x
By using this website, you agree to our use of cookies to enhance your experience.
award
award award
award award

OTHER GUIDES & TIPS

Council plea to government for rent and Airbnb controls

Highland Council is going to ask the Scottish Government for a rent control zone in part of its patch.

This is despite the fact that a local consultation found exactly the same number of residents for and against the proposal.

The council wants the Badenoch and Strathspey area to become subject to both overall rent controls and short-let controls over hosts letting rooms and properties via Airbnb and similar properties.

Advertisement

However, Highland council’s own official consultation attracted 332 responses with 42.99 per cent in favour and exactly 42.99 per cent against. Another 8.84 per cent were undecided. 

A heated council debate on the issues reflected the divided opinion, with some councillors saying the issue of high rents could only be solved by an increase in housing supply, while others wanted a short term answer through rent controls.

Despite the lack of consensus the majority of councillors voted to press ahead with a call to the Scottish Government to make the area a Rent Control Zone.

Want to comment on this story? If so...if any post is considered to victimise, harass, degrade or intimidate an individual or group of individuals on any basis, then the post may be deleted and the individual immediately banned from posting in future.

Join the conversation

  • icon

    What next? Price controls on Tesco and Asda?

  • icon

    The freedom to do thing slowly but surely being taken away. Unless your big business of course.

  • icon

    Whoops 😬 less houses to rent coming soon !!

  • icon

    Any talk of rent controls is going to scare landlords into selling.
    The only realistic way to reduce the number of properties switching from long term lets to holiday lets is to require planning permission for change of use.

  • icon

    Their has been a boom in staycations, which is now coming to an end.

  • icon

    Problem with selling in Scotland is that it is now discretionary as to whether landlords can get their properties back vacant in order to sell them.

    icon

    Ellie - This worries me a lot, if England decides to adopt it !

     
    icon

    It is difficult to know what will happen in the future, Simon.

    Personally I will be heeding the implementation dates of the new legislation and will pull out before I potentially lose control of my property. I'm not taking any chances.

    I am hoping that my departure will coincide with my tenants wishing to leave, too.



     
  • icon

    Rent controls only make Airbnb look more attractive.

  • icon

    Jo. I think we have it already in the shape of Article 4, if you had a HMO LICENSED property and subsequently let it to a family some Council will prevent to reletting it as a HMO that is restrictive Planning Permission.

    icon

    Article 4 is exactly what would work to control the rise of holiday lets. I operate in an Article 4 area and have quite strong views on the inappropriate use of Article 4 in some situations and how it prevents optimum utilisation of housing stock.
    Holiday lets may actually be an appropriate use of Article 4.

     
  • icon

    No need for rent controls the way inflation is going with the rising costs of everything the Market and competition will soon find its own level even if it’s a drop.

  • David Todd Keller Williams

    Unfortunately another Scottish Council that have no idea how the housing market actually works. Rent controls not the way and investors will move to more friendlier areas. Result - less available for rent as those properties usually end up as owner occupied rather than available rental stock. Given that latest figures show Highlands have a social housing waiting list totalling over 9,500 they like most councils should be looking at how they are going to increase their own stock rather than trying to target a sector that works quite well. It is simple economics of supply and demand. Create more supply and rents go down. Less and rents go up. Interfere and restrict the sector and the smart money moves somewhere else. Unintended consequences is is never in a politicians mind as it deflects from the fact that the "council" waiting lists are out of control but those "greedy landlords" must be stopped. Well those landlords need to be able to make a profit to be able to replace the boiler when it comes to its end of life along with carpets, kitchens, bathrooms etc. Never mind the costs involved to get properties to an EPC C given that most of the housing stock in Scotland will never be able to get there without massive expenditure that will make a lot of B2L's financially not worth it.

icon

Please login to comment

MovePal MovePal MovePal
sign up