People and businesses responsible for short-term property lets including holiday homes and Airbnbs will need to follow new licensing arrangements in North Lanarkshire.
The scheme, introduced by the Scottish Government, aims to ensure safety standards for all short term lets and includes a ‘fit and proper’ test to assess whether the applicant is suitable to hold a licence.
Earlier this year, the Scottish Government introduced a new Act setting out new powers for local authorities to implement a licensing scheme for short-term lets with the aim of improving safety within the properties and mitigating any impact on communities.
The licensing scheme includes a new mandatory safety requirement that will cover every type of short-term let to ensure a safe, quality experience for visitors.
Councillor Heather Brannan-McVey, Convener of Housing explained: “The number of short-term lets for short breaks is increasing across the country.
“The new scheme is aimed at ensuring people can be confident that the property they are booking is safe, secure and of a good standard.
“We carried out an extensive public consultation so we could gather the views of those who operate short-term lets, neighbours and other residents to help shape our policy here in North Lanarkshire.”
The council has discretionary power to add additional conditions to licences to respond to local circumstances. Existing hosts will have until 1 April 2023 to apply for a licence and it will be compulsory for all short-term lets to have a licence by 1 July 2024.