Short-term let licensing worry
Fears region will have one of most expensive schemes
Perth and Kinross looks set to have one of the most expensive short-term let licensing schemes in Scotland.
A policy was approved at a special meeting of Perth and Kinross Council’s licensing committee on Thursday, September 22.
The new scheme was rolled out across Scotland’s local authorities from October 1, in line with legislation approved by the Scottish Parliament in January.
PKC has approved a scale of charges up to £1600 for properties accommodating more than 11 guests.
The licences will be required to be renewed every three years.
Eyebrows were raised over the figure as only neighbouring Dundee City Council has proposed charging more – some £3100 for properties accommodating more than 12 guests.
Fiona Campbell, chief executive of the Association of Scotland’s SelfCaterers’, told councillors the fee would have a knock-on effect on a sector she said generates £54million for the Tayside economy.
Ms Campbell said: “When we start constricting this sector – which is already happening on the back of this legislation – we are going to have an onward impact into the entire community.”
A self-catering business owner for 20 years, she said: “I’m not a cowboy. We are professional, legitimate people.”
Ms Campbell thanked PKC officers for listening throughout the consultation, something which she said “had actually been very rare across Scotland”.
She continued: “No local authority knows how many shortterm lets there are in the area.
“I can tell you how many selfcatering units there are in Scotland – 18,000. I can tell you roughly how many let their properties out on AirBnB or the likes.
“We have no idea how many B&Bs there are, how many unlicensed guesthouses or glamping pods there are.
“Therefore it’s impossible for any local authority to set a fee based on a cost recovery basis because we simply don’t have the data.”
PKC has published a checklist for applicants to identify if they require planning permission to have a short-term let.
But Ms Campbell went on: “I’ve got opinion here from Brodies LLP that’s saying the planning considerations as part of the licensing could be challenged.
“At this point, Perth and Kinross is the only local authority that has taken this approach outwith a planning control area and that’s a concern.”
Sarah Rodger, the local authority’s legal manager, said: “Without having access to that it’s difficult for me to comment on what a firm of solicitors may have advised.
“Planning is always and has always been a consultee in relation to licence applications under the Civic Government (Scotland) Act and this process will be no different.
“Our perspective is that planning will be looking at and dealing with short-term lets separately from a planning perspective.
“What our draft policy seeks to do is to give information about what our planning policy is.”
She added: “I’m confident that our policy – as it’s written – complies with the legal framework that we have in place in terms of the licensing legislation.”
Summing up, Ms Campbell said: “We are in the midst of a cost of living crisis where £1600 that we’ve never had to spend before is too much. We would not be able to do it. I can tell you that because I’m living through it.
“And the additional mandatory conditions such as EICRs [Electrical Installation Condition Report] and PAT [Portable Appliance Testing] are costing us a lot of money at a point where we are not getting bookings because people are not booking at the moment.
“We’re all paying a lot more for energy and people are looking at closing over winter. This is people’s livelihoods.”
Ms Campbell added: “If a selfcaterer or B&B withdraws from the market – which they are doing in droves and I’ve got the evidence for that – they are putting their properties on the open market, they are being snapped up from people from the south who are going to leave them lying empty as second homes.”
PKC is expecting between 2000 and 2500 applications for licences.
It received 90 responses to its recent consultation on its policy.
Ms Rodger pledged to keep the policy “under constant review”.
Convener Councillor Mike Williamson moved to approve the report, which was unanimously agreed.