The council says matching information held by HMRC, local authorities and booking platforms could help establish whether properties are being used unlawfully as short-term lets. Swaddle said access to HMRC information through the National Fraud Initiative would support the detection of suspected fraud and improve planning enforcement.
The request also concerns homes that may be let despite being intended for social housing or council use. Swaddle said data matching could help identify properties that should not be operating as short-term accommodation and return them to their housing purpose. The council is already working with the Cabinet Office and Airbnb on efforts to address suspected illegal letting in social housing and council-owned properties.
Short-term rentals are widely used by London homeowners seeking income through platforms such as Airbnb and Booking.com. Westminster says the effects can extend to neighbours, who report noise from visiting groups and rubbish left in residential streets.
The council believes the same access to financial and booking data could help it pursue businesses suspected of avoiding business rates or breaking other financial rules, including some sweet shops. The proposed data-sharing arrangement has been presented as a way to identify cases for investigation; the material does not indicate that the government has agreed to grant access.
The request comes as enforcement depends on identifying which properties are being rented, how often they are occupied and whether the rules apply. Westminster is seeking cooperation from national agencies and booking platforms to connect those records and make suspected breaches easier to investigate.