Short-let properties in Edinburgh may soon no longer qualify for free waste collection, after it emerged this week that Airbnb operators could be charged for their bin collections to “improve street cleanliness”.
The move is said to follow problems with short-term lets in the city, with the new proposed charge reflecting those already levied by some councils in England, including Dorset and Oxford.
The plans, to be considered at the council’s environment committee, would be separate from council tax or business rates already paid by owners.
A Edinburgh City Council spokesman said: “As Edinburgh’s vibrant short-term let sector transitions into a robustly regulated and better managed operation, it is important that we reflect on the past problems, and deal with any negative issues.
“Working with operators on waste management will be an opportunity to both increase recycling and improve street cleanliness – this benefits them and our capital.”
Andy Fenner, of the Short Term Accommodation Association (STAA), commented: “Councils need to be careful here because there’s an important principle at stake.
“Currently, holiday let owners will either be subject to council tax or business rates. If they pay council tax, then bin collections are included.
“Whichever way you look at it, these rentals are already paying someone for this service, so it’s not clear what the justification for an additional charge would be.”
It comes after Scotland’s government cracked down on short-term let owners.
Bed and breakfast or Airbnb owners must obtain a licence before they can advertise to guests under new rules that came into force in October. The new rules apply even to those who occasionally let out spare rooms.
Housing secretary Michael Gove launched a consultation on forcing short-term let owners in England to register their properties on last week.
The new rules will require owners to get planning permission for holiday lets in order to stop them “hollowing out” local communities, although those who let their main home for less than 90 days annually will be exempted.
Reflecting on the government’s plans for new “Short-term let rules to protect communities and keep homes available”, Tristan Ward, one of the partners at BDB Pitmans legal firm, told EYE: “The announcement is apparently the follow up to a commitment given last April by Michael Gove, Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities to make changes “ensure that we have restrictions over the way that homes can be turned into Airbnb’s.”
He continued: “The first proposal is that Councils will be given greater power to control short-term lets by making them subject to the planning process. The intention is to “support local people in areas where high numbers of short-term lets are preventing them from finding housing they can afford to buy or to rent”.
“The government intends to create a new planning use class for residential property not used as a sole or main home. It seems however that a property used for “short term lets” for less than 90 days a year will not require planning consent, and, helpfully, existing dedicated short-term lets will automatically be reclassified into the new use class without a formal planning application.”
The government also intends to allow, without the grant of formal planning consent, change of use of a residential property to a short term let, and change of use from a short term let back to a standard residential property.
“Planning Authorities would be able to require full planning permission to be granted for either of these changes if they deem it necessary,” he continued.
The second proposal is the creation of a mandatory national register intended to help local authorities understand “the extent of short-term lets in their area, the effects on their communities, and underpin compliance with key health and safety regulations”.
“Presumably properties used predominantly for short term lets will be on the new register,” Ward added. “Unusually the announcement has been made while a consultation is still running.”
Further details, including the timing of implementation of the proposals, will be provided when the government responds to the consultations – but it is expected that the changes will be introduce in the summer of 2024.
Michael Gove announces significant changes to short-let rules
