Airbnb Kicks off Host Registration Roadshow in UK Cities
Last week we 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 policymakers, communities and local hosts.
The UK does not currently have a registration scheme for short-term lets, and some local authorities and politicians have stated that such a system run by the Government will help them manage home sharing, without eroding the benefits to families and small businesses.
We were the first platform to automatically restrict how often London hosts can share their homes to support the local 90-day hosting limit. We 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 this work and engage with major cities across the UK on these proposals.
We originally announced plans to work with UK cities on host registration proposals in September. Since then, we’ve appointed Dr. Marina Novelli, Professor of Tourism and International Development at the University of Brighton, as an independent academic advisor for the project, and consultancy BritainThinks to support the coordination of the nine roundtables, manage an online digital consultation process, and develop a white paper of recommendations that will be presented to the Government in June.
“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.”
Patrick Robinson, Director of Public Policy, at Airbnb
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.”
Dr. Marina Novelli, Professor of Tourism and International Development at the University of Brighton
The first roadshow event took place in Brighton on the 13th February, with upcoming locations including London, Cardiff, Plymouth, Bristol and Bath, Manchester and Liverpool, Birmingham, and Glasgow taking place over the next three months.
New data 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. We are 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.