THOUSANDS of short-term lets are being advertised in Glasgow despite fewer than 800 licences having been granted by the city council, figures reveal.
There are currently 3103 active short-term rental listings in Glasgow, according to data from analytics firm AirDNA.
However, Glasgow City Council's short-term let register shows just 780 licences have been granted.
The figures have raised questions over the enforcement of Scotland's short-term let licensing scheme in Glasgow.
Under the nationwide scheme, short-term lets must obtain a licence before they can operate, with doing so without one a criminal offence carrying a maximum fine of £2500.
Licence holders are also required to display their licence number on adverts.
Grace Stevens, secretary of Glasgow Living Rent, said it was “unbelievable” that enforcement remained so patchy while the city was facing a housing emergency.
She told The National: “Without properly ensuring all short-term lets are licensed, not only is the council unable to clamp down on unsafe lets, but it is also failing to collect much-needed fees and, crucially, it leaves the council completely in the dark over how many lets exist across Glasgow.
“Without this information, the council will continue to make poor decisions based on insufficient evidence as tourism and short-term lets across the city explode in numbers.”
Stevens added: “The council must act now to ensure all short-term lets are licensed and introduce strict penalties for any landlord breaking the rules.”
One Glasgow short-term let operator, who has run a property in the city for 14 years, also told The National she had become increasingly frustrated after identifying listings operating withing a licence.
The operator, who asked not to be named, said she removed her property from the market while going through the licensing process and only began taking bookings again after receiving approval.
She said she had also obtained the required planning permission.
But after returning to the market, she said she began noticing what appeared to be an increasing number of competing properties without licence numbers displayed.
She told The National: “It's very frustrating and it feels unchecked, like a scheme was created without any protocol to enforce it.
“You feel punished for following the rules.”
She said she noticed the issue after browsing competing properties to see how she could improve her own listing.
However, she said she soon began cross-checking properties against the council's register and found numerous examples where she could not identify a valid licence.
She said: “We started noticing how many more properties keep coming on the market and just started to do a little digging.”
She added that many appeared prominently on booking platforms despite her being unable to identify a licence for them.
A check by The National also quickly identified several properties available to book on Airbnb for which no corresponding licence could be identified on the council's register.
Glasgow City Council's own short-term let policy states that operating without a licence is a criminal offence but adds that it is has “no power to take any action against unlicensed STLs.”
And a spokesperson for Glasgow City Council told The National that “unlicensed activity is a matter for the police.”
The operator told The National she had considered reporting properties she believed to be unlicensed but was left unsure who she should approach.
She said: “I have no idea who to report it to, who would take action. I would love to know.”
The National has previously reported concerns about the enforcement of unlicensed short-term lets in Glasgow.
Earlier this year, residents living beside a short-term let in the city's east end said they had contacted both Glasgow City Council and Police Scotland over the property, which they said council officials had confirmed did not have planning permission or a short-term let licence.
One resident said he had been told by the council that enforcement was a police matter, but that the property continued to operate more than a year after he contacted officers.
The operator said the current system was creating an uneven playing field between businesses which had gone through the licensing process and those which had not.
She said: “I think about not just myself and our situation with our STL, but hotels and other operations, other accommodation in the city, which are operating as required by the council and following the protocol.
“And yet over here on the STL side, unlicensed accommodations that are competing with that market are allowed to go unchecked.”
A spokesperson for Glasgow City Council said: “The short-term let licensing scheme promotes public safety by setting legislative standards for licence holders and by ensuring licence holders are fit for the role.”
While a Police Scotland spokesperson said: “We support the purpose and intention of the Scottish Government’s short-term lets licensing scheme.
“Our officers will continue to work with local authority colleagues on any reported unlicensed properties and the suitability of those applying for a licence.”
