The rules in Edinburgh were changed three years ago in an effort to tackle issues around short-term lets such as housing pressures and antisocial behaviour.
STL Solutions, a consultancy offering services to people in the self-catering sector, said: “Excluding commercial conversions, 97.2% of all ‘traditional’ short-term let (STL) applications were refused, indicating a strong policy presumption against converting residential property to short‑term lets.
“The vast majority of these have been previously granted full STL licences by the City of Edinburgh Council.
“Of the remaining 2.7% granted planning permission, all permissions were heavily restricted to limited durations.”
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It added: “The vast majority of addresses with planning applications already hold STL licences from CEC, meaning operators have incurred considerable expense obtaining a licence from the licensing department, only to be subsequently refused permission to operate.”
Fiona Campbell, chief executive of the Association of Scotland’s Self-Caterers, said that “this amounts to nothing more than a blanket ban”, adding: “This rigid stance leaves legitimate operators facing closure despite no change in their properties’ use or impact.”
Joan Griffiths, Edinburgh planning convener, responded: “The council continues to assess all planning applications carefully and on a case-by-case basis with regard to its policy on Inappropriate Uses in Residential Areas and Scottish Government’s policies on short-term holiday letting.”
The council also states: “This policy provides guidance for prospective applicants, existing licence holders and those who may wish to object to an application.
“The key aims of licensing are the preservation of public safety and order and the prevention of crime. A specific licensing regime for STL allows the council to take into account local circumstances when setting out its licensing policy and to exercise appropriate control and regulation to ensure that any STL premises licensed meet the requisite safety standard.”