Brighton & Hove City Council has voted through a series of restrictive measures targeting short-term holiday lets, sparking concern among property owners who fear the policy may unfairly penalise landlords operating responsibly.

The measures—approved this week—include tighter planning controls, new zoning restrictions, and calls for a national change in how short-term lets are classified. The aim, councillors say, is to “rebalance” the city’s housing market. But many landlords argue the changes will have unintended consequences, especially for those already meeting legal obligations and providing quality accommodation.

Council backs limits on new short lets
Under the revised city plan, Brighton & Hove Council will now require that new-build homes come with clauses banning full-time short-term letting, such as Airbnb-style rentals. Zones will also be introduced where developing new short-term lets will be restricted altogether.

In addition, the council agreed to lobby the secretary of state to create a new planning use class for short-term lets, stripping them of permitted development rights. This would mean landlords would need specific permission to operate a short let in the future—a marked departure from the current system.

Councillors also voted to demand better data sharing across public authorities to ensure the addresses and owners of short-term lets can be tracked and enforced against, particularly where properties are not registered as businesses or compliant with tax and waste regulations.

Property owners fear overreach
While the measures are targeted at curbing “full-time” short lets that reduce the availability of long-term housing, landlords are warning that the crackdown risks being too broad-brush—hitting well-managed, part-time lets and small-scale investors unfairly.

Councillor Amanda Evans noted: “There are between 4,000 and 6,000 short-term let listings in the city, yet only about 400 are registered as businesses.” She said the rest may be breaching existing rules. But many landlords, particularly those letting rooms in their own homes or maintaining second homes for occasional rental, argue the policy fails to distinguish between casual and commercial operators.

Councillor Jacob Taylor defended the move, stating: “This is about saying ‘Have we currently got the right balance in the use of what were built as residential houses for use for the local population and for short-term lets?’ My sense is the answer is no.”

However, he was also at pains to stress the city’s support for tourism. “We’re very pro-tourism,” he said. “But it has to be managed in a way that doesn’t hollow out the housing stock for people who live and work here year-round.”

What’s next for landlords in Brighton?
The council also floated the idea of using parking permits for short-term lets as a new revenue stream—a move likely to face resistance in a city where parking is already notoriously limited. “In our city we have zones that are very, very tight parking zones with almost no capacity,” Taylor said. “We’d have to figure out what giving spaces and allocating spaces for in relation to short-term lets would look like.”

For landlords, this latest local crackdown adds to growing national pressure on short-term lets. In other parts of England, such as Cornwall and North Devon, councils are exploring similar measures. The government has also proposed licensing schemes and a mandatory national register—though implementation details remain vague.

Councillor Evans summed up the urgency from the council’s perspective: “If you build a million new houses a year it’s not much use to you if 90% of the ones that you’re building in tourist areas like Brighton and Hove end up being short-term lets. Local areas must be given more ability to manage their own areas.”