Category: Policy

The ASSC is delighted to have launched a policy proposal paper: Forward Together: A Collaborative Approach to Short-Term Letting. This has now been given a Covid-19 overlay (August 2020).

Contrary to the current media narrative, short-term lets are not a new phenomenon. Given that the ASSC has acted as the trusted voice of the self-catering sector for over forty years, we are well aware that short-term lets have always formed a crucial supportive part of Scotland’s rich tourism offering.

The self-catering sector brings around £723m of economic activity to Scotland each year. With such figures in mind, it is little wonder that the Scottish Government have welcomed the economic benefits of our sector, as well as the development of new models of short-term letting to Scotland.

Building on previous policy recommendations and engagement with the Scottish Government, the ASSC set out a series of solutions to the main issues identified in the consultation process and which can assist the Scottish Government as they take forward the details of the scheme and help inform the regulations.

This paper seeks to support the Scottish Government’s commitment to regulate the short-term rental sector in Scotland. Overall, it aims to:

• Ensure the responsible growth and sustainability of the self-catering industry
• Strike an appropriate balance for the tourist economy, visitors and local residents
• Provide a proportionate, evidence-based and future proofed solution for national and local government
• Provide consumer protection for visitors using short-term lets in Scotland.

Everyone that works in the short-term let industry supports health and safety for all guests. Of course they do! Commercial operators have worked within a pre-existing legislative framework for decades. We have specific legislation in place concerning fire and other safety regulations. We also have specific legislation in place for anti-social behaviour.

The ASSC is delighted to be working in collaboration with NoiseAware and Quality in Tourism to deliver robust initiatives to respond to problems highlighted by local communities in Scotland, and to extend existing legislation to all operators in the sector.

If adopted, it would address several of the concerns that have been raised about short-term lets by balancing the rights and interest of local communities with those of the short-term letting industry.

Covid-19 underlines the need for regulation of the short-term lets and the ASSC intend to replicate the responsible and industry-leading approach taken with sectoral reopening to the issue of regulation overall.

The ASSC developed a comprehensive and robust set of policy recommendations that was shared with the Scottish Government back in January 2020. These policy recommendations on licensing and planning control areas provide a proportionate, evidence-based and future-proofed solution for national and local government in Scotland.

Furthermore, due to Covid-19, this takes on even more relevance due to the economic con- sequences for cash-strapped local authorities – who will have to take on the burden of licensing – and the impact any disproportionate system could have on the recovery of the Scottish tourism. The ASSC therefore wish to work with policymakers to make the regulations work for communities and the tourism industry.

It is the aspiration of the Scottish Government to lay the regulations in December 2020 in order that they can become law by Spring 2021; and prior to that, there will be a short period of stakeholder engagement commencing in Autumn 2020.

This engagement provides an opportunity to properly assess and refine the detail of the regulations to ensure that there is an appropriate balance between the needs of local communities and Scotland’s important tourist economy.

Read the paper: 2020_ForwardTogether

In addition, the ASSC has published a policy paper (August 2020) looking at the pros and cons of registration and licensing. Licensing or Registration.

What the ASSC Does for You and The Sector

Being part of the ASSC brings you and your business direct benefits, but it also means you are supporting an active and effective organisation working on the big things that matter.

In an ever-changing tourism landscape and as more and more legislation, regulations and business expenses appear on the horizon, as well as the opportunities and challenges created by the collaborative economy, the ASSC finds itself increasingly politically engaged on a national and European level.

ASSC is undertaking critical activities to support your business and the self-catering sector in Scotland.

• Working with Scottish Government and Local Authorities to take forward the Short-Term Lets Regulatory Framework   
• Working with Scottish Government and local authorities on the introduction of a Transient Visitor Levy or Tourist Tax in Scotland
• Actively working with Scottish Tourism Alliance to highlight the increased ‘cost of doing business’ faced by our members
• Working with Scottish Government and industry stakeholders on the Business Rates review and the Non-Domestic Rates (Scotland) Bill
• Promoting the retention of the Small Business Bonus Scheme
• Working with Scottish Tourism Alliance and other stakeholders on developing the National Tourism Strategy
• Working with VisitScotland on marketing strategies to benefit the self-catering sector
• Protecting your rights and ensuring that companies such as PPL/PRS Music Licensing and MPLC do not obtain licence fees that are not required from self-catering properties
• Working with trade associations throughout Europe to ensure that our sector is not negatively impacted by increased regulation and seeking views on best practice outwith the UK

We continue to raise the ASSC’s profile in industry and on a Government, Local Government and European level, to ensure that our voice is heard and that our members continue to be at the forefront of a professional, vibrant and prosperous Scottish self-catering sector.

For more information on what issues we are currently involved in, please see our Policy Page.

After several extremely buoyant years for tourism in Scotland, the latest figures from VisitScotland are concerning:

• International trips in Q1 of 2019 are down -35% on Q1 2018
• International spend is down -43% on Q1 2018
• Day visits are down -3% on Q1 2018
• Day visit spend is down -11% on Q1 2018[1]

As a sector, we have continued to face significant regulatory threats, which have been both time-consuming and challenging, including:

• Continued negative press
• Political pressure at the Scottish Parliament
• The proposed amendment to the Scottish Government’s Planning (Scotland) Bill
• Scottish Government consultation into short-term letting regulatory framework
• Planning policy from City of Edinburgh Council
• Transient Visitor Levy/Tourism Tax consultations from the Scottish Government and some local authorities.

In all determinations, we believe that policymakers/regulators should make informed decisions using accurate and evidence-based data, as opposed to relying on perception, anecdote or flawed studies designed to meet agenda-based policy outcomes.

To that end, we commissioned an independent report to investigate the various criticisms of the STR sector and to demonstrate the sector’s impact on key areas. Our Far More than Just Housesprovides evidence that:

• STR cannot be blamed for exacerbating the housing crisis
• There are negligible numbers of formal anti-social behaviour complaints
• There is no incentive amongst traditional operators to avoid tax

Let’s also not forget the findings of our economic impact study commissioned in 2017, which clearly shows the huge benefit of our sector to the Scottish economy.

Touching on some of the bad press generated by our friends over at Airbnb (other platforms are, of course, available – but nobody seems to realise!), the reality of the big bad wolf that is Airbnbis that:

• There are 35,000 listings on Airbnb across Scotland
• Entire homes in Scotland listed on the Airbnb platform account for less than 1 percent of local housing stock
• 84 percent of host accounts in Scotland have one listing on the platform
• 51 percent of hosts in Edinburgh said they used the income from hosting on Airbnb to make ends meet
• 77 percent of guests who stayed with Airbnb in Scotland said they use the platform for a more local, authentic experience
• While guests using Airbnb accounted for just 3% of visitors to Scotland, the Airbnb community boosted the Scottish economy by over £693 million in 2018.

Despite all of this, the self-catering / short-term let sector continues to be blamed for all of societies woes…..

Over the last year, we have again consistently responded with positive news pieces met with local authorities and MSPs to set the record straight.

In February, we published The Long-Term Approach to Short-Term Letting, providing a solution to the perceived problem of STR impacting on housing stock in certain areas.

Read More:  CEOs Report 2019

Fiona Campbell

Chief Executive