The Residential Landlords Association (RLA) has called on the Mayor of London Sadiq Khan (pictured) to pull advertisements encouraging landlords to use their properties as tourist lets.
RLA research shows that short-term letting has already had a significant impact on the number of homes to rent available to Londoners and has the potential to push up rents.
The figures show listings on the short term lettings site, Airbnb, increased by 60% to 53,000 listings in the capital in the 12 months to 2017 alone and the popularity of these sites shows no sign of abating.
David Smith, policy director for the Residential Landlords Association, said: “While people have the right to do what they want with their properties, the movement of homes from the long-term to short-term lettings sector is damaging to communities and to the supply of homes to rent for ordinary Londoners.
“The sentiment of these advertisements contradicts the Mayor's own policy on short-term lettings, and we call for their swift removal.”
Laws limit the number of days homes in London can be let on a short-term basis to 90 nights a year to prevent homes being taken from the long term rental market, with Airbnb making a firm commitment to enforcing these rules.
London Assembly member Tom Copley has now written to Khan asking for the advertisements to be removed, with a petition on the issue attracting more than 600 signatures.
