Britain's Shadow Housing Market Exposed: A Tale of Two Cities and Two Futures Recent data sharing agreements between local councils, Airbnb, and the Cabinet Office have shed light on thousands of social homes being illegally sublet on short term rental platforms.
In England alone, nearly 6,000 social homes may be operating as illicit holiday lets, with thousands more suspected cases in London.
The partnership aims to tackle "social housing fraud," a term coined by the government. However, critics argue that this effort will have limited impact on Britain's acute housing shortage.