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I live in a building in Central London (Soho) that has 12 flats. We pay market rate for ours, that is supposed to help the housing association offset the cost o

I live in a building in Central London (Soho) that has 12 flats. We pay market rate for ours, that is supposed to help the housing association offset the cost of some of the other flats that are designated as social housing. Most of these flats are just constantly churning Airbnb guests in and out, some of the others have lodgers (also illegal, friend of mine lived in one of them, hence why I know). I don't know what to do with this information, but its such a shame that people are so comfortably scamming the government, when it's literally funded by all of us. EDIT: per the responses, I have called the council and they were very keen/interested. Thanks for your input.

vidarh 7y ago
Westminster council has a form to report potentially unauthorised short term letting: https://www.westminster.gov.uk/nightly-letting-complaints-form https://www.westminster.gov.uk/nightly-letting-complaints-fo... (It's not specific to council housing; if it's specifically council housing as opposed to the developer just agreeing to let it at a reduced rate, then they'll take an even dimmer view on it; if it's the developer or some management company then it's worth contacting them as well as it may impact their insurance etc.)
- Sholmesy 7y ago
  Right, I "know" what to do; but I don't know if it's "right" for me to get involved. Appreciate the link; I'll report it tonight.
  - chii 7y ago
    Yes, it is right. Nobody should privately profit like this from socially funded housing.
  - deleted 7y ago
    [deleted]
  - kshacker 7y ago
    It is not just your “right”, it is “right” to do so since it is your “duty”. Otherwise you are just subsidizing / helping law breakers, is it not?
  - vidarh 7y ago
    If it's just the occasional thing, I personally wouldn't get involved, but if it's going on enough for you to notice regularly it doesn't sound like that's the case.
marsRoverDev 7y ago
Pick up the phone and ring your local council right now - they all seem to have a different approach to this, but the person on the other end of the phone will have the answer for you. They will be very interested in the outcome of this.
jstanley 7y ago
Isn't it a good thing if there are lodgers in social housing? It means more people being housed, without the council having to do anything to make it happen.
- sokoloff 7y ago
  Presumably council housing is intended to house residents not pseudo-hotel guests. (I say that as a frequent AirBnB guest and overall supporter of the AirBnB/Uber/Lyft/VRBO/Homeaway/etc segment of the economy.)
  - jstanley 7y ago
    But a lodger is not a tourist using AirBnB, a lodger is a semi-permanent resident.

vidarh 7y ago

Westminster council has a form to report potentially unauthorised short term letting: https://www.westminster.gov.uk/nightly-letting-complaints-form https://www.westminster.gov.uk/nightly-letting-complaints-fo... (It's not specific to council housing; if it's specifically council housing as opposed to the developer just agreeing to let it at a reduced rate, then they'll take an even dimmer view on it; if it's the developer or some management company then it's worth contacting them as well as it may impact their insurance etc.)

Sholmesy 7y ago
Right, I "know" what to do; but I don't know if it's "right" for me to get involved. Appreciate the link; I'll report it tonight.
- chii 7y ago
  Yes, it is right. Nobody should privately profit like this from socially funded housing.
- deleted 7y ago
  [deleted]
- kshacker 7y ago
  It is not just your “right”, it is “right” to do so since it is your “duty”. Otherwise you are just subsidizing / helping law breakers, is it not?
- vidarh 7y ago
  If it's just the occasional thing, I personally wouldn't get involved, but if it's going on enough for you to notice regularly it doesn't sound like that's the case.

marsRoverDev 7y ago

Pick up the phone and ring your local council right now - they all seem to have a different approach to this, but the person on the other end of the phone will have the answer for you. They will be very interested in the outcome of this.

jstanley 7y ago

Isn't it a good thing if there are lodgers in social housing? It means more people being housed, without the council having to do anything to make it happen.

sokoloff 7y ago
Presumably council housing is intended to house residents not pseudo-hotel guests. (I say that as a frequent AirBnB guest and overall supporter of the AirBnB/Uber/Lyft/VRBO/Homeaway/etc segment of the economy.)
- jstanley 7y ago
  But a lodger is not a tourist using AirBnB, a lodger is a semi-permanent resident.