A man has been fined £100,000 ($123,000) for renting out his central London council apartment to tourists on Airbnb.

In the UK, council properties are managed by the government and distributed to people in need. Most are gifted, or rented at a subsidized rate, so it's illegal to sublet them.

A British man has been fined £100,000 ($123,000) for renting out his government-owned apartment in central London to tourists on Airbnb.

In the UK, council houses are owned by the government and distributed to people in need. Some are handed out free of charge, but most are rented at a subsidized rate. It's illegal for council tenants to sublet their homes.

Westminster City Council said in a statement on July 19 that Toby Harman, 37, accepted 300 bookings at his apartment in Victoria since 2013, making £100,974 ($124,302).

Harman named his listing a "cozy studio apartment in Victoria," and boasted it had a hot-tub.

Harman used the fake username "Lara" to market the property, the council said, and was often thanked by his tenants "for his advice and local restaurant recommendations."

The council said that Harman has now been evicted from the apartment on Vauxhall Bridge Road, close to the Houses of Parliament and Westminster Abbey.

The UK is experiencing a shortage of affordable housing at present, and there has been a surge in room rentals on platforms like Airbnb in recent years.

More than 1,500 properties in Westminster alone are under investigation for fraudulent lettings.

Council member Andrew Smith said: "Social housing is there to provide much-needed homes for our residents, not to generate illicit profits for dishonest tenants."

"It's illegal for council tenants to sublet their homes and we carry out tenancy checks, as well as monitoring short-term letting websites for any potential illegal sublets."

A spokeswoman for Airbnb told INSIDER: "This property was removed from Airbnb earlier this year."

"We regularly remind hosts to check and follow local rules — including on subsidized housing — and we take action on issues brought to our attention."

AI Disclaimer: An advanced artificial intelligence (AI) system generated the content of this page on its own. This innovative technology conducts extensive research from a variety of reliable sources, performs rigorous fact-checking and verification, cleans up and balances biased or manipulated content, and presents a minimal factual summary that is just enough yet essential for you to function as an informed and educated citizen. Please keep in mind, however, that this system is an evolving technology, and as a result, the article may contain accidental inaccuracies or errors. We urge you to help us improve our site by reporting any inaccuracies you find using the "Contact Us" link at the bottom of this page. Your helpful feedback helps us improve our system and deliver more precise content. When you find an article of interest here, please look for the full and extensive coverage of this topic in traditional news sources, as they are written by professional journalists that we try to support, not replace. We appreciate your understanding and assistance.