Council action on family house used for unauthorised short-term holiday lets
Published: Wednesday, October 28, 2026
A family-sized Tooting home that has been turned into a short-term let without permission is the latest property to face enforcement action by Wandsworth Council.
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The council is acting after councillors on the Planning Committee (22 October) unanimously agreed to take enforcement action against the unauthorised use of the property as short-term visitor accommodation.
Council investigators found that 113 Gassiot Road in Tooting Bec was available on short-term letting websites including Airbnb and Booking.com with bedrooms offered individually to paying guests.
Evidence gathered by officers showed the property had been used for short stays for more than 90 nights between January and August 2026. The 90-night allowance applies to short-term letting of homes in London.
The unauthorised use of the property had resulted in the loss of a family-sized home as well as causing increased activity, noise and disturbance and pressure on waste arrangements at the house.
Cllr Robert Morritt, Leader of Wandsworth Council, said: "People can't just change the use of residential homes without permission, so we're sending a strong message that breaches of planning rules will be taken seriously.
"At a time when family-sized homes are so important in Wandsworth, we will take action when we find properties are being used in this way, and we'll stand up for residents when unauthorised intensified use is affecting neighbours."
Wandsworth’s Local Plan aims to protect the borough’s existing housing and resists the change of residential accommodation to short-term holiday accommodation.
Council officers first visited the property in March following concerns about its use as short-term accommodation. After evidence showed the 90-night threshold had been exceeded, the council wrote to the owner and tenant in July asking for the unauthorised use to stop within 14 days. The committee report states that no response was received and the use continued.
Following the committee’s decision, the council is authorised to issue an enforcement notice requiring the unauthorised short-term accommodation use to cease and the property to return to its lawful residential use, with any direct or legal action necessary if the enforcement notice is not complied with.
Tell us your concerns
Residents concerned about suspected breaches of planning control can report them to the council. Wandsworth’s planning enforcement team investigates reported breaches, including development without planning permission and material changes in land use.