The scheme, introduced by the Scottish Government, aims to ensure safety standards for all short term lets and includes a ‘fit and proper’ test to assess whether the applicant is suitable to hold a licence.

To help the council develop a policy and licensing scheme, it is carrying out a consultation exercise for a month from 1 August.

Information about the scheme and a survey are available here. 

Councillor Allan Stubbs, convener of the Housing Committee, said: “Many people use short term lets for holidays and short breaks, and the number of properties available is increasing across Scotland.

“Through the licensing scheme, we want to ensure anyone booking a property has a safe, quality experience and can be confident of the safety measures in place. We want to listen to the views of people who operate short term lets, neighbours and residents to ensure our policy is efficient, effective and proportionate.”

The council has discretionary power to add additional conditions to licences to respond to local circumstances, and the consultation looks for feedback on possible conditions such as maintenance of the property, noise and antisocial behaviour and waste management.

All local authorities in Scotland are required to operate a licensing scheme by 1 October 2022 under the Civic Government Scotland Act 1982 (Licensing of Short Term Lets) Order 2022 and all short term lets must be licensed by July 2024.

Responses to the survey will be collated and a report on a shot term let policy will be considered by the Housing Committee later this year.