The council’s consultation on a short term lets, which closes on 22 December, comes after the city was the first to be declared a ‘control area’ by the Scottish Government.

If the proposed planning constraints come into force, it will help greatly reduce the high number of short-term lets in the city which residents say are “ruining” communities.

The tenants’ union collected over 1,800 signatures endorsing its response to the council’s consultation. 

On Monday, members of Living Rent delivered a postcard along with a response to the council’s consultation that broadly supports the new guidance. 

They say that they support the proposed changes to planning requirements, which will see restrictions on short-term lets in residential areas, in quiet areas, in shared stairwells, in large properties, in properties with a shared garden, and where there would be an adverse effect on parking. Living Rent says that, with adequate enforcement, these restrictions would be a huge benefit to the city and would massively reduce the number of STLs in Edinburgh.

The tenants’ union say that the introduction of specific planning requirements for STLs presents a huge opportunity to massively reduce the number of them in the city, which would return housing to local people and help undo the damage that STLs have done by “hollowing out” communities.

In Living Rent’s response, it calls for:

• Restrictions on short-term lets in residential areas, in quiet areas, in shared stairwells, in large properties, in properties with a shared garden, and where there would be an adverse effect on parking.
• Further restrictions on short-term lets to help maintain the availability of housing, particularly of accessible housing and of smaller properties to help tackle under occupancy in the city.
• Proper enforcement mechanisms and meaningful penalties for landlords who operate short-term lets unlawfully.
• For this guidance to be implemented as quickly as possible to prevent landlords evading upcoming regulation.

Newington resident and Living Rent member, Theo Morgan Lundie, said: “Short-term lets are ruining the community. The number of STLs has skyrocketed in recent years. With such a high number of short-term lets, our communities are being torn apart and tenants and residents no longer know who lives next door to them. 

“Every year I have friends who are homeless for months as they try to find somewhere in the city to live. Reducing the number of STLs would return homes to the local people that really need them.”

Eilidh Keay, a resident and Living Rent member, said: “With landlords buying up housing to turn into short-term lets, this is also having a huge impact on our rents across the city. We are being pushed out by a lack of flats and hiked up prices for the flats that remain. Regulations on holiday lets are long overdue.”

Meg Bishop, Living Rent national secretary, added: “Holiday lets are a massive problem for our city, and have exacerbated Edinburgh’s housing crisis. Every one of these holiday lets is one less home for permanent residents in the city, pushing up rent prices and hollowing out communities.

“Increasingly we are hearing stories of landlords hiking up rents to force tenants out in order to turn their homes into holiday lets. 

“We welcome the designation of Edinburgh as a ‘short-term lets control area’. However, we need to ensure that this new scheme delivers the changes that our city so desperately needs by bringing the number of short-term lets down!”