Oxford City Council has won a planning appeal, banning the use of a property for short-let accommodation.
On July 7, 2022, the council issued a planning enforcement notice against the owner of a property in Shirelake Close that was being used for short-term letting.
This came following complaints from residents and council members regarding disruptive behaviour and disturbance connected with the property.
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The owner appealed to the Planning Inspectorate but this appeal was overturned.
The owner must now cease the short-let operations from December 22 onward.
With the advent of online platforms like Airbnb and Vrbo, there has been a significant surge in short-term lettings around Oxford over the past 10 years.
According to AirDNA, as of July, there were up to 1,325 short-term rentals listed in Oxford, with over half of these, 765, being entire properties.
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AirDNA's reported annual growth of 13 per cent in the number of Oxfordshire short-term rentals, but the true total is expected to be significantly higher.
The increasing trend of hiring out entire properties for majority of the year has contributed to a decrease in the availability of residential properties in one of the UK's most expensive housing markets.
Some short-term lets have been misused for illegal or deliberately disruptive purposes, causing undue strain in peaceful residential neighbourhoods.
The generally under-regulated nature of the short-let segment provides the council with limited authority to enforce standards it demands for other type of rentals.
This situation is further exacerbated by the constant revolve of different individuals using a property, resulting in difficulties tackling disruptive behaviour and nuisance complaints.
Since 2018, the council has consistently lobbied for influence to bring whole house short-term lettings in line with other private and commercial tourist housing options.
Earlier this year, the government held discussions regarding a potential registration scheme and the introduction of a new planning use class for short lets.
Councillor Linda Smith, cabinet member for housing, said: "I’m really pleased that the Planning Inspectorate has found in our favour and banned the use of a property in Shirelake Close as a short-let.
Linda Smith, cabinet member for housing (Image: Oxford Mail)"But it’s taken nearly 18 months and once again it shows the current system is not fit for purpose when dealing with problems caused by whole house short-lets.
“We live in one the least affordable places for housing in the UK and there are more than 800 properties let out entirely as short lets in Oxford.
"We need those for people to live in and not as holiday accommodation.
"At the same time, antisocial and illegal behaviour by people using short lets causes misery in our communities.
“We want a mandatory registration scheme and planning reforms making it easier to deal with these problems."
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