Landlord (holed up in Russia) to pay £75,000 fine for illegal Airbnbs

A London landlord has been ordered to pay an unprecedented £75,000 plus costs after breaching planning regulations, by illegally converting two flats granted planning permission by Barnet Council in January 2016 to be used as ‘self-contained, single household’ homes, into short-term rental properties.

Advertised on platforms including Airbnb and Booking.com, they were used as short-term rentals for large groups who often used the accommodation for parties.

Following complaints about noise and anti-social behaviour, Barnet Council’s planning enforcement team inspected the properties and discovered both flats had been converted for commercial use without proper planning permission. The landlord tried to shift blame to his ‘long-term tenants’, claiming he was unaware of any short-term rentals.

Evidence showed at least 220 days of occupancy across the two flats in the first 10 months of 2024, in contravention of London rules about a maximum of 90 nights per calendar year.

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