UK: Airbnb has kicked off a roadshow in major cities across the UK to consult on proposals for a clear, modern and simple registration system for short-term rentals in collaboration with hosts, communities and politicians.
The UK does not currently have a registration scheme for short-term lets, and some local authorities and politicians have stated that a registration system run by the government is essential to managing home sharing effectively.
Airbnb claims to have been the first platform to automatically restrict how often London hosts can share their homes to support the local 90-day hosting limit. It has also backed calls from the Mayor of London to introduce a registration system in the capital to ensure that these rules are applied fairly and equally to hosts on all platforms.
Through the roadshow, Airbnb will continue the work and engage with major cities across the UK on the proposals.
Airbnb announced its plans to work with UK cities on host registration proposals in September.
The company has since appointed Dr. Marina Novelli, professor of tourism and international development at the University of Brighton, as an independent academic advisor for the project, and BritainThinks to support the coordination of the nine roundtables, manage an online form for digital submissions, and develop a white paper of recommendations that will be presented to the government in June.
Patrick Robinson, director of public policy at Airbnb, said: “We want to be good partners to cities and work together on a clear and simple host registration system that works for everyone and makes communities stronger. Airbnb has long led the way on home-sharing rules in London.
“Now we want to work with cities across the UK on proposals that work for them too,” he added.
Professor Novelli said: “Airbnb has a desire to develop its relationships with local communities and work with government, policy makers and city leaders to develop a host registration system that is accessible and effective. This project allows us to explore all the options available.”
The first roadshow event will take place in Brighton today, with upcoming locations including London, Cardiff, Plymouth, Bristol and Bath, Manchester and Liverpool, Birmingham, and Glasgow over the next three months.
New data from Airbnb has shown that more than 2,700 British cities, towns and villages now welcome guests from around the world – including nearly 11,000 traditional hospitality businesses such as B&Bs that also host on the platform. Airbnb is helping to spread the benefits of the UK’s tourism industry by dispersing visitors away from the beaten track with an additional 100 towns and cities hosting Airbnb guests compared to July 2018.
For more information, visit the Airbnb website here.
