Airbnb has announced it will ban hosts in London from renting out their property for more than 90 days in a year.
The sharing economy provider said it will introduce “new and automated limits” to ensure entire home listings in the capital do not exceed the annual cap.
Airbnb will send hosts notifications as they approach the 90-day limit, giving details of where to seek permission if they want to continue sharing whole properties in that calendar year.
"Today, we are announcing a change to our platform that will introduce new and automated limits to help ensure entire home listings in London are not shared for more than 90 days, unless hosts confirm they have the required permission to share their space more frequently," the company said in a statement. "This will make it easier for hosts in London to act in the best interests of everyone in the city."
Airbnb has come under pressure over the past few years from cities and hotels who have complained about lack of regulation and the site contributing to the housing crisis, with it being partly blamed for the lack of long-term rentals.
The pre-emptive move was welcomed by Labour housing spokesperson Tom Copley, who called it a “huge step in the right direction”.
"We knew that short term lettings sites had been abused by professional landlords, we talked to Airbnb, and they've listened," he said.
Last month, Airbnb developed a new booking and payment platform with corporate card specialist Airplus.