Edinburgh begins its much-publicised crackdown on Airbnb

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Four flats within one block are served with orders stopping them being rented out via short-lets platforms, as council’s planning chief tells LandlordZONE that licensing is not far away.

Edinburgh’s crackdown
on Airbnb rentals has started in earnest as four flats in one city tenement
block have been served enforcement notices.

It follows a report out this week
that reveals Edinburgh Old Town has the highest incidence of Airbnbs in the UK,
with 29 active listings for every 100 properties, according to data gathering
firm Inside Airbnb.

Last month, Housing
Minister Kevin Stewart announced measures to let local authorities start licensing
schemes for short-term lets from spring 2021. These aim to regulate the sector which is being blamed for
helping to create a housing crisis in the region’s cities.

Councillor
Neil Gardiner, Planning Convener, told LandlordZONE: “It’s really
encouraging to see the existing powers we have through enforcement are working.

“This
is resource intensive though and we’re continuing to work with the Scottish
Government to introduce a licensing regime which will give us far greater control
over the sector in the future.”

Stop orders

The four city-centre flats, at 68B Grassmarket, all
received their orders to stop operating as short-term lets on 28 January, but
the notices have only been public now. The council says it took the measure to
protect quality of life for other residents in the building.

The number of Airbnb guests, two per flat, and high level
of turnover, also led to the enforcement notice with planners stating the use “is
causing disturbance to the established residential character of the building”.

Renting out a home for short periods of time doesn’t normally
need planning permission however, permanent use of a property for short lets –
especially on a scale that could affect neighbours – is likely to be considered
a change of use, requiring consent.

Just Planning, a
householder planning appeals specialist, reports that other councils around the country are starting to flex
their muscles and using their planning powers to serve enforcement orders.

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