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Scotland begins to reopen hospitality venues
Reading Time: < 1 minuteScotland: As of 15 July 2020, hospitality venues in Scotland are allowed to reopen providing that mitigations are met. Bars, restaurants, cinemas, tourist attractions, hairdressers and barbers, places of worship and childcare centres can now all reopen. First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said that it’s “the biggest step so far” since the country entered lockdown March […]
Scottish short-term rental owners fight to keep properties open
Reading Time: 2 minutesUK: Four Edinburgh Landlords using short-term rental platform Airbnb have gone to the Scottish government with a request to stay open. The group are protesting a ruling that the location and high turnover causes disturbance to the area’s residential character. Edinburgh council initially told the owners to remove the listing in January. They have claimed […]
UK STAA and ASSC submit joint letter over Scottish letting regulations
Reading Time: 2 minutesUK: The UK Short Term Accommodation Association [UK STAA] and Association of Scotland’s Self-Caterers [ASSC] have sent a joint letter to housing minister Kevin Stewart MSP in response to forthcoming regulations recently announced for the short-term lettings sector in Scotland. There are five key point that both associations requested further clarity on: A clear definition of […]
Government announces rental law reform in Scotland
Reading Time: 2 minutesScotland: The Scottish government today announced its intention to place a comprehensive set of regulations on the short-term lets market in Scotland. Scottish housing minister Kevin Stewart noted: “We are empowering local authorities to implement a system that works for their area. By giving councils the power to set conditions around short-term lets licences and […]
Minut partners with Airbnb for noise detection trials in Edinburgh
Reading Time: 2 minutesScotland: Home security technology firm Minut has partnered with Airbnb by trialling its noise detection system in Edinburgh properties rented out over the short-term rental platform. The three-month trial, which coincides with the start of the peak Christmas and Hogmanay celebrations, has the purpose of reassuring neighbours that visitors staying in short-term rental accommodation locally […]
Scottish homeowners paying off mortgages with holiday rental profits
Reading Time: 2 minutesUK: A recently-published study by HomeAway has shown how many Scottish homeowners are opting to rent out their homes to tourists as a way of making a profit and paying off their mortgages. The report claims that British homeowners could earn on average £15,150 a year by renting out their homes on a short-term basis […]
Airbnb reveals planning and registration proposals for UK
Reading Time: < 1 minuteUK: Airbnb has revealed proposals for planning regulations and a registration system across the UK. The submissions were announced as Airbnb begins a six-month UK roadshow to gather feedback. They include backing for a free online landlord registration system in some communities, extending planning requirements to those hosting more than 140 nights a year and […]
Calls for stricter short-term let licensing in Edinburgh
Reading Time: 3 minutesScotland: A report by The Scotsman has revealed thousands of Airbnb properties may be operating unlawfully in Edinburgh with the council struggling to enforce regulations to counter the expansion of short-term lets in the city. According to the national newspaper, although 7,000+ properties in the city are listed on Airbnb (as opposed to spare rooms), […]
Agents call for Scottish policy makers to “catch up” with rental regulations
Reading Time: 2 minutesUK: Following reports that 84 per cent of Scots want new taxes imposed on short-term landlords, letting agents have called for policy makers to respond. Jonathan Gordon, director with Clan Gordon, said: “It is crazy to have thousands of properties let out short term with no regulations at all. Speaking so often to landlords, we […]
Reported holiday let loophole under fire in Scotland
Reading Time: 2 minutesScotland: Scottish letting agents are reported to be using a loophole to bypass the country’s ‘indefinite’ rental contract length regulations, according to The Negotiator website. The law, which was brought in in 2016, has replaced ‘short-hold tenancies’ with ‘indefinite rental contracts’ as a way of giving tenants greater security and making it more difficult for […]