Plans for holiday let regulation announced

Following a public consultation on the regulation of short term/holiday lets last year, the government has announced plans to regulate the sector. SAL’s response to the consultation can be read here.

The Housing Minister announced in parliament that the Scottish Government will :

• Introduce licencing for short-term lets, under the Civil Government (Scotland) Act 1982, with a mandatory safety component which will apply to all short-term lets across Scotland. Local authorities will also be given the discretion to put in place further conditions; to help tackle littering or overcrowding of properties, for example.
• Give local authorities the power to introduce short-term let control areas within which planning permission will always be required for the change of use of whole properties for short-term lets.
• Undertake a review of the tax treatment of short-term lets, to ensure they make an appropriate contribution to the communities they operate in.

Regulations giving local authorities these new powers to licence short-term lets and introduce control areas will be in place by spring 2021.

Further details on the announcement can be read here.