Westminster City Council Leader Paul Swaddle has written urgently to Airbnb and Booking.com demanding a meeting after council data identified 2,700 properties suspected of operating unlawfully, out of an estimated 13,000 short-term rental listings across the borough. Councillor Swaddle called on both platforms to monitor and share night-count data with local councils and to work with Westminster to remove unlawful listings, warning that residents have for too long endured parties, litter, and a blatant disregard for London's 90-night annual limit. The situation is particularly acute in Westminster, which has the highest rough sleeping figures of any London borough at 2,612 individuals, and comes ahead of the Government's anticipated mandatory national registration scheme for short-term rentals in England, due to begin in 2026.
The article below was orginally published on MyLondon and you can read it here.
Central London short-term lets 'out of control' with 2,700 suspected as unlawful
It is estimated that there are over 13,000 short-term rentals in the City of Westminster
Short-term lets in Central London have been branded "out of control", with 2,700 properties "suspected unlawful", according to council figures. Westminster City Council Leader Paul Swaddle has now urgently asked to meet with Airbnb and Booking.com about the issue.
In Westminster, landlords can rent their homes for up to 90 nights per year before they need to seek planning permission. It is estimated that there are over 13,000 short-term rentals in the borough, including 10,000 whole properties.
In a letter to both companies, Cllr Swaddle said there is "no doubt that properties on [these] platforms will be among those who should not have their unlawful actions facilitated".
He said:
"Our community's wellbeing and the integrity of our neighbourhoods are paramount; for far too long the people of Westminster have had to live with blatant disregard for the 90-night cap in London, and the problems caused by dumped rubbish and noisy parties for which occupiers, owners and the platforms take no accountability.
"Understandably, our residents want to see long-overdue action to tackle these issues, which we as a council cannot address alone."
Campaigners have previously accused short-term let landlords of "hollowing out" the city in the midst of a housing crisis. More people are recorded sleeping rough in Westminster than any other borough - 2,612. This is more than double the number in the next highest borough Camden, with 975, according to Trust for London.
Cllr Swaddle has now called on both platforms to tally the number of nights properties are occupied over a calendar year and share the data with councils.
He also urged Airbnb and Booking.com to work with the council to clamp down on unlawful short-term lets, alongside exploring ways to remove council properties from the platforms.
Airbnb said it has responded to the letter and that it is available to meet with the council leader. It said the platform has implemented a series of measures to help UK local authorities tackle social housing fraud in their properties, including the development of a 'notice and takedown' process.
A spokesperson for the company said:
"Airbnb fully supports the 90-night cap in Greater London and we are the only platform that automatically caps whole-home listings at 90 days per calendar year, unless hosts certify they have an exemption. We have had ongoing dialogue with Westminster City Council and continue to keep them updated on our support for a registration scheme in England, which will give local authorities the tools and data they need to address any issues stemming from short-term lets where they do occur.
"Hosting in social housing is usually illegal and has no place on Airbnb. We have a clear process for local authorities to alert us to social housing fraud, and we remove these listings promptly upon notification. We have worked with the Cabinet Office on a pilot to further help local authorities identify and remove illegally let social housing properties."
A spokesperson for Booking.com said:
"Short-term rentals solve real needs in the travel industry, but those needs must be balanced with the secondary impacts on cities and communities. Any successful regulation needs to be both reasonable and proportionate, taking into account the interests of communities, homeowners, digital platforms, and consumers alike.
"In practice, we believe this includes a registration system supported by a database accessible to platforms, so registration numbers can be displayed."
The UK Government is introducing a mandatory national registration scheme for short-term lets in England which is expected to begin in 2026.
