Question reference: S5W-27255
- Asked by: Graham Simpson, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
- Date lodged: 4 February 2020
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Current status: Answered by Kevin Stewart on 18 February 2020
Question
To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the impact that the introduction of a licensing system for short-term lets will have on the number of such lets in Scotland.
Answer
There is currently a shortage of reliable information on the precise number, location and nature of short-term lets in Scotland. One of the benefits of introducing a licensing scheme will be to gather this information, which will enable us to see how short-term let activity changes over time.
The top priority for the licensing scheme will be to help ensure the safety of visitors, hosts and local communities. However, local authorities will have the discretion to put in place further conditions to tackle littering or overcrowding of properties, for example. The licensing scheme, taken together with new powers to introduce short-term let control areas, and the Scottish Government’s review of their tax treatment, will give local authorities the tools they need to manage short-term let activity appropriately within their areas.