A local authority is calling for emergency legislation to help it and other councils stop the spread of Airbnbs and other short lets.
Edinburgh council recently failed in its legal bid to classify the entire city as a ‘control area’ and now wants the Scottish Government to rectify this by changing the law.
The council’s legal failure means that it is no longer able to demand that all landlords of ‘entire property’ short lets seek planning permission as part of their application for a licence: instead the council can only do this to those who began operating after the control area was introduced back in September 2022.
The council admits that the ruling means potentially thousands of applications will have to be assessed on a case-by-case basis to test if the change of use of a property has been ‘material’ - an exercise which may be difficult or impossible for the authority’s planners.
The council estimated this summer that some 4,000 properties within its boundaries were listed on short let platforms such as Airbnb.
Now a cross-party motion - backed by the city’s SNP, Labour, Liberal Democrat and Green parties - wants a change in the law to allow the designation of the whole city as a control area.
Planning chairperson Councillor James Dalgleish says: “Although we still have to decide or appeal or not – and I feel very much that’s open for discussion among all the political groups – it is my personal opinion that now is the time to move past this costly tit for tat appeals and counter-appeals and focus on what we need to do to make our policies work for residents.
“As a result of our policies we’re seeing properties that were being used for STLs now moving back into residential use. That could be someone’s new home. Because of this policy we can now really tackle issues that are short-term let-related such as anti-social behaviour, which I know many of our residents are worried about.”
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Emergency legislation and our friends in the north go together like Strawberries 🍓 and Cream 🥛😂
What is this Jockey on about, there has been a huge rise in short term lets due to the nonsense they have started against landlords. ''This could be someone's new home"?? How when you have rent controls in place and have policies that do not make sense.
Village Idiot...! Don't worry Scotland, elections are coming, do your duty and boot this party into touch. London pay attention you have the same opportunity with Khan ..!
Unfortunately we've had decades of an education system that's been quietly infested by the sinister left, and their corrupt indoctrination of the young. These new voters, will not comprehend the error of their ways until they have experienced the 70's all over again.
Also unfortunately the Tories are the only sensible MSP's with no chance of getting a majority or even a coalition in Holyrood.
What a load of tosh! If landlords were treated fairly in the PRS they wouldn't have to go down the short let route... I've got a short term let in Edinburgh and it will NEVER be used in the PRS market again... I'd sell it before that happens. You've f*cked up good and proper Scotland 🏴.. Now pay the price!
Come the Summer, "Unexpected decline in Tourism hit's Edinburgh, SNP blames Westminster...."
I agree.
Before 2018, students had reasonable rents in Edinburgh and St Andrews because they were partly subsidised by summer tourism and only payable for 9 months a year.
This hybrid system cannot be done now as fixed term tenancies are illegal in Scotland so students now pay higher rents for the full 12 months and there are far fewer tourist rental properties- but now let out at far higher rents.
There are no winners but the landlords are the least affected and long term tenants the worse off in the Peoples Republic of Scotland.
We are fast approaching the same situation as in Scotland here in Wales Robert.
With the communist inspired great leader we have here, we are well on the way to suffering the effects of extreme socialism.
Hasn't devolution been kind to us both?
@ John Hughes - Devolution has been a great con and expense thanks to Tony Bliar. Unfortunately no politician is brave enough to admit it.
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