New research from Rye and District Chamber of Commerce suggests there could be over 500 Airbnbs in Rye and Camber – more than twice the number officially registered for business rates.
The scale of holiday lets was analysed by the Chamber using data from its members, online travel agents, local booking agents, Rye’s estate agents and the Valuation Office Agency.
The new information was shown to a Rother District Council committee examining the extent of the issue and possible solutions on Monday February 17. During an hour long presentation RDC’s Airbnb Task and Finish Working Group heard getting an exact number of holiday lets is almost impossible because of the different ways the sector is regulated.
Sarah Broadbent, vice-chair of Rye Chamber of Commerce says there’s a lack of hard data. “Many properties are run as businesses, registered for business rates and are fully compliant without necessarily being used for second homes at all. Others may also be
fully compliant with rules and regulations but used by owners as a second home when not filled with paying guests. The ‘grey area’ is solo holiday let owners who may have up to five properties on Airbnb at very low commission rates and may not be compliant with safety regulations, public liability, or waste management regulations.”
She urged the working party to proceed with caution. “The available data isn’t clear cut and unless further work is done to drill down on the numbers then it’s unfeasible to consider what moves could be made by the local authority that might affect positive change without risking the economy of the town. In short – the Chamber argue – be careful what you wish for.”
You can read more about the Chamber’s research here
The Task and Finish Group is now asking for local people’s opinions on Airbnbs and holiday lets in Rye, Winchelsea and Camber in an online consultation. Click here to take part.
Monday’s Rye Town Council meeting voted that Anthony Kimber, the co-ordinator of the Rye Neighbourhood Plan, should represent it during discussions with the committee.
Meanwhile, a new report into housing development in Rother is also out for consultation. A spokesperson for the council says they now have a draft strategy ready for final feedback. “Rother needs more new homes for its population, both affordable and for the wider housing market. The council wants to encourage new developments that will meet local needs. The council wants to support local and regional businesses and organisations that all play a part in bringing forward new housing developments.”
The consultation continues until the end of March. You can read the Housing Development Strategy and comment on it here.
Image Credits: Kt bruce , Rye Chamber of Commerce .
500 . Five hun _dread ! That’s how I feel about it _dread ! Don’t get me wrong I believe there is a need for airbnb in rye but 500 ?? It completely sucks the life out of a community. Like I’ve said before and I will keep saying it then needs to be a limit
There is absolutely no feasible way this statistic is correct. It’s a scare mongering tactic. We should be proud that so many people want to visit our beautiful town. Residents will only complain when shops have to shut or bars close as nobody is visiting. I certainly don’t see many residents in January!! Let people come, what harm is there – really?
I’ll take this with a pinch of salt. A simple search on AirBnB for various weeks in March, April, May and June show there’s around 12 increasing to 75 properties (in the warmer months) available in Rye. I accept not all holiday rentals are on AirBnB, but most are. And just because someone does rent out their home, it doesn’t mean they do it all year round. There are supposedly around 1,000 properties available in Camber, though most are huts/cabins/mobile home/caravans.
The unhealthily large percentage of AirBnB type properties and second homes in Rye has contributed to ripping the heart and soul out of the town. Apart from the 2 pharmacies and the bakery, the high street offers very little to the locals as it is geared to serving visitors/tourists. Sure Rye is a quaint picturesque town, but we should not lose sight of the fact it is the residents that make it the lovely place it is.
I would like to see a system where ALL holiday rentals need to apply for permission, meet safety standards and be properly insured. Their numbers should also be strictly limited. I would also like to see owners of these holiday lets and second homes pay more council tax which could be used to cover the funding crisis we have for amenities like our public toilets. Of course, the owners of these properties will cry about the cost. However, considering the annual income from a well run AirBnB is around 3 times more than renting the same property on a standard tenancy, it’s not like they can’t afford to pay 3 times the normal council tax.
Hear, hear, Rob. In Hastings Old Town very little is left of our remaining community, which used to be fishing families. Properties are currently left empty, after being ‘snapped up’ by those from affluent areas who have now become bored with the lack of character that it once had. Whereas one would know each and every person while we were out walking, strangers totally ignore us and it’s hard to tell who lives here and who doesn’t. Our pubs have been forced to raise their prices and sell food in order to survive; not many proper pubs left where locals can sit at the bar and enjoy a drink with friends. The empty properties will now be up for sale, at prices way too high for young families etc who grew up here, therefore they will remain empty. When I voice my opinions to those who either visit, or have recently decamped from London etc, they reply “But the town NEEDS our income”, I remind them that as residents, we support those businesses who deserve it all year round: we have no need for scented candles and the fripperies which several shops provide for wealthy visitors.
Have you seen a normal high street (one which is not underpinned by tourism) these days. Miserable places with board ed up empty units. The idea that the high street will be replaced by ‘useful’ shops is a fantasy unless your needs can be fully met by take-away Chicken Wings. Last week i mostly stayed in, watched tv, had a pizza, cooked food from supermarket and went for a beer one night. My friends visited at the weekend and spent like crazy eating out, buying ‘stuff’ and even buying £500 worth of furniture at the antique shops near the station. This is what we need. My resident spending just won’t sustain the town. It sounds like you are going up to these people and picking arguments with them but they do a lot for this thriving town.
I was actually referring to my home town, Hastings Old Town and not Rye. I most certainly am not ‘going up to these people and picking arguments with them’! That is an insult. The majority of us who remain in the community feel the same and the fact that an increasing number of properties bought by people who don’t live here are being left empty – derelict in a couple of cases – resent being overcharged in shops, pubs etc.
I don’t believe the Council tax premium on ‘visitors with homes’ will resolve the problem of lack of accommodation for locals.
Short holiday term lets and Airbnb are the main culprits for snapping up available properties, people who want to make a bob or two – locals as well as out-of-towners. They will have no incentive to relinquish a property.
Second home – shall we say visitor-owners – on the other hand will experience a dilemma about their property. It’s not so simple to just sell up and go. And why should they? These owners are frequently and regularly at their beloved ‘also-home’ and have an all-year-round enduring commitment to an area which may go back many years. They pay full council tax, support local business, employ local trades when work is needed, support local and community events, bring family and friends to visit the area, and become involved members of their community.
These owners often buy quirky, run down properties in locations that aren’t so marketable and the refurbished dwelling will, in time, be returned to the market where it will again be available to the people who didn’t want to buy or rent it the first time round.
Except in emergency situations Second Homers don’t take appointments from overstretched NHS doctors, dentists or hospital services; they don’t compete for school or elder care places; they are not taking local jobs, RDC won’t even have the bother of processing their bus passes.
I hope the council will consider that many different circumstances apply to second homes and not disproportionately punish one section of the community.
Sadly we have to accept Rye is not a town for young families anymore,thanks too outsiders snapping up everything that comes on the market within weeks.where did it all go wrong even our once social housing bought by local families given the choice to buy by Margaret thatcher aee now being bought by strangers,never again will we see the camaraderie that once existed on tilling green and kings avenue, now just memories of the time when Rye was a real community.