Key dates for short-term lets licenses
General NewsThe Scottish Government has provided further information for short-term lets operators following the recent vote in the Scottish Parliament which approved a licensing scheme for all short- term let and B&B operators across Scotland.
SLE has consistently raised strong concerns that the draft licensing order had been shaped with mainly urban businesses in mind and failed to take into account the important role short-term lets play across rural Scotland by providing housing for communities and workers, as well as bringing in vital tourism.
The Scottish Government’s suggestion that fees for short-term lets operators will be in the range of between £214 and £436 per property have been widely criticised for their inaccuracy before the new legislation was passed. Local Authorities will be responsible for establishing and regulating the licencing scheme.
Key dates
- Local authorities have a duty to establish a short-term let licencing scheme by 1 October 2022
- Existing hosts and operators will have until 1 April 2023 to apply for a licence
- All short-term let properties will require a license by July 2024.
We remain concerned that this new legislation could force many well established and reputable short-term let operators out of business, and we are again hearing such fears from our members. The Scottish Government has stated they will be setting up a working group of industry bodies to discuss how best to progress with the licensing scheme and we are strongly seeking a place at that table to represent our members’ interests.
A local authority’s view
This week, Highland Council’s Tourism Committee Chair, Cllr Gordon Adam said that regulating the license scheme will have significant resource implications for the Highland Council, with approximately 10,000 premises in the region that may require site visits, monitoring compliance and enforcement.
Councillor Adam said: “No additional funding to implement this scheme is being made available from the Scottish Government. The Highland Council will do all it can to roll it out in as cost-effective a way as possible. But it is inevitable that charges tied to the scheme will be significant, which will be of concern to the thousands of families whose income is topped-up by letting premises to tourists.”
Read our press release from when the new legislation was passed.
SLE members requiring further information can email SLE Policy Adviser Simon Ovenden - simon.ovenden@scottishlandandestates.co.uk