There is no link between Scotland’s housing crisis and the short-term letting industry, a new report has found.
Short-Term Letting and The Housing Crisis, produced by the Association of Scotland’s Self-Caterers (ASSC), sets out robust statistical evidence that refutes recent claims that the short-term sector has led to a lack of available housing.
The report points out that there are almost five times as many empty homes in Scotland as there are self-catering units and shows that the two are unconnected.
Also contained in Short-Term Letting and The Housing Crisis are statistics showing how few Airbnb properties there are in Scotland and that they only account for 1 per cent of the country’s housing stock, casting further doubt of the size and scale of their impact.
The ASSC hopes that the new report will confront one of the biggest misconceptions and reasons for scapegoating that the industry, which contributes £723m to Scotland’s economy each year, has faced in recent years.
Data for Short-Term Letting and The Housing Crisis has been graciously provided by the Scottish Assessors Association, Highlands & Western Islands Valuation Joint Board, Lothian Valuation Joint Board, Airbnb, the Scottish Empty Homes Partnership, SkyeConnect, and Frontline Consultants.
The ASSC remains committed to playing an active and productive role in shaping the future of tourism in Scotland and is dedicated to working with partners from across industry, government, and civic Scotland.
ASSC Chief Executive, Fiona Campbell, said:
“Our industry has faced quite a bit of unfair hostility lately, and one of the main charges is that we’ve caused there to be a lack of housing available.
“It’s long past time to dispense with this convenient, and completely incorrect, scapegoating being pushed by those who should know better.
“With the publication of Short-Term Letting and The Housing Crisis, we hope that we can put this inaccurate and politically motivated argument to rest once and for all; and move on to finding workable solutions to Scotland’s housing challenges.
ENDS
Read the full report: Short Term Letting and the Housing Crisis