I am writing to you on behalf of the UK Short Term Accommodation Association, the trade association for short-term letting businesses in the UK. We represent thousands of short-term rental owners via our members, who include platforms such as Airbnb and Expedia Group, as well as property management agencies and individual operators.
We have collaborated with the Scottish Government throughout the entire process of devising the forthcoming short-term rental regulations and were pleased at the recent changes which were made to the licensing order, in particular the removal of overprovision powers for licensing authorities. However, we still believe that these regulations remain overly onerous and will inevitably result in short-term rental operators withdrawing from the market, removing the substantial economic benefit which short-term rentals bring to communities across Scotland.
That is why I am writing to you today. The STAA believes that the Scottish Government’s concerns around safety and housing can be addressed via a much lighter-touch regulatory regime, one that will not have the negative consequences that we believe the current proposals will entail. We therefore urge you and your colleagues on the committee to reject these proposals when you come to vote on them. The STAA would be delighted to continue working with stakeholders across Scotland to design a new regime which is more balanced and proportionate than the one which is currently on the table. However, we do feel very strongly that the current legislation would be disastrous for the sector and for local economies up and down Scotland.
I have attached our response to the committee’s recent consultation on this legislation, which further expand on some of our specific critiques. Please do not hesitate to get in touch if you have any questions on this matter.
Yours sincerely,
Shomik
Shomik Panda
Director General
UK Short Term Accommodation Association