For those of you who haven't heard of Homes First for Edinburgh, it is a campaign for review and regulation of short term lets and accommodation within the city. This was the focus for discussion at the first meeting of 2018 for the Edinburgh North and Leith Commonweal group. Here I give a brief summary of the discussion and offer some thoughts on this issue.
So what's the problem? well there are a few, listed below in no particular order are a couple of issues raised by the group on short term letting of property as it currently stands.
People or companies renting a property for short term lets are not currently registered or regulated in any way. This means that not only do they not pay tax on income from these properties, but they are also not subject to the same health and safety, fire safety, maintenance regulations that registered landlords need to comply with.
The lack of regulation makes short term lets an attractive investment opportunity. This impacts communities in a couple of ways.
It means that there is constant movement of people in and out of properties - sometimes anti-social behaviour results, especially in central areas where visitors are coming back to their accommodation after a night out.
There is an access issue as the keys are often left in a 'safe box' attached to the wall of the property and changing hands on a regular basis.
Landlords have been known to completely renovate flats for short term lets as they wear quickly and often it is seen to be more economical to regularly replace cheap with cheap, than it is to get expensive fittings that may be damaged by short term visitors. This is fine in itself, but not when the contents are left in the street - essentially flytipping the the whole flat.
Economically the benefits are not always better either. A rise in short term lets outside of city centre areas, can actually have a negative impact on businesses local to the property as the shopping habits of visitors are very different from those of residents. Visitors only staying for a day or 2 are likely to be eating out in central restaurants or bars and are less likely to utilise small local shops.
Individuals and businesses buying property for short term lets also drives up property prices and rent, as they are willing/able to pay more than individuals buying a home in expectation of making it back in income. landlords letting on a long-term basis also know they can get more offering short term lets, with less responsibility so these become less desirable, and those available become more expensive.
Erosion of community life. When half the flats in a block are visitors rather than residents, there is less of a sense of community. as the turnaround of people does not allow for this to build.
All of this sounds pretty doom and gloom, but it is recognised that there is a positive side to short term lets as well. We want to show off our city, and welcome people who want to come and visit. Edinburgh is a tourist destination and tourism brings a lot of money into the city and businesses - although much of this is almost exclusive to the city centre. The issue is balancing the accommodation of visitors with residents and ensuring that the experience is a positive one all around.
So what is/can be done about it?
Edinburgh Council requested a briefing on the situation on the city, and what action is being taken elsewhere. This was presented in October last year, since then the number of properties in this category has increased by over 3000. the paper can be found at the link below if you wish to read it.
http://www.edinburgh.gov.uk/download/meetings/id/53374/item_72_-_short_stay_commercial_visitor_accommodation
The council has recognised that regulation of short term letting will require a change to government legislation. They along with other councils have
The Council recognised that regulation of short term property lets will require a change in legislation, and have asked the Scottish Parliament to consider this. In response to this, and the situation across Scotland the Scottish Parliament has commissioned a report on the impact short term lets have. This is due to complete late in 2018, and will present workable solutions for regulation, and management of short term lets.
In the meantime, the council can crack down on landlords who seem to be excessively flytipping, but not much else. Residents are encouraged to report any antisocial behaviour, but as the visitors tend to be gone within a short space of time, this is of limited use.
Overall, this was a lively discussion, with residents passionate about the impact of short term lets in their area. we did stray into other related areas such as land ownership, rent controls, long term let regulations and homelessness however, as these are outwith the main topic of conversation I have not gone into any of that here.
The main consensus seemed to be that Properties should be homes first, and provided as visitor accommodation second. The only way to make this happen seems to be to make investment in and management of short term let properties less attractive, either by legislation, restrictions, cost effectiveness or other means.
It was also recognised that a one size fits all approach probably would not be beneficial, as there are different challenges faced by more rural communities. perhaps regulations based on population would be a way forward. At the moment though, if you have concerns, raise them with local councillors, MSP's, and MP's. We do have a voice, and the more we use it, the more it will be listened to.
Any thoughts/experiences on this issue? Leave them in the comments!
Common Weal is a 'think and do tank' campaigning for social and economic equality in Scotland. Organised into member groups spread across the country we meet to discuss and support social change for the better.
Each member group is organised and meets according to the preferences of members, with support from the central organisation when required. I am a member of the Edinburgh North and Leith Branch which has an open meeting on the first Sunday of the month in the back room of the Strathie pub on Iona Street.
If you live or work in the area, you are more than welcome to come along and join in the discussion. The emphasis is on informal peer to peer education. Each month a topic is chosen for discussion, one or two people take responsibility for doing a little bit of research to open the discussion and provide a background, after which there is an open and informal chat.
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