The Eastern Daily Press reports how new figures reveal the rapid expansion of 'Airbnb-next-the-Sea', as growing numbers of landlords on the Norfolk coast turn to the online portal to rent out their properties

Campaigners fear the sharp rise is fuelling a housing crisis in parts of the county, where homes which could be occupied by local families are turned into far more lucrative holiday lets.

Around half of the properties in some villages on the north Norfolk coast are now holiday rentals, and some areas have been dubbed Airbnb-next-the-Sea, because of the impact the phenomenon is having locally.

Chris Bailey, national campaign manager for lobby group Action on Empty Homes, said:

"Councils need improved powers to prevent properties being switched from primary residential use to short let or second home status and used as Airbnbs rather than as homes.

"This depletes housing stock and allows investors to outbid local buyers on average incomes pushing up both purchase and rental prices.

"It's time the government allowed councils to take back control of local housing, instead of allowing it to become just another asset in a globalising property market, where both newbuild and existing homes are frequently purchased by those who have no intention of living in them."

The new data comes as the Campaign for the Preservation of Rural England (CPRE) warned that booming numbers of holiday lets were "strangling" rural communities and "crippling the residential rentals market".

"The problem is most acute in staycation hotspots, where hundreds of homes previously available to rent to local people have been switched to short-stay holiday rentals," it said.

"The worsening housing crisis – which is particularly acute in rural areas – has seen thousands of families added to social housing waiting lists."

Full article:

The Eastern Daily Press - How Airbnb-next-the-Sea is taking over the Norfolk coast

The Campaign for the Preservation of Rural England (CPRE) is a member of the Rural Services Network.  You can find out more about them at this link.