Edinburgh becomes first short-term let control area

The City of Edinburgh is to become Scotland’s first designated short-term let control area, restricting the use of housing for airbnb and similar lets.

Under powers introduced in the Planning (Scotland) Act 2019, the Scottish Government has approved the City of Edinburgh Council’s proposed change to planning requirements.

Covering the entire City of Edinburgh Council area, the control area means that the change of use of a dwellinghouse to secondary letting will always require planning permission unless exceptions set out in the legislation apply.

Where the change took place before the designation of the control area, existing planning rules will apply. These require planning permission for a change of use of property where that change is a material change in the use of the property.

The control area is intended to preserve the character of neighbourhoods, prevent short-term lets in inappropriate places or types of building, and help ensure homes are used to their best effect.

Separate legislation introducing a mandatory licensing scheme for all short-term lets in Scotland was approved earlier this year. From 1 October 2022 new hosts must obtain a licence from their local authority before they operate as a short-term let. Existing hosts have until 1 April 2023 to make an application for a licence.

Housing Secretary Shona Robison commented: "Edinburgh was the first local authority in Scotland to propose a short-term let control area and Scottish Government approval represents a major step forward. We have committed to give local authorities the powers to address concerns about the impact of commercial short-term letting in their communities, should they want to do that."

She added: "I recognise the important role which short-term lets play as a source of flexible and responsive accommodation for tourists and workers, which brings many benefits to hosts, visitors and our economy. However, we know that in certain areas, particularly tourist hot spots, high numbers of lets can cause problems for neighbours and make it harder for people to find homes to live in.

"The Scottish Government considers that the council has adequately considered and responded to concerns raised before seeking approval of the control area designation. We have concluded that the proposed designation would be reasonable."

City of Edinburgh Council Leader Cammy Day said: "For far too long, too many homes have been lost in our city to the holiday market. In fact, around a third of all short term lets in Scotland are here in the capital, so their associated issues of safety, antisocial behaviour and noise have a detrimental effect on many of our residents. We will now progress implementing the changes and the next step should be looking at whether we can apply a cap on numbers, too."