Scottish government announce plans to regulate short-term lets

The Scottish government has announced plans to regulate short-term lets north of the border.

From spring 2021 the government is handing local authorities fresh powers to regulate short-term lets by introducing a licensing scheme.

According to the government, the aim is to enable councils to know and understand what is happening in their area, improve safety and assist with the effective handing of complaints.

The licensing scheme will include a new mandatory safety requirement that will cover every type of short-term let to ensure a safe, quality experience for visitors.

Councils will also be able to designate control areas to ensure that planning permission will always be required for the change of use of whole properties for short-term lets, while ministers have committed to carefully and urgently consider how short-term lets will be taxed in the future.

Housing minister Kevin Stewart said: "Short-term lets can offer people a flexible travel option and have contributed positively to Scotland's tourism industry and local economies across the country.

"However, we know that in certain areas, particularly tourist hot spots, high numbers of short-term lets are causing problems and often make it harder for people to find homes to live in.

"That is why we are empowering local authorities to implement a system that works for their area. By giving councils the power to set conditions around short-term lets licences and put in place planning control areas to tackle hot spots, communities across Scotland will be able to decide what is best for them and their local economy.

"Everybody wants visitors, hosts, neighbours and local residents to be safe. That is why the licensing scheme includes a safety element which will be mandatory across Scotland for all short-term lets. Separately, local authorities will be given discretion to include further conditions to help tackle littering or overcrowding of properties.

"These powers will allow local authorities to ensure a safe, quality experience for visitors, whilst protecting the interests of local communities."

David Cox, chief executive, ARLA Propertymark, has welcomed the Scottish government's decision to regulate short-term lets.

He said: "It's positive to see that the Scottish government are taking steps to regulate short term lets.

"In some urban areas, the supply of local housing is under intense pressure and as the private rental sector becomes increasingly regulated, landlords are moving further towards the less regulated short-term letting space which further reduces this supply. This can also result in lower quality accommodation for tenants and overall creates a vastly uneven playing field.

"By further regulating the sector, local authorities will be able to control the number of short term lets in Scotland, but also ensure that effective health and safety requirements are put in place to protect those seeking a short term let."