Claims that Airbnbs may make housing in York more affordable do not reflect the disruption concentrations of holiday lets can cause in some neighbourhoods, a city MP has said.
York Central Labour MP Rachael Maskell said the claims in a new study did not account for clusters of holiday lets in areas like the city centre pushing locals out.
City of York Council’s housing executive member Cllr Michael Pavolic said by-products of the rise in holiday lets included falling tax income for local services and increases in antisocial behaviour.
Airbnb general manager for Northern Europe Amanda Cupples said years of home building failing to keep pace with demand was the root cause of the UK’s housing challenges.
It comes as the holiday let company called for rules on short-term lets in England which were unveiled in February to be implemented immediately following the study which it commissioned.
Airbnb said they had written to MPs including Ms Maskell and local councillors expressing its support for new rules.
Proposals unveiled by the previous Conservative government would see holiday lets subject to the planning process and a national register set up to give councils access to information about them.
A Government spokesperson told the Local Democracy Report Service (LDRS) the rules would be introduced as soon as possible to reap the benefits of the tourist economy while protecting communities.
The study commissioned by Airbnb claimed its holiday lets may have improved the affordability of housing in York by bringing empty properties into use and providing homeowners with extra income.
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The Ernst & Young study found trips linked to its holiday lets added £44 million to York’s economy and supported more than 685 jobs in 2023.
The estimates are based on spending on local retail, leisure and transport by guests in Airbnb holiday lets.
The economic benefit equates to £42 per household per month in York, according to the study which analysed the impact of Airbnb from 2015 to last year.
The amount of homes listed in their entirety for more than 90 days a year in York was about 0.55 per cent of the local housing stock.
Two fifths of York hosts also said extra income from Airbnb helped them to afford their homes.
Company data showed the majority of York hosts let out one space such as a spare room for an average of less than four nights a month.
Labour’s Ms Maskell, who has called for tougher regulations for the industry, said the study did not reflect how holiday lets had disrupted communities despite the benefits tourism could bring.
The MP added local hoteliers and hospitality owners told her the lack of affordable housing in York had left them struggling to recruit staff, underscoring the need for change.
The Labour MP said: “The impact of short term lets is highly localised, and most extreme where they expand in concentrated clusters.
“In York we already have very high quality and well established tourism infrastructure, meaning we are ready to serve our guests and gain the economic benefits without putting local housing at risk by allowing the unfettered expansion of holiday lets.
“We need new laws that will help ensure that as many as possible of our new and existing homes are available to and affordable for local people.”
Labour council housing executive member Cllr Pavolic said he welcomed Airbnb’s support for regulations but added he was sceptical of a study the company itself had commissioned.
The executive member said: “We know the number of these types of lets has jumped from the hundreds to the thousands in recent years and whatever this contributes to the local economy, it also comes at a cost.
“This cost is falling school rolls that can threaten the viability of schools, inflated house prices, fewer permanent residents, numerous instances of antisocial behaviour and less council tax income to fund local services as properties register as businesses to benefit from business rates relief.”
Cllr Stephen Fenton, of the Liberal Democrat opposition on York Council, said insufficient controls on short-term lets had led to communities changing as long-term residents move out.
Airbnb Northern Europe General Manager Ms Cupples said their lettings generated billions of pounds for the UK economy despite only accounting for a tiny fraction of its housing stock.
The general manager said: “We welcome regulations and we have led in calling for national legislation for short-term lets to help make communities stronger.
“We want to make it easy for local authorities such as York to track the positive impacts of home sharing, and for additional targeted measures to be introduced to support the sustainable growth of short-term letting activity, where needed.”
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