Hosts would be forced to apply to the council for a “change of use” to continue to rent out their homes, with the potential to be rejected. Only those who had run lets for a decade or more, without action being taken by authorities, would be exempt. The scheme would only apply to those who rent out entire properties, not spare rooms.
The SNP government has handed Scottish councils new powers to take action on holiday lets, which came into force this year. Other cities to attempt to take action against Airbnbs include Los Angeles, Barcelona and Tokyo.
David Givan, Edinburgh’s chief planning officer, told councillors that it was necessary to apply the policy to the whole of Edinburgh to prevent displacement of short-term lets into other parts of the city. A final proposal will be drawn up after the six-week consultation.
“It’s great to see so much progress being made to tackle this issue we have campaigned so hard to address,” said Cllr Maureen Child, the vice-convener of the council’s planning committee.
“This is so important as short-term lets have reduced the city’s housing stock, hollowed out communities and caused numerous issues for residents, such as noise and other anti-social behaviour. I look forward to seeing these new powers being used to improve the lives of many of our residents throughout the city.”
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