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<p>The Government has stated its clear intent to use the Deregulation Bill to help
reform the outdated provisions of section 25 of the Greater London Council (General
Powers) Act 1973.</p><p> </p><p>Londoners who want to rent out their homes for less
than 90 consecutive days, such as through a service like Airbnb, technically still
have to pay to apply for planning permission from their council – something that does
not apply anywhere else in the country. These provisions caused controversy during
the 2012 Olympics, and are irregularly enforced by different London boroughs leading
to confusion.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>We want to change this archaic system
by giving Londoners the freedom to rent out their homes on a temporary basis, such
as when they are on holiday, without having to deal with unnecessary red tape and
the bureaucracy of paying of a municipal permit. The internet is changing the way
we work and live, and the law needs to catch up.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>The
measure will not allow homes to be turned into hotels or hostels – this would still
require ‘change of use’ planning permission, and measures will be put in place to
prevent abuse of such reforms or the permanent loss of residential accommodation.</p><p>
</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Such reforms will benefit London’s strong tourism industry
by expanding the pool of competitively priced accommodation, and allow families to
earn some extra cash when they themselves go away on holiday.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>
</p><p>Such reforms would follow changes introduced last year to make it easier for
residents to rent out an unused home parking space to earn extra money, helping expand
the availability of parking options for commuters and visitors.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>
</p><p>We are planning to publish the Government’s formal response to the consultation
on the <em>Review of Property Conditions in the Private Rented Sector</em>; we will
also publish details of our proposed approach to the detail of the underlying secondary
legislation ahead of Lords Report debate on the enabling primary legislation.</p><p>
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