Westminster Amenity Societies Forum calls for action on short-term lets

The Westminster Amenity Societies Forum has written to the Government welcoming the announcement that the national register of short-term lets will be operational by March 2027.

In a letter written by Rachel Blake MP, the Forum highlights the impact of unlawful short-term letting on Westminster’s residential communities and calls for stronger measures to protect permanent homes and residents’ quality of life.

The Forum is urging the Government to ensure that the new register:

• Gives councils access to property-level data and total letting nights across all platforms.
• Requires registration numbers on all online listings, with platforms removing non-compliant properties.
• Prevents exemptions from undermining London’s 90-night letting limit.
• Requires appropriate safety standards and an accessible 24-hour contact for neighbours.
• Provides fees sufficient to fund local authority enforcement.
• Works alongside stronger planning controls, including the proposed C5 use class and Article 4 powers.
• Includes early consultation with residents’ and amenity societies.

The Forum supports Westminster’s tourism economy but stresses that it must not come at the expense of permanent housing or the wellbeing of local residents.

It has offered to meet Government officials and provide evidence from its member societies across the borough.

We would welcome RSMSJ members’ comments and experiences of short-term letting in Mayfair and St James's. Have you experienced noise, antisocial behaviour, frequent changes of occupants or other problems? Have you raised concerns with the Westminster City Council, and if so, what response did you receive?

Please share your experiences with us on info@rsmsj.com and consider writing directly to our MP Rachel Blake, so that the views and evidence of residents across Westminster can help inform the Government’s approach.

Your experiences matter in making the case for much more effective regulation and protecting Westminster’s residential communities like ours.