Developing a tourist accommodation registration scheme in England

The UK government’s Tourism Recovery Plan committed to consulting on the introduction of a tourist accommodation registration scheme in England. The purpose of this call for evidence is to gather the information and data necessary to develop proportionate, evidence-based policy options for that consultation.

The Tourism Recovery Plan sets out how the government will support a swift recovery from the pandemic and help the tourism industry move toward a more accessible, innovative, resilient and sustainable model. To achieve this, we will need to ensure England maintains a safe and competitive guest accommodation offer.

The scale and nature of England’s guest accommodation offer has changed significantly over the last 10 to 15 years, driven primarily by the growth of online platforms. This has led to a significant number of new entrants into the market, particularly owners of what would otherwise be residential premises offering short-term and holiday lets.

Whilst the sharing economy brings many benefits to the tourism sector, the rise in short-term and holiday letting has also prompted a range of concerns. These include the impact on the housing market and questions around health and safety standards. Many other countries and cities have introduced measures in recent years to address some of these concerns and the government believes the time is now right to look at the situation in England.

This call for evidence seeks views and data on the size and shape of the market, as well as the positive and negative impacts of short term lets. This information will enable the government to develop proportionate, evidence-based policy options for future consultation

This call for evidence is open to everyone and will run for 12 weeks. The government then intends to consult on specific policy options later in 2022.