Short-term lets – licensing scheme and planning control areas: business and regulatory impact assessment

O: Implementation and delivery plan

142. The Licensing Order and Control Area Regulations will be laid in the Scottish Parliament on 14 December 2020.

143. Subject to the approval of the Scottish Parliament, the Licensing Order and Control Area Regulations will come into force on 1 April 2021. However, local authorities will have until 1 April 2022 to establish a licensing scheme in their area and open it to receive applications. Local authorities may choose to establish control areas if these are right for local circumstances.

144. The Licensing Order gives existing hosts until 1 April 2023 to make an application for a licence. Existing hosts will be able to continue operating whilst their licence application was processed. On 1 April 2024, all hosts operating short-term lets in Scotland will require a licence to do so.

145. The Scottish Government will issue guidance for local authorities and, separately, for platforms and hosts in spring 2021.

O1. Post-implementation review

146. We will monitor and evaluate the impact of our proposals to ensure that they are effective and targeted. We have committed to make further provision in the next Parliament around fines and sanctions which we are not able to progress through secondary legislation. At this time, we will also consider what other changes are necessary or expedient to ensure that the policy intentions are delivered.