In response to a piece by Ian Swanson in the Evening News on 29th March, the Chief Executive of the Association of Scotland’s Self-Caterers (ASSC) Fiona Campbell commented:
“There are a multitude of factors contributing to the rise in rental costs in Edinburgh – and elsewhere in Scotland. However, we believe it is far too simplistic to pin the blame on short-term holiday lets.”
“It has become incredibly convenient to use our industry as a scapegoat for longstanding failures in housing policy in Scotland, as opposed to engaging in a proper evidence-based discussion. For instance, traditional self-catering properties account for a tiny proportion of Edinburgh’s housing stock.”
“Moreover, across Scotland as a whole, there are almost five times as many empty homes as there are self-catering units, suggesting more should be done around occupying vacant homes than suggesting holiday lets are adversely affecting local housing markets.”
“Ultimately, building too few homes remains the core cause of Scotland’s housing problems, not the holiday let sector.”