Demand Reform and Licensing in the Short-Term Let Industry to benefit our Locals
Demand Reform and Licensing in the Short-Term Let Industry to benefit our Locals
The Issue
My name is Alistair. My family and I own and operate Seastay, a local holiday let business in Kent, UK. We are also landlords with several long-term rental properties, putting us in a unique position to observe the dynamics of both markets.
Our community is facing an escalating housing crisis. Local residents are being priced out of the rental market while the holiday let market is becoming increasingly saturated. Despite this saturation, we've noticed that there are thousands of properties locally that do not contribute to our local authority or support our area's infrastructure - this needs to change.
We're calling for reform and licensing within the short-term let industry as a solution to these issues. This isn't about imposing a blanket tourism tax; it's about regulating an industry that currently operates without sufficient oversight.
According to data from The Residential Analysts (2019), there has been an 83% increase in Airbnb listings across England over two years - many of which evade local taxes due to current loopholes in regulation. In Kent alone, there were over 10,000 active listings last year and today over 4000 available within 4 miles of my location in Broadstairs
By requiring licensing for short-term lets, we can ensure fair competition within the market while also generating revenue for our local authority through appropriate taxation - funds which can be reinvested into local facilities improving our valued guests experiences, up keeping the Garden of England and also hopefully investing in affordable housing initiatives and other essential services.
I do not back a blanket tourism tax as I have voiced recently on BBC South East. A tourist tax that would mean our business has another tax to administer on top of PAYE, national insurance, VAT, corporation tax, Pensions and personal returns but I do have a proposal to put to government that would help both sides of the market.
It's time we put control back into the hands of locals who care deeply about their community's future. By signing this petition you're taking a stand against unregulated growth at the expense of our community’s wellbeing – you’re standing up for fair regulation that benefits all parties involved.
Please sign this petition today; demand reform and licensing within short-term let industry now!
76
The Issue
My name is Alistair. My family and I own and operate Seastay, a local holiday let business in Kent, UK. We are also landlords with several long-term rental properties, putting us in a unique position to observe the dynamics of both markets.
Our community is facing an escalating housing crisis. Local residents are being priced out of the rental market while the holiday let market is becoming increasingly saturated. Despite this saturation, we've noticed that there are thousands of properties locally that do not contribute to our local authority or support our area's infrastructure - this needs to change.
We're calling for reform and licensing within the short-term let industry as a solution to these issues. This isn't about imposing a blanket tourism tax; it's about regulating an industry that currently operates without sufficient oversight.
According to data from The Residential Analysts (2019), there has been an 83% increase in Airbnb listings across England over two years - many of which evade local taxes due to current loopholes in regulation. In Kent alone, there were over 10,000 active listings last year and today over 4000 available within 4 miles of my location in Broadstairs
By requiring licensing for short-term lets, we can ensure fair competition within the market while also generating revenue for our local authority through appropriate taxation - funds which can be reinvested into local facilities improving our valued guests experiences, up keeping the Garden of England and also hopefully investing in affordable housing initiatives and other essential services.
I do not back a blanket tourism tax as I have voiced recently on BBC South East. A tourist tax that would mean our business has another tax to administer on top of PAYE, national insurance, VAT, corporation tax, Pensions and personal returns but I do have a proposal to put to government that would help both sides of the market.
It's time we put control back into the hands of locals who care deeply about their community's future. By signing this petition you're taking a stand against unregulated growth at the expense of our community’s wellbeing – you’re standing up for fair regulation that benefits all parties involved.
Please sign this petition today; demand reform and licensing within short-term let industry now!
76
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Petition created on 30 April 2024