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The SNP have today announced sweeping new measures to regulate Airbnbs and other short-term and holiday lets in Scottish cities, in a move sure to delight campaigners who have long argued that the rise in unregulated holiday lets in Edinburgh is creating a housing crisis.

Property speculators have been accused of driving up rents in the Scottish capital by converting too many available flats into year-round Airbnb accommodation.

Edinburgh council have even gone so far as to blame the rise of Airbnb properties for the fact that many homeless children are being housed in Edinburgh B&Bs.

A government consultation on a regulatory framework for short-term lets in Scotland received over 1,000 responses, the majority of which were supportive of some form of regulation.

Today, Housing Minister Kevin Stewart announced measures in the Scottish Parliament to provide local authorities with the ability to implement a licensing scheme for short-term lets from spring 2021.

The SNP say this will enable councils to know and understand what is happening in their area, improve safety and assist with the effective handing of complaints.

In a release on their website, the Scottish Government say that "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. It will also give councils the discretion to apply further conditions to address the concerns of local residents.

"Councils will 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."

Additionally, Ministers have committed to "carefully and urgently" consider how short-term lets will be taxed in the future to ensure they make an appropriate contribution to local communities and support local services.

The approach taken to short-term lets will complement the Transient Visitor Levy Bill - also known as the Tourist Tax - which will be introduced later this Parliament.

poll loading Should Edinburgh introduce a tourist tax on hotel stays? 0+ VOTES SO FAR Yes, the city needs it. No, there's no room for this.

Local Government 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.

(Image: Daily Record)

“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.”

An Airbnb spokesperson said: “We have long supported calls for fair regulations and a tourism tax in Scotland. Now we want to work with the Scottish Government and local authorities on clear and simple guidance for hosts.

"Together we can help locals share their homes and follow the rules, and avoid a system that excludes working families through fees, barriers and bureaucracy. Our platform is an economic lifeline for countless local families and travel on Airbnb boosts the Scottish economy by almost £2 million a day.”

Megan Bishop from Living Rent, Scotland’s tenants’ union, said:



"Today's announcement on short-term holiday lets represents a huge step forward for tenants in Scotland. For far too long, these types of short-term lets have been allowed to wreak havoc in our communities, displacing families and driving up rents.

"Living Rent has long been demanding exactly the kind of measures the Scottish Government have announced today, and this is a huge victory for our union.

"The devil will be in the detail, but we will continue to fight hard to demand these powers have teeth and are used to their full potential. The priority has to be safe, affordable homes for residents - not the astronomic profits of holiday let landlords."

And Edinburgh Council leader Adam McVey welcomed the move, saying:

“Today’s announcement by the Minister is extremely welcome news and will give us the controls that we need over short term lets for our residents and communities across Edinburgh.

"It meets our request for mandatory licences and we will now be in a position to more effectively implement planning controls to stop this increase. A review of taxation in this area will also make sure that businesses are paying properly for income they’re receiving and local services they’re using.

“In 2018, we set up a working group to look at this in detail and provide recommendations, the main one being the need for a regulatory system. Since then we’ve been working closely with the Scottish Government on the implementation of a new regulatory system, so I'm delighted that we’ll now be able to take this forward, and soon.

“This news also comes on the back of our successful campaign to introduce a tourist tax which will also make sure that visitors to the city are financially contributing to the services that they use. All of which, are part of a package of measures to better manage the enormous success of our tourist economy.

“We’ll now work with the Scottish Government on the details of the new system which I hope will allow us to react quickly when rules are breached as well as addressing the particular challenges we face in Edinburgh such as housing being taken out of supply, rising rents and anti-social behaviour."

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