HOW welcome that the Scottish Government is bringing forward plans to licence Airbnb properties (Airbnb-style properties to require new council licence, Nov 24).
It’s been well reported how these properties bring huge concern for those who live adjacent to them, often in tenement buildings with shared entry, so Suffering noise, particularly from those who return late at night, the detrimental effect on the cleanliness of shared entries where landlords are effectively absent, and even the haphazard handing of waste etc, there are documented instances where bringing these matters to the attention of the “guests” has been somewhat personally parlous to say the least.
READ MORE: Scottish Government pushes ahead with plan to license Airbnb-style rents
So, it’s right and proper that councils are given the powers through licensing to exercise control over the sector to maintain a high standard for both “guests” and the local community.
However, it strikes me that this new process may well become just another revenue stream for lazy council administrators. Just another nice little earner. According to legislation, licensing fees are intended merely to cover the cost of licensing. Yet the reality is that councils charge ridiculously high fees and reallocate the proceeds across budgets with impunity.
Isn’t it long overdue for councils’ financial regulators to monitor each licensing type to ensure that those who pay it are not subsidising other areas of councils’ spending?
Jim Taylor
Edinburgh
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