On 10 December 2020, we published a consultation report on our 2020 consultation on the definition of short-term lets and detailed proposals for the licensing scheme and control areas.
What happens next
In the week of 14 December, we will lay the Licensing Order, Control Area Regulations and the Business and Regulatory Impact Assessment (BRIA) at the Scottish Parliament. Once published, they will be made available here: Short-term lets: regulation information - gov.scot (www.gov.scot)
Subject to the approval of the Scottish Parliament, the Licensing Order and Control Area Regulations will come into force on 1 April 2021.
View submitted responses where consent has been given to publish the response.
The consultation asks for your views on the regulation of short-term lets in Scotland. There has clearly been a significant growth in short-term lets in a small timescale and the consultation sets out the factual background, describes the issues arising, outlines local authorities current powers to address them and presents an overview of regulatory approaches elsewhere in the world. Your views will help the Scottish Government find the right approach for Scotland.
Short-term lets have become the subject of much controversy in some parts of Scotland and evoke strong opinions. Our 2018 Programme for Government made a commitment to ensure that local authorities have appropriate regulatory powers to balance the needs and concerns of their communities with wider economic and tourism interests. The consultation asks for your views on what those powers should be.
The Scottish Government welcomes the economic benefits which the development of new models of short-term letting brings to Scotland however we also recognise the problems caused by short-term lets, which are summarised in the consultation. A regulatory approach might involve registration and/or licensing of short-term lets and enable different areas to tailor the approach to their local needs and priorities, with the possible addition of a market-based mechanism to control numbers. Consultation is an essential part of the policy making process and your views on these issues will help the Scottish Government shape the regulatory approach to short-term lets.
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Closed
The consultation on a regulatory framework for short-term lets in Scotland closed on 23 July. No further responses can now be accepted.
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