B&B owners’ fury over plans for new licensing scheme

B&B owners claim plans for a new licensing scheme for short-term lets will have “serious unintended consequences” on a recovering tourism sector.

The scheme, which is due to go before all MSPS for a vote, would see short-term lets subject to annual licensing and monitoring fees, guest arrival and departure curfews, occupancy limits and regular property inspections.

But the Scottish Guest House and B&B Alliance (SGHBBA) is calling for a rethink of the regulations, arguing that the legislation could require significant investment by 2023 and will be the “final straw in what has been the most depressing of years”.

Owners in the B&B sector claim they have been “misled” and “poorly represented” throughout the consultation process despite Housing Minister Kevin Stewart saying the Scottish Government “consulted extensively”, including with the Scottish B&B Association.

But David Weston, chairman of the association, said that although they were allowed to provide two written submissions to the consultation, they argued against the proposals and instead called for a “low-cost registration scheme”.

He added that “thousands” of B&BS are not members of voluntary trade associations such as the one he represents, and may have missed the opportunity to have their say.

The SGHBBA submitted a 4,200-strong petition last week, calling for fairness in the consideration of the position of B&BS, amid calls for the legislation to be halted until further consultation is carried out after May’s Holyrood election.

Peter Moss, a founder member of the alliance and a B&B owner in Fort William, said: “All MSPS now have an opportunity to stop this legislation on the grounds it has had insufficient scrutiny by an important sector of the Scottish tourism industry who have been misled by the consultation process.

“This should be delayed, at a minimum, until after the Holyrood elections in May, and then the whole draft legislation revisited, making sure that every business sector involved is aware of all the facts.”

The Scottish Parliament’s local government committee voted in favour of proposals to introduce a licensing system for shortterm lets this month, despite claims from those in the industry that it is “using a sledgehammer to crack a nut”.

Mr Stewart said: “It is right we are taking action to ensure that all shortterm lets across Scotland adhere to a common set of safety standards.”