Oxford City Council has said the Government's proposals on limiting short lets "fall a long way short of what's needed" and "will do nothing to put right an already serious problem for our city".
The Department of Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (DLUHC) proposed regulations for the booming short-let sector on Monday, February 19.
Key to these proposals is the introduction of a new planning class, requiring individuals to secure planning permission before letting entire properties as short lets.
The City Council has lobbied for such changes since 2018.
However, the new regulations would only apply to future short lets while granting automatic permission to existing ones.
This, the Council argues, will not alleviate problems like illegal and antisocial behaviour in party houses or pop-up brothels, nor will it halt the loss of hundreds of homes for those wishing to live permanently in Oxford.
Councillor Susan Brown, leader of Oxford City Council, said: "This is a classic case of closing the stable door after the horse has bolted.
"DLUHC's proposals fall a long way short of what's needed and will do nothing to put right an already serious problem for our city.
"We've been asking government for powers to regulate whole-property short lets for years.
"And while we welcome - finally - a new planning class to restrict more of them, how is it okay to ignore the many hundreds of homes now used as short lets and say they can carry on as they are?
"We want people to visit and stay in our amazing city. Oxford has so much to offer. But uncontrolled short lets are a blight on our communities, they deprive us of much-needed homes and deepen our affordability crisis."
In its response to a DLUHC consultation in 2023, the City Council suggested that planning permission should be required for short lets rented for more than 30 days per year.
In contrast, the new Government proposals stipulate that permission is only necessary for properties rented for 90 days or more per year, where it is the owner's primary residence.
The Council’s own planning enforcement actions aimed at preventing whole properties from being let as short lets could be undermined by the new proposals.
While data on short lets remains difficult to determine, the latest public data from AirDNA indicated 765 properties in Oxford being fully rented as short lets in July 2023.
That number has likely increased.
Further Government proposals include a national register of short lets, details of which are yet to be released.
The City Council has long called for a mandatory register, similar to their own licensing schemes for all private rented homes, to be controlled and ensured by councils.
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