The Short Term Accommodation Association has accused councils of cracking down on short-term rental stock rather than concentrating on bringing empty homes back into use.
Some 58% of local authority areas have more long-term vacant homes than holiday lets, analysis from the association shows, despite holiday lets commonly being blamed for dwindling long-term rental stock.
Andy Fenner, chief executive of the STAA, said: “Holiday lets are not to blame for the housing crisis, but rather the blame lies with councils allowing homes to sit idle. Holiday lets create much-needed jobs in communities up and down the country, empty homes produce nothing.
“Most councils are sitting on so many long-term empty homes that they eclipse the numbers of holiday lets in their area. This is where policymakers should be looking to solve the housing crisis, not scapegoating an industry responsible for jobs and investment in areas that often have nothing else.
“This is rampant hypocrisy when councils across the UK are being encouraged to strangle this industry with council tax surcharges, planning requirements and licensing schemes. Empty homes benefit no one, and can even have negative effects on neighbours and local communities when left unattended and in disrepair, while short-term lets are a vibrant part of our tourist industry, bringing in visitors from around the world.
In some areas councils are limiting the number of short-term lets, while holiday lets will be subject to a harsher tax regime from April next year.
There are some tourist hotspots where empty homes dwarf holiday lets.
In Arun Borough, which includes the seaside town of Bognor Regis, there are over 400 long-term empty homes, 6.7 times more than the 66 holiday lets in the area.
Welsh councils like Caerphilly and the valleys of Rhondda Cynon Taf have over five times more empty homes than holiday lets, while the Highlands in Scotland have 4.4 times as many.
The biggest difference in raw numbers is in Aberdeen, where there are 4,370 more empty homes than holiday lets — 4.6 times more. These are thousands of properties that bring no value to the local community in Scotland’s third largest city.
Fenner added: “The way people are being demonised for letting out their homes to families who want to enjoy a holiday in the UK is outrageous, especially while empty homes are barely talked about as a problem. The housing crisis is a complex issue, and it cannot be solved overnight, but making use of our existing housing stock would be a great place to start.
“Tourism is something we should be proud of and encourage. This country has amazing cities, beautiful countryside and world class visitor attractions. Holiday lets allow people to explore all that this country has to offer. We should be helping them and protecting the thousands of jobs they support.”
