Letting flats on airbnb has triggered the council with threats!

Letting flats on airbnb has triggered the council with threats!

0:03 AM, 1st August 2023, About 10 months ago 15

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Hello, having just returned from a relaxing holiday, I came home to open the post and find a filthy letter from the council about a property I own, a block of flats in Brighton (licensed HMO). I own this building outright, no mortgage or leases and it comprises 9 flats in total of which I have recently (since last September) started to let two of the studios out on Booking.com and Airbnb. This is the letter:

I’m writing to you as the council has received complaints that some of the rooms at an address in Brighton are being rented out as short-term holiday accommodation.

There is no planning permission in place for holiday accommodation. To establish certain facts about this breach of planning control, I have enclosed a Planning Contravention Notice containing a number of questions, which you are required to answer fully, to the best of your knowledge.

Please note it is a criminal offence not to respond to this Planning Contravention Notice within 21 days of the date you receive it, and it is also a criminal offence to provide false information within your response to this Notice. You are welcome to submit additional evidence that you may have to support your responses, including photos.

Upon receipt of the completed Planning Contravention Notice, I will review the responses provided and write to you again to update you on how this investigation is likely to be progressed.

To prevent further enforcement action if you cease this unauthorised use, then no further enforcement action will be taken.

Thank you for your co-operation in this matter.

Any advice on this? I am appalled and have told them so. Their letter comes with a threat of a £5,000 fine and/or 2 years imprisonment!

I am truly disgusted by what our councils are doing to us when we are bringing revenue into the towns and they are public servants, ie ‘they serve us’. We are being made to feel like criminals!

Thanks,

Karen


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Comments

Clare Dundas

20:15 PM, 7th August 2023, About 9 months ago

Hi, I just want to say that I'm really sorry you're having to contend with all of this from your local council. You own your property. You paid for it. It is yours. How did it happen that local councils can dictate how, what, when you can or must do X Y Z ?
Yes, yes, I get it ... there have to be rules and regulations in place to avoid everyone turning their property into hassle free Airbnb destinations. But honestly, the letter, the tone of it, who the f#### do they think they are?! What powers are bestowed upon them to warrant such arrogance? Too many, too much, if this is the poor end result. They all appear to have total ignorance of the longterm consequences of their actions. Rather than regarding and treating landlords as the anti-Christ, (anyone with any sense can see where the heaps of costly and restrictive legislations will lead), you would hope that someone somewhere had a brain and would think 'hang on, we need this lot' and act accordingly. The power is, actually, ours, in that the private landlord sector is huge and we are vitally important. Think of it. Without us, what's the picture?

GlanACC

7:22 AM, 8th August 2023, About 9 months ago

I had several reminder letters from the council of my rented property (Derby) over non payment of council tax. I duly ignored them. After two years (yes 2 years !!) the bailifff turned up at my HOME address demanding payment. Was a very nice chap, I let him in and offered him a cup of tea then showed him a letter and a copy of a follow up letter that I had sent to the council telling them I had SOLD the property two years ago, along with evidence of the completion statement from the solicitor. The bailiff muttered something about w**nkers and left. What was likely the cause - well most of the council staff were working from home.

anthony altman

17:15 PM, 19th February 2024, About 3 months ago

Unfortunately in the UK councils are totally unaccountable ,
It is not acceptable for them to abuse torture and terrorise parents and their children for their own amusement.
The increasingly vicious level of hate crime leaves us terrified for our children's safety
That is why so many families are shutting their businesses down and moving to safety No child or parent should be forced to endure this inhuman and degrading treatment .
It is when you move to another country that you realise the level of abuse we have been victim of in the UK

GlanACC

18:33 PM, 19th February 2024, About 3 months ago

If the property is a registered HMO and you have let 2 flats as an AirBNB then I am not surprised you have received this 'summons'

David

10:41 AM, 20th February 2024, About 3 months ago

If any of the flats are leasehold you should also check the terms of the lease. Most will preclude the use of the property as anything other than a private residence. Even though you are the freeholder, you would still have to abide by the terms of the leases.

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