Edinburgh is heading into the busy Festival season with a drastically reduced pool of licensed short-term lets (STLs), sparking concerns over where visitors, performers, and production staff will stay during the world-famous event.
According to figures from the City of Edinburgh Council, just 2,615 secondary let licences have been granted, accommodating a maximum of 11,821 guests – an amount wholly insufficient to meet the extraordinary Festival demand. Additionally, the Council has only issued 433 temporary exemptions.
In total, there are fewer than 4,000 active STL licences, with around 700 applications still under review. This falls far short of both previous provision and current needs, particularly as the city prepares to welcome over 25,000 performers, additional production staff, and more than 500,000 domestic and international visitors this August.
These numbers fall far short of the oft cited and unverified estimate of 13,000 short-term lets that drove the introduction of the disastrous regulatory regime the sector now faces. That figure was used to justify policies which slashed capacity and triggered serious unintended consequences. Yet in reality, it now appears the scale of legitimate STL provision was significantly overestimated.
Fiona Campbell MBE, CEO of the Association of Scotland’s Self-Caterers (ASSC), said:
“While Edinburgh prepares to take centre stage for the world-renowned Festivals, it is tragic that the city’s accommodation scene has once again descended into a farce. The frequency of these illegal adverts is now as ubiquitous as discarded Fringe show flyers lining the pavements of the Royal Mile in August.
The industry has repeatedly warned about the exponential growth of the black market which fundamentally undermines the entire purpose of licencing. To compound matters, Edinburgh Council’s onerous regulatory regime – particularly the muddled and conflated licensing and planning requirements – has also slashed accommodation supply and sent prices rocketing across the board. This risks undermining the visitor experience and Edinburgh’s global reputation as a Festival city and leading destination.
While we recognise the difficulties of securing accommodation in the capital, the ASSC urges guests to book with trusted, licensed providers through established channels. Sadly, this situation will not be rectified until policymakers urgently rethink a system that remains unfit for purpose years after implementation.”