Commonwealth Games short-term let licence exemption considered
Owners would be able to let their properties without the need for a licence if the proposal is taken forward
Temporary exemptions from short-term let licensing could be offered in Glasgow when the city hosts the Commonwealth Games next year.
Owners would be able to let their properties without the need for a licence if the proposal is taken forward.
The move could alleviate accommodation pressures during the event when there is expected to be a “significant increase” in demand.
Councillors on the city’s licensing committee will consider amending the short-term let policy to allow temporary exemptions this week. They are being asked to support a public consultation on the plan.
Glasgow is set to host a scaled-back Commonwealth Games from July 23 to August 2 next year, with 10 sports on show at four of the city’s venues.
A council report states the event will involve hosting around 3,000 athletes from up to 74 nations and around 500,000 tickets are expected to be available.
The city’s policy on short-term lets, approved in September 2022, means licences are required for “use of residential accommodation provided by a host, in the course of a business, to a guest”.
The national legislation allows temporary exemptions from the need to hold a licence, with councils able to authorise three periods, up to a combined total of six weeks, per calendar year.
Property owners still need to apply for a temporary exemption, and the licensing authority has to set a fee and timescale for when an application will be determined.
Glasgow’s policy currently does not allow temporary exemptions, but this position must be reviewed every three years. A review is now due.
In Edinburgh, applications for temporary exemptions are considered during the Fringe, the Christmas and Hogmanay period and for major sporting or international events.
The report to Glasgow councillors states the Commonwealth Games is “considered to be an exceptional event that was not anticipated at the time of adopting the original STL policy”.
It asks members of the licensing committee to “consider the possible impact that granting a temporary exemption would have on alleviating accommodation pressures the city might experience in terms of the city’s hosting of the Commonwealth Games next year where there will be a significant increase in demand for accommodation in the city in the period leading up to and during the event”.
Officials have suggested a full public consultation on amending the policy to allow an exemption period for the games.
It will also seek views on “ways in which concerns regarding temporary exemptions might be mitigated, for example by way of additional conditions or by requiring consultation with the Police and the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service”.