Deadline draws near for short-term lets licence

Existing short-term let hosts across Argyll and Bute have less than two months to submit their application for a licence.

 

And new hosts need to obtain a licence before they can start accepting bookings or receiving guests.

 

The deadline for existing hosts, anyone who operated a short-term let before October 1 2022, to apply for their short-term let licence is before October 1 2023.

 

The licensing scheme aims to establish consistent standards of accommodation across Scotland benefiting visitors and local communities.

 

Existing hosts of short-term let accommodation can continue to let out their accommodation while the council in which the property is located makes a decision about their licence application.

 

The licence costs depend on the property location, size, and type of let.

 

Hosts of short-term let accommodation across Argyll and Bute are being urged to apply for a licence under Scotland’s short-term let licensing scheme. Argyll and Bute Council’s licensing scheme is currently in operation.

 

As well as establishing one consistent standard across Scotland for guests and hosts, the short-term let licensing scheme is being introduced to support the communities within which they operate.

 

It enables local authorities to effectively address local concerns such as increased congestion and investment in community infrastructure, whilst balancing the associated economic benefits of tourism in the area.

 

Types of licence:

 

 

• Home share - if owner rents out all or part of their home while they are living there

 

• Home letting - if owner lets out their home while they are not there (eg on holiday)

 

• Secondary letting - where a property is let out and the owner does not live there (eg Airbnb or full-time self-catering)

 

• Home letting and home sharing - if part or all of a property is let out when the owner is living there and at times when they are not