Councillors on the Regulatory Committee met on Friday 31 January and agreed some changes to the Council鈥檚 licensing policy on short term lets (STLs).
This follows a 12-week consultation held over the summer when residents and industry were encouraged to share their experiences of the policy in the Capital so far. Topics included were secondary letting, temporary exemptions, fees and the application process.
Targeted discussions with resident groups, industry bodies and other key stakeholders led to 780 responses being submitted. This led to the Council recommending some changes to policy in these areas which reflected feedback, legislation and fees.
A further report will be considered in May 2025 that proposes extending secondary letting licence renewals from one year to three years.
Regulatory Convener, Councillor Neil Ross, said:
The Council’s short term lets licensing policy is helping to ensure holiday lets are safe and properly regulated in our city as over 4,400 applications have been granted since it was first introduced in October 2022.
I welcome the changes to reduce licence fees for residents looking to Home Share and to make temporary exemptions for Home Sharing and Home Letting less onerous, while at the same time providing robust regulation of the short term let industry. I’d like to thank all of the residents and businesses across Edinburgh who took the time to tell us how the scheme is working for them.