“A number of residents have contacted the Conservative team about antisocial Air BnB tenants locally” says community activist Selina Short, “complaining of left out rubbish or anti-social noise”. One Page Street resident told us, “a home swap is one thing, but disruption all year is another.”
A new team of investigative council officers are hitting our streets to tackle irresponsible or unlawful nightly letting. The focus will be on landlords who are breaking the government’s clear 90-night limit on short-term letting and who tend to have little or no vested interest in their neighbours. There are a high level of anti-social behaviour and complaints go to the council around these properties.
How can you help? Let us know if what you think is an Air BnB location is causing anti-social behaviour. We’ll deal with the short term and enforce on rubbish and anti-social behaviour. Let us know if you believe landlords are breaking the 90-night limit on short-term letting. Where evidence is obtained that a property has exceeded the 90-night limit without planning permission, the City Council will not hesitate to prosecute. Conviction can make the future sale or financing of a property difficult. At the end of last year some 1,500 properties across Westminster were being investigated for potential unauthorised use for short lets. We are determined that Air BnB type letting will not disrupt your quality of life in Vincent Square Ward. Please do email us on [email protected] to report an issue.
Westminster Council believes that government should introduce a new tax on long term nightly letting as local tax payers in Vincent Square and elsewhere unfairly bear the burden nightly letters place on our community.
“I am pleased that the Council is tackling rogue landlords, including conducting a borough wide survey of conditions in the private rental sector across Westminster,” said Selina Short.
