The UK government has announced a review into the effect of short-term holiday lettings sector with the aim to improve the holiday letting market and in particular for those living in popular tourism destinations.

The scheme aims to address issues arising from increases in short-term and holiday lets in England, and could involve physical checks of premises to ensure regulations in areas including health and safety, noise and anti-social behaviour are obeyed.

Further measures the Government is considering include a registration ‘kitemark’ scheme with spot checks for compliance with rules on issues such as gas safety, a self-certification scheme for hosts to register with before they can operate, and better information or a single source of guidance setting out the legal requirements for providers.

The government’s Tourism Minister Nigel Huddleston said: “We’ve seen huge growth in the range of holiday accommodation available over the last few years. We want to reap the benefits of the boom in short-term holiday lets while protecting community interests and making sure England has high-quality tourist accommodation.

“While no decisions have (yet) been taken, this review will help us work out the options to look at so we can protect our much-loved communities and thriving holiday industry.”