Up to 10,000 accommodation providers in Highlands will need to apply for short-term licence
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The clock will soon be ticking for as many as 10,000 accommodation operators in the Highlands to get their short-term licence
Councils must have the new licensing regime up and running by 1 October, later this year.
The new rules mean all self-catering properties, B’n’Bs, guest houses, glamping pods and yurts will need to apply for a licence.
In the Highlands, that’s as many as 10,000 operators.
Anyone running a business like this will need to apply to Highland Council for a short-term lets licence and complete a range of safety checks.
What’s changing?
The Scottish Government granted new licensing powers to local authorities in January, earlier this year.
The government hopes the licensing plan will help balance the economic benefits of tourism against the needs and concerns of local communities.
Under the new rules, operators will need to meet safety requirements including a ‘fit and proper’ test of accommodation.
Every license application will go to the police and fire service for checking, in addition to the council’s environmental health and planning teams.
However, Highland Council says it does not have capacity to take on this task.
As such, it’s launching a “significant” recruitment drive to get ready.
The council aims to process most applications online and is setting up a dedicated mailbox to handle enquiries.
The details of the license fee will go out to public consultation, but it’s expected to cost £300-600.
Council hopes to introduce controls in Badenoch and Strathspey
The council is also taking advantage of new planning laws introduced by the Scottish Government in April, last year, in a separate measure.
These will allow areas with huge tourist demand to introduce ‘control areas’.
Badenoch and Strathspey has a chronic shortage of affordable housing due to demand for holiday lets.
The council recently completed a public consultation into the possibility of rent control there.
The local authority plans to ask the Scottish Government to grant a control area for the strath in the autumn, with a view to it taking effect by the end of the year.
Highland licensing committee will look at the short-term lets plan at its meeting on Monday (June 20). If members agree, the council will launch a six-week public consultation running from June to August.
This is the busiest period in the trade calendar. However, Highland Council says it is essential to hit the ground running if it is to meet the October deadline.
