing market, as landlords shun long-term leases for more lucrative, short-term holiday lets.
It’s a growing problem. A 2022 investigation by the BBC revealed that the number of holiday lets in England soared by 40% in the previous three years. An estimated 2.1m households in the UK now own at least one other property.
“Airbnbification – the process by which short-term Airbnb rentals overtake the housing market – has been linked to the depletion of local housing stocks, increased home prices, gentrification, and exclusionary displacement,” says Jack Portman, project support officer at Action on Empty Homes.
The Scottish government is flirting with proposals that could pave the way for council tax to be doubled on second homes. Bath is considering something similar. Meanwhile, Edinburgh (pictured) has joined a growing list of cities, such as Amsterdam and Barcelona, in regulating Airbnb.
“Barcelona and Amsterdam offer frameworks for regulating ‘Airbnbification’ that combine enforceable licensing quotas with surveillable limitations on how many days owners can rent their units,” says Portman. “Similar enforcement mechanisms may be of use as governing bodies across the UK consider how to stymie the spread of short-term rentals.”
Image: Jörg Angeli
