DCMS signs £2m deal for new holiday lets digital registration regime – PublicTechnology
The department in charge of the new online regime that will require owners offering stays at properties via Airbnb and other platforms has awarded a key contract to progress development
Government has signed a near-£2m deal to deliver the new mandatory digital registration regime for those who offer stays at their properties via sites like Airbnb.
The need for owners of holiday rental properties to sign up for government-managed “mandatory national registers” was one of a range of new rules for the short-term lets (STL) sector announced15 months ago by the previous administration. The aim of the measures was to prevent “local residents… from being pushed out of their communities”.
At the time, the Department for Culture, Media and Sport’s tourism minister Julia Lopez said that “the registration scheme should be designed to be as light touch, low cost and simple to use as possible”. She added that the initiative would “be delivered primarily online and suggested that it may include a threshold below which people will not be required to register.
“We will begin by conducting an initial phase of digital development which will test how the scheme is best delivered and administered,” she said in February 2024. “The findings will inform the detailed design of a scheme.”
The new online registration process has previously been expected to launch sometime in 2025.
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Recently published commercial documentation reveals that, a little over three months into the year, DCMS signed a £1.8m agreement with supplier Made Tech to support the ongoing delivery of the “STL registration scheme”. The contract, which began on 9 April and runs for 12 months, will cover the crucial beta phase of the project – which typically culminates in the first public users of a new digital tool.
The contract-award notice says: “The Department for Culture, Media and Sport requires a supplier to provide a multi-disciplinary team to support DCMS deliver a beta phase of the digital development work.”
The register was conceived as a tool to enable local councils to better understand the scale of the short-term lets in their area, and the impact the sector is having on property and community. The database will also support authorities in ensuring compliance with health and safety and other regulatory requirements for property owners. The plans will not apply to hotels, hostels, or bed and breakfasts.