Under new legislation, Scottish local authorities have to set up a licensing regime for short-term lets by October 2022.
For Highland Council, that means dealing with up to 10,000 applications.
Highland licensing committee this week agreed to make a start, with a public consultation expected to launch this week.
One councillor described it as the biggest undertaking for the licensing committee in 15 years.
The council expects to hire 15 staff initially, but officers admit that it could need up to 40 to cope with the flood of applications.
What do operators need to do?
The new rules will apply to all B&Bs, guest houses and self-catering properties. It even includes smaller accommodation such as glamping pods and yurts.
Operators will need to ensure their property meets a range of safety standards before a short-term lets licence is agreed. Each licence will go before the police, fire services, environmental health and planning officers for comment.
New operators will need to have a licence by 1 October 2022. Hosts can advertise their properties after that, but will not be able to take bookings or receive guests until their licence is in place.
For existing short-term lets, the licence deadline is 1 April 2023.
Highland Council says the short-term lets licence is likely to cost between £300 and £600 depending on the business.
‘Time is of the essence’
The Scottish Parliament agreed these new laws under the Civic Government (Scotland) Act 1982 on 19 January.
It hopes the licensing plan will improve the standard of short-term lets and balance the booming tourist sector against the needs of local communities.
The legislation is mandatory for all Scottish councils.
Highland Council has drafted its licence conditions and created a survey to capture public views. The consultation will run for six weeks from June 2022.
Councillor Willie Mackay said this is one of the licensing team’s biggest undertakings in 15 years.
“Time is of the essence,” he said. “This is going to be challenging throughout.”
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