Pausing the Short-term Lets Licensing Scheme (Amendment 3)
S6M-10411.3: As an amendment to motion S6M-10411 in the name of Murdo Fraser (Pausing the Short-term Lets Licensing Scheme), leave out from "notes" to end and insert "recognises the success of Scotland’s growing tourism sector and that well-managed, short-term lets are a significant part of that economy; welcomes the reassurance and safeguards for visitors, hosts and communities that the short-term lets licensing scheme provides; acknowledges the work that local authorities have done to date in processing applications, and also those hosts who have submitted applications so far; highlights the six-month extension to the application deadline, giving nearly two years for hosts to comply with licensing conditions and a year to prepare and submit an application; notes the ongoing Scottish Government engagement with local authorities and the short-term lets sector across Scotland; calls on all MSPs to focus on supporting and encouraging any outstanding applications to be submitted to local authorities before 1 October 2023; confirms the Scottish Government’s ongoing work to listen to and engage with the sector, and reaffirms the Scottish Government’s commitment to an implementation review update in early 2024."

Original motion(S6M-10411):
That the Parliament notes the widespread concern in the tourist sector at the introduction of the licensing scheme for short-term lets, which is effective from 1 October 2023; understands that this will apply not just to stand-alone self-catering units, but also to home sharing, B&Bs, guest houses and home swaps; is concerned that the unintended consequences of the scheme will have a seriously negative impact on Scotland’s tourism offer, and calls on the Scottish Government to pause the introduction of the scheme for 12 months to allow for modifications based on a detailed, evidence-based review of its impact.