Action is being taken against illegal short-term leisure lets in apartments across the city centre, including the South Bank and Riverside areas of Holbeck and Hunslet.
Cllr Mohammed Iqbal (Labour, Hunslet & Riverside) said:
“There has been a significant expansion in unapproved conversions of residential homes in the city centre apartment blocks to commercial short-term leisure lets, resulting in a significant weakening of block security in these locations, making it easier to steal parcels, and resulting in more anti-social behaviour noise complaints from actual residents, caused by some of the customers using these properties.”
Subject to the apartment blocks leasehold agreement or other contractual conditions, people renting their properties out for short periods, now and then, is permitted – if it remains their home for most of the year.
But councillors advised they are now seeing businesses and individuals either buying leaseholds or acting like a rental agency by managing the property on behalf of a leaseholder but running a hotel type operation instead. This is illegal without planning permission.
Planning enforcement is now taking place at multiple apartment developments and officers are taking action to close these illegal hotel operations. If residents are suffering from such illegal short-term lets, they are encouraged to contact the council so they can see if action is needed.
This post is based on a press release issued by Councillors Mohammed Iqbal and Paul Wray
Photo: Jeremy Morton
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How were these illegal lets allowed to happen in the first place ?