‘Disastrous rules will be f inal nail in the coff in for Edinburgh Festival’
EDINBURGH will not be able to accommodate thousands of visitors at next year’s Festival because of the new licences required for rental properties, a leading businesswoman has warned.
Louise Dickins, who set up a company in the 1990s to help match tourists to short-term rentals, described the licensing scheme as ‘disastrous’ and said it would hit businesses, locals and visitors.
Licences to let a ‘secondary’ property to a single person cost more than £600 a year, with fees then ranging up to nearly £6,000 for further guests.
Letting your home while you go on holiday in an Airbnb-style arrangement will also require a licence. The new rules even encompass those who rent out a room for a few days and allow someone to share their house.
With the scheme coming into force on April 1 next year, Ms Dickins believes some property owners will now be deterred from letting out their homes during the Festival – sparking a shortage of accommodation for visitors and performers.
The 54-year-old from Edinburgh also warned the fees will push up prices and drive away people from the world’s largest arts festival. Ms Dickins said: ‘The Edinburgh International Festival started in 1947 because the director was able to persuade the people of the city to open up their homes for guests to stay in.
‘I love the city and the people who come and stay with us love it too.
‘You like to think we are an outward-facing, welcoming city, but this new set of rules is so negative it is actually quite depressing.
‘We are facing more regulations and more fees, which will inevitably be passed onto visitors. However, the most extraordinary aspect is the impact this will have on the Festival. It will be a disaster.
‘The scheme will not cater for the tens of thousands of people who need accommodation in the city in August – it’s just impossible unless changes are made. There won’t be enough accommodation, it’s as simple as that. Earlier this year, there were over 1,300 flats in the city for let. I suspect we could go down to 100 or possibly even less.
‘This scheme is a nail in the coffin for the Festival and Fringe, which are jewels in the crown of Edinburgh, and Scotland, in terms of their world standing.’
The council plans to introduce temporary licences which could cover the Festival period, but Ms Dickins said: ‘These still have to be applied for and could take months to process and they could be rejected.
‘There are non-refundable fees and insurance costs, so many people just won’t bother. I don’t see how these changes can possibly bring good to the city.’
Edinburgh City Council said the licensing scheme follows ‘extensive consultation to tackle issues of antisocial behaviour and safety caused by the rise of short-term lets’.
A spokesman said: ‘When there is pressure on accommodation, such as during the summer festivals and major sporting events, we agreed temporary exemptions can be made for all short-term lets for up to six weeks in any 12-month period.’
‘There simply won’t be enough accommodation’