Question reference: S6W-01901
- Asked by: Rachael Hamilton, MSP for Ettrick, Roxburgh and Berwickshire, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
- Date lodged: 28 July 2021
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Current status: Answered by Shona Robison on 20 August 2021
Question
To ask the Scottish Government, further to its business and regulatory impact assessment (BRIA) for its short-term let licensing scheme, how it calculated the average indicative fee for processing a short-term let licence application to be between £223 and £377.
Answer
The assumptions behind, and calculations of, the average indicative fees for a short-term lets licence are set out in section F and Annex A of the draft Business and Regulatory Impact Assessment published for consultation on 25 June 2021. These fees are Scotland-wide average fees for application for a three year licence; the actual fees charged for any given application may be higher or lower, depending on the way each local authority implements its licensing scheme and the circumstances of the application. The total revenue from fees must not exceed the costs of the scheme in each local authority. Chapter 4 of our draft guidance for licensing authorities, letting agencies and platforms provides further detail on setting licence fees: