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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The consultation on a regulatory framework for short-term lets in Scotland closed on 23 July. No further responses can now be accepted.
We received over 1,000 responses to the consultation, which we are now preparing for publication on this webpage in the Autumn.
We grateful to all who responded and will carefully consider all responses before publishing an analysis and considering our next steps.
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