Council / Application deadline for short term lets licences only five weeks away
MORE THAN 200 providers of B&B and guesthouse accommodation, self-catering cottages and glamping pods but also self-contained rooms within flats have just five more weeks left to apply for a licence necessary to continue providing short term lets.
In an update provided to Shetland News, the council said it expects a total of around 350 applications for the new mandatory licensing scheme of which so far 130 have been received.
Meanwhile, a campaign against the new licensing scheme that has been introduced by the Scottish Government in an attempt to regulate the ever-growing Airbnb market is hotting up nationally.
Reports in the national media suggest that Edinburgh could suffer an 80 per cent drop in properties for hire should the licencing scheme go ahead as planned from 1 October.
There are now calls to postpone the introduction of the new regulations.
The new provisions have been put in place to ensure basic safety standards are met across all short-term lets operating in Scotland.
While there are licensing fees of between £2,000 and £3,000 quoted nationally, in Shetland these are significantly lower.
According to Shetland Islands Council’s table of fees registering a self-catering cottage locally would cost up to £208. The licence is issued for a three year period.
The council said that of the 130 applications received to date, 67 have been approved so far.
More details and guidance on applying for a licence are available here, or by calling the council’s environmental health department on 01595 745250.
Hosts who make an application before 1 October 2023 can continue operating until their application has been determined.
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