New short- term let powers for councils

The Scottish Government has announced new housing powers to Ayrshire’s councils.

Local authorities are to be given new powers to regulate short- term lets where they decide it is in the interest of local communities.

Housing Minister Kevin Stewart last week announced the measures to provide local authorities with the ability to implement a licensing scheme for short- term lets from spring 2021.

Their aim is to enable councils to know and understand what is happening in their area, improve safety and assist with the effective handing of complaints.

Mr 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.”

A 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.

The responses were published in October 2019, together with an independent analysis of the responses and independent research on the impact of short- term lets on communities across Scotland.