What action is the Welsh Government taking to address concerns over the use of properties in residential areas for Airbnb and short term holiday letting purposes and the impact that this has on local residents?
The Welsh Government has appointed a contractor to engage with stakeholders in consideration of a potential statutory registration or licensing scheme for all holiday accommodation businesses, including short-term lets.
We have also issued a consultation concerning local taxes on second homes and self-catering accommodation, which includes short-term holiday lets. The consultation includes consideration of the thresholds and criteria which classify self-catering accommodation (holiday lets) as non-domestic properties. The consultation, which can be accessed at: Local taxes for second homes and self-catering accommodation | GOV.WALES closes on 17 November 2021.
The use of properties as short-term holiday lets is also a consideration in our approach to second homes. The Minister for Climate Change set out the Welsh Government’s three-pronged approach to the issues that can arise from large numbers of second homes, and their various uses, in her statement to the Senedd on 6 July 2021 (https://gov.wales/oral-statement-affordability-second-homes-and-welsh-language).