Chewing over issues of short term lets
by Ben Macpherson MSP
Over recent years, since being elected as the MSP for Edinburgh Northern and Leith, one of the issues I’ve been working to tackle is the over concentration of, and disruption caused by, wholeproperty short-term lets. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t think renting a room from time-to-time is an issue. However, what has been a growing concern in our city is the buying up of whole properties to short-term let nearly all year round.
Many constituents have written to me to explain the negative effects that short-term lets have had on their lives, including experiences with noisy, disruptive and partying guests. Others have written to me concerned about the knock-on effects that short-term lets have had on the housing market in the local area, with constituents feeling like they are being priced out of their own communities.
In normal times, tourism has been, and will be again, an important part of Edinburgh’s economy and Scotland’s economy. Our tourism and hospitality sectors provide jobs to many people who live here. Overall, Edinburgh is a welcoming city, and the majority of us enjoy sharing our culture and history, and everything else that this great city has to offer. As we rebuild our tourism industry, in due course, we must #buildbackbetter. A key part of this will be achieving a healthy and sustainable balance between the needs of people who live and work in Edinburgh and delivering a positive experience for visitors. Part of this must involve enhanced regulation of short-term lets, for the benefit of communities and to support more traditional (and regulated) tourist businesses like hotels and B&Bs.
Because the issue of short-term lets affects my constituency and this city more than other parts of Scotland, I was particularly pleased in January when the Scottish Government brought forward proposals for a mandatory licensing scheme to regulate short-term lets. This is something I’d been pressing for in recent years. Its implementation was temporarily paused because of the pandemic but now The Scottish Government is moving at pace to bring reforms into force by April 2021 - action that I and other colleagues requested and welcome.
The Scottish Government have launched a consultation which considers not only licencing but also giving Councils, such as Edinburgh, discretion to introduce short-term let planning control areas. Edinburgh SNP MSP, MP and Councillor colleagues have strongly backed the introduction of these new regulations, as this will be an important change to support communities and sustainable tourism. The Scottish Government is also considering the tax treatment of short-term lets.
The consultation will run until October 16. I encourage everyone with an interest in short-term lets to submit their views and make their voices heard.
www.gov.scot/news/regulationof-short-term-lets/