Councilors passed a motion asking the local authority to write to Housing Secretary Robert Jenrick asking for a change to the planning laws which would create a new class of use for short-term holiday rentals and require applications change of use of potential operators.
The council will also seek powers to ensure residential premises can only be used as holiday rentals for up to 90 days a year, as is currently the case in London.
According to the motion, which was proposed by Liberal Democrat councilor Alan Tormey and approved by the housing select committee yesterday, the city has seen a series of negative impacts associated with an increase in the number of short-term vacation rentals. These include noise and anti-social behavior from “party houses”, fewer properties available for long-term rental, and increased competition with licensed hotels.
Tormey said Planning: “Airbnb rentals have an impact on neighbors and this can also lead to increased incivility. This will help improve the safety of visitors to Liverpool and will also benefit local communities.
This is not the first time Liverpool City Council has called for action to mitigate the impact of short-term holiday rentals.
In 2017, councilors passed a motion calling for colocation sites to automatically cap rentals at 90 days a year and for legislation to allow local authorities to set up registers of short-term rentals.
Last year, the Chartered Institute of Housing published a report recommending stronger planning powers to help councils regulate the increase in short-term holiday rentals.
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