Calls for Airbnb lettings in Jersey to be regulated

• Video report by ITV Channel's Richard Pallot

Jersey's Economic Development Minister says Airbnb lettings in the island may need to be regulated to avoid negatively affecting housing availability for islanders.

The number of properties listed on the app has risen from 70 in 2016 to around 190 in 2021.

Senator Lyndon Farnham is concerned that some islanders are letting whole houses out to tourists continuously, and therefore limiting the number of properties which can be rented by people who live in Jersey.

He says Jersey is facing a "housing emergency" and that it is "not acceptable to let out whole properties on a permanent basis for visitors when we need the housing stock for islanders".

While Airbnb is attracting visitors to the island, Senator Farnham says new legislative changes will have to be put forward to reduce the potentially-detrimental impact on housing availability.