£19k rental in Belfast prompts calls for regulation of short-term holiday lets to protect local housing availability.
Ruth Brooks says over 10,000 Belfast residents need homes. People struggle to find affordable places to live, often staying with friends or in crowded homes. They cannot reach their potential without a home.
Brooks found a Holywood Road rental costing £19,000 for two adults, from June to August. She says East Belfast is a great place to live, but many can’t afford private rent or social housing here.
Housing problems affect lives in Belfast. HMOs have housing rules, but Airbnbs are tourism. Tourism NI checks Airbnb quality, not quantity. Brooks wants the Economy Minister to add rules to help local renters.
She asks why rent long-term if Airbnb pays more. HMO laws limit them to 10% per street. Airbnb has no limit because it isn’t an HMO. The Economy Minister promised to review laws in August 2024.
Housing plans differ because rentals are considered tourism, and they fall under the Department for the Economy. This creates a loophole, and some blame foreigners for inflated prices. She says short-term rentals are the core problem.
Rentals aren’t counted as private or social housing. A Belfast woman and her kids moved far away to places like Coleraine, Castlederg and Newry. Belfast lacks temporary housing because rentals pay more.