A London city councillor is looking to put the issue of short-term accommodations back in the spotlight at city hall.
Ward 9 Coun. Anna Hopkins plans to put forward a motion during Tuesday’s community and protective services committee meeting requesting that staff look into the possibility of regulating short-term rentals.
Hopkins told Global News Radio 980 CFPL that there are currently no regulations surrounding temporary accommodations purchased through short-term rental platforms such as Airbnb and HomeAway.
“I think there’s been an increase in Airbnb and HomeAway rentals,” Hopkins said.
“If there are regulations that we can put in place, I’d like a report back from staff to see what that would look like.”
The planned motion from Hopkins comes in the wake of an after-graduation party in June that reportedly caused $80,000 in damage to a south London home rented through Airbnb, resulting in charges being laid against seven people, according to London police.
“I’m starting to hear a lot more concerns from constituents with these large parties and who’s responsible and how their communities are changing,” Hopkins said.
The city councillor says she’s also concerned about how short-term rentals contribute to the city’s affordable housing issues with units being taken off the market.
London is currently dealing with an affordable housing crisis, and numerous flaws found in a recent review of the city’s operations led to a governance overhaul for two city-owned housing agencies last month.
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