The issue of AirBnB short-term lets in Scotland’s capital has been prevalent to residents for years and the SNP have promised to tackle the problem if elected to power in May’s elections.
Those in charge of the party have said that the properties could be used to tackle Edinburgh’s housing crisis if they were placed back onto the residential market.
SNP council leader Adam McVey said: “We simply can’t go on with thousands of properties that were built as homes being run as hotels.”
Critics say that the astronomical amount of Edinburgh properties - around 10,000 at any given time - on online sites like AirBnB puts undue pressure on the city’s ability to meet its housing needs.
At the moment Edinburgh City Council is overseen by a coalition made up of the SNP and Labour but the Nationalists are hoping this policy will return them to power as they launch their local manifesto next week.
One flagship commitment will be to require new and existing operators of holiday rentals to apply for planning permission if they are to continue, the Daily Record reports.
The SNP say permission will not be granted unless in “exceptional circumstances”.
They say the first step of the crackdown will be to complete the process of securing ‘control area’ status from the Scottish Government.
Such a status clarifies that all holiday rental properties must apply for and secure planning permission, including retrospectively.
McVey said: “Housing is in high demand in Edinburgh because so many people want to live and work in our amazing city.
"We simply can’t go on with thousands of properties that were built as homes being run as hotels. We need to bring these residential homes back to being homes for residents so people in the city have affordable places to live.
“In city centre areas especially, the concentration of holiday lets converted from flats has created a local shortage of housing and sent rents upward.
"Many Edinburgh residents have also experienced constant noise nuisances, serious disturbances and disruption by having to share a stair with properties never designed to be operated as visitor accommodation.
“Websites that started as a perfectly reasonable way of making money by renting out a spare room are more and more being used by big investors to buy up whole residential homes and market them to tourists, all year round. Meanwhile the hotel and B&B sector has suffered as they have been undercut by rivals who have operated without permission and without the same requirement for safety checks.
“We want a city centre people can live in and this is a workable plan that will turn thousands of properties back into homes once again.”
Tory MSP Miles Briggs said: “This looks like the SNP are about to railroad through yet further regulations on short-term lets, without consulting the industry.
“Everyone understands the pressures on the housing market in Edinburgh, but this will be a major blow for small businesses who are just trying to get back on their feet after the pandemic.
“This simply isn’t the way to fix these issues. Local choice must be put at the heart of the short-term licensing scheme and SNP Ministers must urgently engage with the industry, rather than ignoring their concerns.”
