You are viewing 1 of your 1 free articles
London council working with Airbnb on social housing subletting crackdown
A high-profile London council has been given the legal green light to work with Airbnb to crack down on illegal subletting of social housing.
A high-profile London council has been given the legal green light to work with Airbnb to crack down on illegal sub-letting of social housing #UKhousingThe Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea (RBKC) said it has secured a court order to allow the US firm to share data with it for two estates in North Kensington.
The council, which is not naming the estates for legal reasons, said this will give it evidence of properties being potentially listed as holiday and short-term lets and allow it to pursue alleged fraudsters.
RBKC has been in the media spotlight since 2017 as the owner of Grenfell Tower.
It is understood that the council needed a court order to avoid breaking GDPR laws, which protect against data-sharing.
Read more
RBKC staff were ‘rabbits in headlights’ due to lack of structure in Grenfell response, inquiry hears
RBKC is believed to be the first council to work with Airbnb in this way and it is expected to pave the way for other local authorities to take similar action.
The council said it also working with Airbnb to “stamp out illegal subletting activity in social housing across the borough”.
Tenancy fraud costs the borough an average of £42,000 a year for each home, the council said.
Kim-Taylor Smith, lead member for housing at RBKC, said: “There is a huge demand for social housing in our borough and it’s simply not fair that people in genuine need are being denied a place to call home because others are illegally subletting their council properties to make money.
“Tenancy fraud is not a victimless crime. It costs the public purse an average of £42,000 a year for each home and this welcome collaboration with Airbnb will help us to clamp down on it in our borough.”
A number of significant cases of illegal subletting have emerged in recent years. In 2019, a Westminster Council tenant was evicted and ordered to pay more than £100,000 in fines by a court for letting out his home for years on Airbnb.
And last year a woman was ordered to pay more than £155,000 for letting out her flat owned by housing association Riverside.
Theo Lomas, head of government relations for Northern Europe at Airbnb, said: “Hosting in subsidised or social housing in the UK is illegal and has no place on Airbnb and we want to work with councils to remove social housing."
But he added: "The current situation is complex and costly, and requires a court order to avoid breaking GDPR rules."
Earlier this month, RBKC said it recovered four homes, one of which was being illegally sublet for several years.
Around the same time, the council was found liable in a civil case for the effects of the Grenfell Tower tragedy on nine people, including four who died in the fire. The authority has also been heavily criticised during the Grenfell Tower Inquiry.
Related stories
