The Association of Scotland’s Self-Caterers (ASSC) has issued a new evidence briefing urging policymakers to take a more balanced, evidence-led approach to housing policy in the South of Scotland, warning against simplistic assumptions that short-term lets are a primary cause of housing shortages.
The briefing was prepared ahead of consideration by the South of Scotland Enterprise (SOSE) Board of a funding proposal which identifies short-term holiday lets as a contributing factor to local housing pressures.
While recognising that housing affordability and availability are genuine challenges across Dumfries & Galloway and the Scottish Borders, the ASSC argues that the available evidence points to a far more complex picture.
The briefing highlights that self-catering accommodation supports more than £66 million in Gross Value Added (GVA)and 2,248 jobs across the South of Scotland, making it a significant contributor to the regional economy. At the same time, there are more than 11,200 second homes, empty homes and long-term empty homes across the two local authority areas, compared with approximately 2,400 secondary short-term let applications.
Rather than focusing on visitor accommodation, the ASSC says policymakers should prioritise tackling the structural causes of housing shortages, including bringing inactive housing stock back into use, increasing housing delivery, addressing planning constraints, investing in infrastructure and improving development viability.
The briefing also raises wider questions around the economics of affordable housing delivery, noting that the proposed development carries an estimated cost of around £420,000 per home. It suggests this presents an opportunity to consider whether alternative approaches could deliver more homes for the same level of public investment.
ASSC Chief Executive Fiona Campbell said:
“Housing challenges across the South of Scotland are real and they deserve serious, evidence-based solutions. However, the evidence simply does not support the suggestion that self-catering accommodation is a primary driver of these pressures.
“Our sector supports thousands of jobs, local businesses and rural communities while representing only a small proportion of the region’s housing stock. Restricting visitor accommodation without addressing the underlying causes of housing shortages risks damaging the local economy without delivering meaningful housing outcomes.
“Good public policy should always be measured by outcomes. The priority must be increasing housing supply, bringing empty homes back into productive use and addressing the structural barriers that prevent homes from being built where they are needed most.”
The ASSC says the South of Scotland reflects a wider national debate, where housing policy should move beyond identifying convenient scapegoats and instead focus on interventions that deliver measurable improvements in housing supply while protecting the economic contribution of Scotland’s visitor economy.
The full briefing concludes that the choice is not between housing and tourism, but that thriving communities require both. It calls for future policy decisions to be guided by evidence, proportionality and a comprehensive understanding of the factors affecting housing availability across rural Scotland.