It means that anyone letting out an entire residential property that is not their main home on a short-term basis will need to apply for ‘change of use’ permission through the planning process.
Sign up for our Policy newsletter Council leaders say around a third of all short-term lettings in Scotland are in Edinburgh. Lockouts are a familiar sight across Edinburgh, which critics say has been ruined by Airbnb’s short-term deals The new control area will come into force in September. SNP Housing Secretary Shona Robison said: “Edinburgh was the first local authority in Scotland to propose a short-term control area and the Scottish Government’s approval represents an important step forward. “We are committed to giving local authorities the powers to address concerns about the impact of commercial short-term letting on their communities if they want to do so. “This is an example of that local choice in action – supported by the majority of respondents to the council’s consultation on the proposed definition. “I recognize the important role it plays in the short term as a source of flexible and responsive accommodation for tourists and workers, bringing many benefits to hosts, visitors and our economy. “However, we know that in some areas, particularly tourist hot spots, high rental numbers can cause problems for neighbors and make it harder for people to find homes to live in. “The Scottish Government considers that the council adequately considered and responded to the concerns raised before seeking approval of the control area designation. We concluded that the proposed designation would be reasonable.” Cammy Day, leader of Edinburgh City Council, said it was “the news we’ve been waiting for after years of leading the campaign for change”. He said: “I am delighted that ministers have now finally responded to our calls. It paves the way for Edinburgh to become the first short-term control area in Scotland. “For too long, too many homes have been lost in our city to the holiday market. “In fact, around a third of all short-term lettings in Scotland are here in the capital, so the associated issues of safety, anti-social behavior and noise have a detrimental effect on many of our residents. “Furthermore, we have unique housing pressures in Edinburgh, with a small but densely populated city center and a rapidly growing population. “Coupled with the increase in festival visitors, this has always resulted in high demand for accommodation in August. “This change in policy will help us control the number of properties being misused in this way and help us better balance the supply of accommodation for local people all year round, without stopping people from renting rooms to artists during during festivals. “We will now proceed to implement the changes and the next step should be to consider whether we can apply a cap on the numbers as well.”
