An activist group is demanding a sharp reduction in the number of short lets and holiday lets.
And it says these properties have turned some towns and villages into “playgrounds for the rich”.
Living Rent, which operates in Scotland, has issued what it calls a “manifesto” for next month’s elections to the Holyrood Parliament.
The group demands:
- Reduce secondary holiday lettings in so-called control zones to 1% of the housing stock available;
- Rsidents in housing blocks to be given the right to vote on the approval of any new short let;
- Stop short term let operators from receiving relief from Non-Domestic Rates, saying: “Short-term let operators must be subject to non-domestic rates and pay their fair
share of tax, to mitigate the strain they put on housing and local services”;
- Increase the registration fee for short-term lets and ringfence this revenue to respond to local housing need;
- Introduce a strict and well-funded system of holiday let enforcement to strike off those operating illegally.
The group adds: “The rise of second homes and holiday lettings across Scotland are a product of our harmful housing system.
“The shift of housing stock from long-term residential to highly lucrative tourist accommodation forces people into homelessness, pushing up local
rents, and makes it harder for people to live and work in their local communities.
“We believe that there should be no second homes and secondary holiday lets should be strictly reduced and capped in number.
“Our towns and villages are the source of much of our national pride, created and cared for by their residents and the rural working class.
“They should not be playgrounds for the rich or investment opportunities for the greedy.”
