Hopes For A Decent Rented Home In Brighton and Hove Dwindle Due To Supply Issues
Brighton and Hove is in the midst of a severe supply crisis for rental homes. The Housing Strategy Report has finally been obtained by Brighton and Hove Housing Coalition and the data reveals a few surprise changes which is sadly bad news for renters in the city.
Yesterday we exclusively told you about Joe Walker’s frustration at the lack of supply of new rental properties in Brighton and Hove. Joe who works for the NHS locally asked a question at this week’s at the Housing Committee.
Brighton and Hove Housing Coalition Interim Co-Chair Charles Harrison raised concerns after no Housing Strategy Report has been published
Brighton and Hove is in the midst of a severe supply crisis for rental homes. The Housing Strategy Report has finally been obtained by Brighton and Hove Housing Coalition and the data reveals a few surprise changes which is sadly bad news for renters in the city.
Yesterday we exclusively told you about Joe Walker’s frustration at the lack of supply of new rental properties in Brighton and Hove. Joe who works for the NHS locally asked a question at this week’s at the Housing Committee.
Brighton and Hove Housing Coalition Interim Co-Chair Charles Harrison raised concerns after no Housing Strategy Report has been published publicly since 2019.
Cllr Siriol Hugh-Jones the co-chair of the Housing Committee said
“I have to say air-BnB is a great frustration to us and really we need a change of national legislation to control so many family homes lost to air-bnb”.
"I have to say air-BnB is a great frustration to us and really we need a change of national legislation to control so many family homes lost to air-bnb"
Changes in the number of rented properties for the last five years in Brighton & Hove
It is worth noting that the report indicates this is a pandemic issue, however, Brighton and Hove News in Sept 2022 reported that
“The number of holiday lets has doubled in Brighton and Hove in five years and has helped fuel higher rents and more noise complaints, according to a new report.
The report, to members of Brighton and Hove City Council, said that 3,340 local properties and 1,568 rooms were listed on the Airbnb website last month”.
The data above and the report from the council’s Tourism, Equalities, Communities and Culture Committee does seem to back up the claims made by NHS Worker Joe Walker.
Brighton and Hove Labour Group Presented an amendment to a notice of motion on Short-Term Lets.
Therefore, this Council resolves to:
1) Request a report to come to next TECC Committee which provides updates on the report from March 20, including new legislation in Wales, changes in tax policy, and suggestions made by AirBnB themselves
2) Submit a response to the government’s call for evidence
3) Request the Chief Executive write to the Housing Secretary, lobbying for powers to;
- Designate a minimum percentage of rented housing to be reserved for long-term lets, and place a cap on the number of holiday lets
- Introduce a licensing scheme similar to that laid out by the Welsh Government, to not only limit the number of second homes and holiday lets, but to ensure fair taxation is extracted from them
- Change planning laws to require landlords wishing to convert their property into a holiday let to have to apply for change of use to a new class use for holiday lets
In the meeting Councillor, Grimshaw raised that
"this Amendment would be a chance to send out a powerful message that work is being done to combat short-term lets in the city"
Average number rented flats advertised April 2021 to March 2022.
This data shows the number the average number of rented flats during monthly snapshots during 2021/22. 12% were Studios, just 31 advertised, this is a fall of 69% on 2020/21 when Covid restrictions were worse for the rental market.
The data for 1-bed flats shows a 64% decline, and 2-bed flats saw a decline of 51% for advertised properties monthly on average.
Who is buying Homes in Brighton and Hove?
Reports often state that 5000 Londoners relocate to Brighton and Hove on an Annual Basis. Are these people really from London or are they shells for Hedgefunders and Money from Tax Havens, of which much needs investigating in terms of where the source money coming from?
We know Temporary Accommodation Providers such as Baron Homes Corporation are changing tact and letting for short-term lets instead of homeless now they have made vast millions from council procurement contracts, which have helped them to gain over £100m in property assets in the city, including Priory House, a former council housing customer service office, which are now advertised for £250 per night on Air BNB.
I myself exposed the links to Panama Papers and tax havens in a documentary with BBC’s File-on-Four Investigative Journalism Radio Show, and as Simon Cox Stated by Stats add up.
Is over privatisation causing a massive supply bubble
Cllr Hugh-Jones went on to say “I would say that the private rented housing stock in Brighton and Hove is amongst the highest in the country. Of the 333 Local Authorities in England, Brighton and Hove has the 14th highest proportion of privately rented accommodation”
Brighton and Hove is in a building boom, planning approvals are at record highs, developers are getting away with not providing 40% Affordable Homes, which with the average house prices are not affordable for many and most of the affordable homes are shared ownership, not affordable rents.
The council is not counteracting this trend by building council homes at social rents to provide supply for those on lower incomes, of which they are significantly more poorer as a result of this week’s autumn statement and the real terms inflation when you include housing and rent rises, which are as much as 16% higher year on year.
Are you struggling to find a room or flat to rent or buy in Brighton and Hove?
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