Airbnbs would require planning permission under Labour plans
Regulation around rent and short-term lets will be tightened by Scottish Labour should they win the Holyrood election in May.
The pledge goes further than the SNP’S equivalent proposals of a licensing regime for Airbnbs and designated zones in which planning permission is needed for Airbnbs.
Instead, Anas Sarwar’s party will require those using residential property as holiday lets to gain planning permission as a necessary requirement and introduce a licensing regime similar to the plans ditched by the Scottish Government earlier this year.
This would aim to improve safety standards and provide clearer data on the scale of the unregulated Airbnb and short-termletmarket,according to the pledge.
A Fair Rents Bill will also be a legislative priority in the first two years of a Scottish Labour government, The Scotsman understands.
Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar said the policies would “rebalance the relationship” between tenants and landlords and would have “fairness at its heart”.
He said: “Many Scots are paying sky high rents for housing that is too often damp, dark and dingy.
“As we come out of the Covid crisis, Scotland deserves a Parliament focused on recovery, giving everyone access to a safe, warm, affordable home.
“SNP reforms to the private rented sector haven’t worked. Our plan for renters will enable people to re-balance the relationship between landlords and tenants, and tackle the issue of unregulated short term lets. We need a system with fairness at its heart.”
The SNP has said it will reintroduce the ditched legislation around short-term let regulation early in the next parliament, while Scottish Labour has said it will not introduce the new rules until after the recovery phase from Covid.