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Today (22nd May), Labour’s London Assembly Housing Spokesperson, Tom Copley AM, has written to the Mayor of London urging a ban on advertisements that encourage landlords to flout the 90-day annual limit for short-term lettings in London.

In a letter, Mr Copley argues that allowing a property management company such as Hostmaker to appear on the Transport for London (TfL) networks is “sending the wrong message” when regulation should be tightened in the expanding home-sharing sector.

Under current regulations put in place under the Deregulation Act 2015, it is illegal for landlords to rent out their homes in the capital for more than 90 nights a year on short-term lets unless they obtain specific planning permission from their local council.

A recent investigation by the BBC found that Hostmaker, alongside a number of other short-term lettings management companies, are offering services to help landlords evade the 90-day limit.

In his letter to the Mayor, Copley argued that the limit is “vital” in preventing an increasing number of London properties becoming “permanent holiday homes…at time of housing crisis in our city.”

With the issue being raised, Mr Copley cites TfL’s advertising policy states that they “will not accept” adverts on their estate that do not comply with the law.

Alongside banning advertisements from Hostmaker, Mr Copley has called on the Mayor to go further and update TfL’s advertising policy to only allow advertisements from short-term letting management companies if they have implemented a voluntary cap to enforce the 90-day limit.

Copley said: “The current 90-day limit law is a vital measure that is stemming the growing tide of London properties being turned into permanent holiday homes.

“With a burgeoning housing crisis in London, it is unacceptable that unscrupulous companies, such as Hostmaker, which encourage landlords to flout the law are being allowed to advertise on the TfL network.

“This is sending the wrong message, when we should be focussing on tightening regulation in the expanding home-sharing sector in the capital to prevent long-term rented housing for Londoners being lost to holiday lets for tourists.

“I hope the Mayor carefully considers the proposals in my letter for TfL to reject adverts from property management companies that have no interest in enforcing the law,” he added.

At the end of 2016, Airbnb announced its plans to voluntarily introduce a 90-day limit on ‘entire home’ listings in the Greater area.

As reported by 24housing, last month, the Mayor called upon the government to introduce a short-term letting registration system in the capital.