Delay for Existing Hosts

The Scottish Government has proposed to extend the deadline for existing hosts i.e. those who were operating the application property as an STL property prior to 1st October 2022, to apply for a Short-term let licence to 1st October 2023.

In order for this date to be formally amended, a Scottish Statutory Instrument (SSI) will have to be passed by the Scottish Parliament, to amend The Civic Government (Scotland) Act 1982 (Licensing of Short-term Lets) Order 2022. The Scottish Government  laid this SSI before Parliament on 18th January 2023 – The Civic Government (Scotland) Act 1982 (Licensing of Short-term Lets) (Amendment) Order 2023 (legislation.gov.uk) This SSI has been reviewed by the Local Government, Housing and Planning Committee.

After a fairly short debate this morning, the Local Government Committee unanimously agreed to the six-month extension for operators. They will publish a report in the coming days and the next stage is for the SSI to be voted on by all MSPs in plenary.
  • Watch the evidence session with Cabinet Secretary Shona Robison MSP here.
  • Find out about the evidence session with the ASSC here.

While there are obviously still concerns over the legislation, the fact that the Committee agreed to the extension is good news. The next stage is a vote by all MSPs in parliament. We have been advised that a vote is likely to be scheduled in the Scottish Parliament on this in early March 2023.

Until such SSI is passed, the deadline of 1st April 2023 strictly speaking remains the deadline within the current legislation, though the new deadline of 1st October 2023 now appears likely to be confirmed.

We will advise as soon as the SSI is passed and the legislation has been formally amended.

VisitScotland’s Marketing Campaign

VisitScotland has launched its first ever global campaign for Scotland, with one message running through all their activity together with jaw-dropping imagery, landscapes and moods.

The Spirit of Scotland campaign looks to evoke the emotion, spirit, and mystic qualities of Scotland and is the base layer that everyone can build on.

Working with partners in new ways is a priority for VisitScotland and this eBook tells you a little bit more about what we are doing and how we can plan together.

 

Look out for useful links and tips to help you engage with the #ScotSpirit social media campaign and help with your own business marketing activity.

 

It’s a toolkit to harness all our efforts and boost business to Scotland in a new era of collaboration.

 

View the eBook and help us share the Spirit of Scotland.