Plans to end no-fault evictions look set to be scrapped under Liz Truss’ premiership, leading to concerns that the surge in holiday lets cannot be slowed in the Lake District National Park.
During his tenure as Levelling-Up Secretary, Michael Gove set out plans to end no-fault evictions in this Parliamentary session.
However, according to The Times, Prime Minister Liz Truss is set to scrap the plans, or at least delay. The move has been criticised as supporting unscrupulous landlords and the surge of holiday lets in tourism hotspots.
Tony Lywood, Cumbria County Council’s elected member of Keswick said: “From my point of view, we should be giving as much protection as we possibly can to tenants. At this time, they’re saying huge increases in fuel, gas, electricity and also a runaway inflation rate.”
Picturesque areas of the UK like the Lake District National Park are seeing an exponential rise in holiday lets with no permanent local resident. While it is acknowledged that holiday lets are an important part of the economy in places like Keswick and Penrith, councillors and residents are concerned that their rise is eroding the number of homes available for purchase by families and young couples. They say that it is driving local people out of their community.
And Cllr Lywood said that scrapping plans to end no-fault evictions will exacerbate this problem.
“Particularly for the Lake District National Park, it makes it easier for those who buy houses with tenants in, to evict their tenants and change them into holiday lets.”
Cllr Lywood said that it seems to reduce protections for tenants of resident accommodation “that should be resisted by us.”
He said it would mean landlords can just decide to take houses off the market and change them into a business.
Holiday lets receive support with their bills as small businesses do and they are not subject to council tax because they have no permanent resident. This means that their rise impacts the income of the local authority.
The Lake District National Park Authority has called on the Government to take strong action against the rise of holiday lets.
It follows news that the Government may introduce a registration system so that the number of lets in an area can be monitored.
