Policy Archives - Page 31 of 34

Policy Paper: The Long Term Future for Short-Term Letting

The Association of Scotland’s Self-Caterers (ASSC) has launched a new policy paper on holiday let regulation.

The Long-Term Approach to Short-Term Letting paper was announced by ASSC Chief Executive, Fiona Campbell, during a speech at the Private Renting in Scotland: Rent Pressure Zones and Short-term Lets event hosted by Holyrood magazine today, 19th February 2019.

As part of the ASSC’s on-going to commitment to be part of the conversation around self-catering, the paper outlines proposals that would see short-term rental properties come under a mandatory registration scheme in order to provide local authorities with as much information as possible.

The paper also outlines the ASSC’s support for the introduction of rent-pressure zones which would allow local councils to limit the number of holiday lets in areas that meet certain conditions.

If implemented, the Long-Term Approach 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 Scotland’s £723million per year short-term rental market.

During her speech Fiona Campbell also reaffirmed the ASSC’s commitment to engaging with stakeholders across Scotland to find a positive and proactive future for self-catering and the broader tourism sector.

The Top 100 Women in Tourism winner also reiterated the association’s willingness to listen to the concerns of communities and expressed a desire that the ASSC’s proposals would be considered actively across the sector.

ASSC Chief Executive, Fiona Campbell, said:

“I’m delighted to launch the Long-Term Approach to Short-Term Letting paper on behalf of the ASSC.

“This paper represents a good faith contribution to the on-going debate around short-term rentals in Scotland.

“We believe that our suggestions form a model around which we can build consensus from civic Scotland, the public, and our own industry.

“There is a balance to be struck and, in our view, that is what this paper does.

“We look forward to engaging with all parties who care to discuss it with us.”

Adding, ASSC Chair, Linda Battison, said:

“Self-catering is a great sector, in which much of the spend goes directly into small and medium sized local businesses.

“There is no question about the positive economic impact self-catering has but we acknowledge that tourism and the needs of local communities must be carefully balanced to ensure that Scotland’s warm welcome is not threatened.

“We believe that our approach is sensible, proportionate, and in line with government policy”

“If implemented fairly it will allow our sector to provide accommodation where it is needed without upsetting the important balance between visitors and residents.”

Read the Policy Paper: ASSC Policy Paper

Chief Executives Report 2018

Chief Executive’s Report: October 2018

Introduction

I had a vague aspiration this time last year, after a year of frenetic activity and pro-active engagement on a number of key issues, that 2018 might just be a little calmer…How foolish of me! While it has been a year of undoubted success for the Scottish tourism industry as a whole, we have continued to face significant regulatory threats to the short-term rentals, which have been incredibly time-consuming and challenging. Here is a non-exhaustive run down of the key issues we have faced as a sector in 2018.

The Importance of Evidence-Based Data – Far from Just Houses: The Benefits of the Short-Term Rental Sector to Scotland

We continue to believe that any policy decision is underpinned by data, and as an Association, working with other tourism bodies – including the Scottish Tourism Alliance and UK Hospitality – and we will continue to deliver as much data as possible to inform local authorities and Scottish Government. Given that we live at a time in which wrong or inaccurate information is easier than ever to spread and truth is at a premium, we continue to try to address some of the inaccuracies surrounding our industry and set the record straight.

In order to challenge some of the prevailing narratives, the ASSC commissioned Frontline Consultants to produce an evidence-base to investigate these criticisms head-on and demonstrate the sector’s impact on key areas across Scotland in 2018. Far More Than Just Houses: The Benefits of the Short-Term Rental Sector to Scotland brings together serious research to demonstrate the real impact of the industry in Scotland.

This comprehensive piece of work also looks into other areas of short-term rental in Scotland, including its impact on housing supply, tax, and society. Frontline’s research has shown that:

•STR is a major component of Scotland’s growing tourism offering, making a substantial contribution to the tourist economy. Any regulations pursued by the Scottish Government should be arrived at through negotiation and dialogue with platforms and traditional operators, learning from best practice elsewhere in Europe

•STR cannot be blamed for exacerbating the housing crisis as other longstanding issues are of far greater signi cance (i.e. the number of empty properties in Scotland, or the failure of governmentsto build suf cient levels of affordable housing)

•Traditional STR operators do not have an incentive to avoid tax and all survey respondents con rmed paying some form of tax. Airbnb data suggests a similar lack of incentive for hosts who have average earnings below the tax thresholds

•The STR sector is not a driver of anti-social behaviour in Scotland as the number of recorded complaints are negligible in comparison to the number of self-catering units/properties let

• The STR Sector has seen a similar level of growth in other European cities and many countries are embracing STR, implementing systems and legislation to make it simpler for their citizens to operate in this sector.

Information exchange across all parties, policy-makers, businesses and collaborative economy platforms is crucial and this study confirms this is occurring and should continue to ensure the sustainable growth of the tourism economy in Scotland.

Read the Full Report HERE:

Chief Executives Report 2018

Far More Than Just Houses: The Benefits of Short-Term Rental in Scotland

Scotland’s traditional short-term rental sector continues to make a positive impact on the Scottish economy, a new report has found.

The findings, compiled by data research organisation Frontline on behalf of the Association of Scotland’s Self-Caterers (ASSC), show that professional short-term rentals generates £723million of economic activity within the Scottish economy annually.

It also found that the sector supports 15,000 FTE jobs in Scotland and plays a significant role in Scotland’s growing tourism sector.

In stark contrast to the recent flurry of groundless criticisms aimed at short-term letting in Scotland, the new report, Far More Than Just Houses: The Benefits of the Short-Term Rental Sector to Scotland, brings together serious research to demonstrate the real impact of the industry in Scotland.

Far More than Just Houses builds on previous work, including a previous Frontline study into the economic impact of short-term rentals and research undertaken by the Scottish Government, to show how essential short-term rentals are to the growing Scottish economy.

This comprehensive piece of work also looks into other areas of short-term rental in Scotland, including its impact on housing supply, tax, and society.

The ASSC is the leading source of knowledge on short-term rental and holiday homes in Scotland. The ASSC is also the only trade body representing the interests of the sector.

ASSC Chief Executive, Fiona Campbell, said: “We at the ASSC are delighted to see the release of this important and timely report.

“The information and research contained in this excellent paper show how important the short-term rental sector is to the Scottish tourism and wider economies.

“We hope that stakeholders from across Scotland, particularly those who have drawn prejudicial conclusions about what we do, will take the time to read it and consider its findings.”

Download the full report:

More Than Just Houses