http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ CityCyclingEdinburgh Forum » Topic: "Holiday Flats Edinburgh's Ruin" en Thu, 21 May 2026 04:26:12 +0000 http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=17015&page=19#post-378412 Mon, 27 Jan 2025 00:14:30 +0000 ejstubbs 378412@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p><a href="https://www.theguardian.com/news/2025/jan/25/no-neighbours-overtourism-residents-spain-portugal-visitor">‘I have no neighbours’: overtourism pushes residents in Spain and Portugal to the limit</a></p> <p><em><strong>As visitor numbers hit record levels in southern Europe, some residents are surrounded entirely by tourist flats</strong></p> <p>When her husband, who had cancer at the time, took a tumble in the couple’s sixth-floor flat last year, Maria frantically wondered who she could call for help to lift him.</p> <p>In another building, another era, she might have dashed next door to ask a neighbour. But it wasn’t an option in her 11-unit building in central Lisbon, where tourist flats had proliferated and turned long-term residents into a rarity.</p> <p>She resorted to calling the fire service. But the moment stuck with her, hinting at the community she had lost as a ceaseless rotation of tourists moved in and out of all but three of the building’s units.</em> </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=17015&page=19#post-378334 Tue, 21 Jan 2025 23:04:48 +0000 Morningsider 378334@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>@ejstubbs - its 5% of the pre-VAT accommodation charge. Food, drink, and entertainment charges are exempted. If operators can charge "dynamic prices", I see no reason why the Council cannot also collect dynamic taxes. </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=17015&page=19#post-378333 Tue, 21 Jan 2025 18:58:13 +0000 ejstubbs 378333@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>I wonder why they have gone for a percentage? (And of what? Just the room rate, or would it be applied to meals, spa sessions and the like taken in the hotel as well?)</p> <p>As far as I remember all the "tourist taxes" I've paid in other countries have been a fixed amount per night, which I would imagine to be much simpler for the hoteliers etc to administer. </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=17015&page=19#post-378286 Fri, 17 Jan 2025 08:47:51 +0000 chdot 378286@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>“</p> <p>The council’s proposal is to charge the tax at 5%, cap it at five nights of overnight accommodation in The City of Edinburgh Council area, and to spend the tax in a variety of ways, including a new participatory budgeting scheme to allocate spending of £100,000 in each and every council ward each year</p> <p>“</p> <p><a href="https://theedinburghreporter.co.uk/2025/01/visitor-levy-under-the-spotlight" rel="nofollow">https://theedinburghreporter.co.uk/2025/01/visitor-levy-under-the-spotlight</a> </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=17015&page=19#post-377241 Sun, 10 Nov 2024 10:34:33 +0000 chdot 377241@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>“</p> <p>it would lead to the proliferation of holiday homes and Airbnbs. It would lead to litter pollution and parking problems </p> <p>“</p> <p><a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2024/nov/10/new-national-park-wales-local-opposition" rel="nofollow">https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2024/nov/10/new-national-park-wales-local-opposition</a> </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=17015&page=18#post-377215 Fri, 08 Nov 2024 09:10:50 +0000 chdot 377215@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p><a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2024/nov/08/lisbon-residents-call-for-vote-on-banning-tourist-lets-in-residential-blocks" rel="nofollow">https://www.theguardian.com/world/2024/nov/08/lisbon-residents-call-for-vote-on-banning-tourist-lets-in-residential-blocks</a> </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=17015&page=18#post-376119 Fri, 09 Aug 2024 12:55:43 +0000 chdot 376119@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p><a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/article/2024/aug/09/protests-mass-tourism-spain-europe-unesco" rel="nofollow">https://www.theguardian.com/world/article/2024/aug/09/protests-mass-tourism-spain-europe-unesco</a> </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=17015&page=18#post-370355 Tue, 12 Sep 2023 09:41:00 +0000 chdot 370355@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>“</p> <p>Protests over short-term let licensing in Scotland - in the media, outside Holyrood - are doing nothing to lessen the social stigma of being an Airbnb host. I am one myself and I cringe at their self-serving rhetoric and apparent lack of understanding of the bigger picture. </p> <p>“</p> <p><a href="https://jackie125.substack.com/p/short-term-landlords-demo-not-my" rel="nofollow">https://jackie125.substack.com/p/short-term-landlords-demo-not-my</a> </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=17015&page=18#post-369861 Tue, 22 Aug 2023 09:28:54 +0000 chdot 369861@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>“</p> <p>Anger as Edinburgh tourism plan will close self-caterers </p> <p>“</p> <p><a href="https://archive.is/IkH1h" rel="nofollow">https://archive.is/IkH1h</a> </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=17015&page=18#post-369848 Mon, 21 Aug 2023 11:38:57 +0000 chdot 369848@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p><a href="https://www.eastlothiancourier.com/news/23394369.north-berwick-holiday-let-owner-loses-appeal-stay-open/" rel="nofollow">https://www.eastlothiancourier.com/news/23394369.north-berwick-holiday-let-owner-loses-appeal-stay-open/</a> </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=17015&page=18#post-369847 Mon, 21 Aug 2023 11:21:37 +0000 chdot 369847@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>“</p> <p>However, sensible regulation to help ensure customer safety is one thing. Using these regulations to achieve wider policy goals is quite another. Councils have been given broad discretion in terms of how they apply licensing and planning rules on short term lets and whilst most councils, such as Midlothian, have elected to implement a fairly benign regulatory regime, others, such as Edinburgh, have chosen to apply strict planning and licensing rules. So strict, in fact, that the courts ruled that the City of Edinburgh Council had gone beyond its powers in using the licensing system to effectively do the job of planning.</p> <p>“</p> <p><a href="https://www.midlothianview.com/news/cool-heads-are-needed-to-tackle-the-short-term-lets-crisis" rel="nofollow">https://www.midlothianview.com/news/cool-heads-are-needed-to-tackle-the-short-term-lets-crisis</a> </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=17015&page=18#post-369824 Sat, 19 Aug 2023 09:10:26 +0000 chdot 369824@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>“</p> <p>Inside Airbnb report the number of listings in the UK has risen from 83,000 in 2016 to 339,000 in 2023. </p> <p>A Scottish Government spokesperson said: “Many hosts will already be able to meet licensing conditions as a matter of compliance with existing law or best practice. We already implemented a one-off six-month extension to the transitional deadline for hosts that were operating prior to October 2022 and thousands of hosts have already applied based on this. </p> <p>“</p> <p><a href="https://archive.is/4xbfe" rel="nofollow">https://archive.is/4xbfe</a> </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=17015&page=18#post-368701 Thu, 15 Jun 2023 18:21:59 +0000 chdot 368701@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p><a href="https://www.edinburghlive.co.uk/news/edinburgh-news/edinburgh-holiday-flats-contribute-less-27128519?" rel="nofollow">https://www.edinburghlive.co.uk/news/edinburgh-news/edinburgh-holiday-flats-contribute-less-27128519?</a> </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=17015&page=18#post-368560 Thu, 08 Jun 2023 21:31:13 +0000 chdot 368560@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>“</p> <p>I've just read through the Court of Session ruling and want to lay down my *opinion* on some of the detail. Not really the big win for operators that it's being presented as but certainly a nuisance for CEC legal team, others may disagree 1/ </p> <p>“</p> <p><a href="https://twitter.com/euanhyslop/status/1666797111868784640?" rel="nofollow">https://twitter.com/euanhyslop/status/1666797111868784640?</a></p> <p>Thread </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=17015&page=18#post-368554 Thu, 08 Jun 2023 18:35:13 +0000 chdot 368554@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p><a href="https://www.edinburghnews.scotsman.com/news/people/edinburgh-short-term-lets-councils-bid-to-regulate-airbnb-style-accommodation-ruled-unlawful-by-judge-4175170" rel="nofollow">https://www.edinburghnews.scotsman.com/news/people/edinburgh-short-term-lets-councils-bid-to-regulate-airbnb-style-accommodation-ruled-unlawful-by-judge-4175170</a> </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=17015&page=18#post-368432 Sat, 03 Jun 2023 09:09:15 +0000 chdot 368432@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>“</p> <p>"These policies will be as damaging as the clearances and I never thought in my time I'd experience SNP clearances," he said. </p> <p>"The existing licensing scheme for short-term lets is unfair, unreasonable and disproportionate. </p> <p>“ </p> <p><a href="https://archive.is/SclnP" rel="nofollow">https://archive.is/SclnP</a> </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=17015&page=18#post-368084 Mon, 15 May 2023 19:54:26 +0000 Morningsider 368084@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>I love it. Short-term let owners:</p> <p>1. "How dare the Council interfere in the free market! They will kill the sacred festival!"<br /> 2. "The free market is making me charge eight grand a week for my horrible flat! These prices will kill the festival!" </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=17015&page=18#post-368082 Mon, 15 May 2023 18:07:15 +0000 chdot 368082@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p><a href="https://www.edinburghnews.scotsman.com/news/people/edinburgh-housing-flats-to-rent-during-edinburgh-fringe-listed-for-up-to-ps34000-for-a-month-4142681" rel="nofollow">https://www.edinburghnews.scotsman.com/news/people/edinburgh-housing-flats-to-rent-during-edinburgh-fringe-listed-for-up-to-ps34000-for-a-month-4142681</a> </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=17015&page=18#post-368081 Mon, 15 May 2023 16:25:48 +0000 chdot 368081@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>Yeah he’s well known to CCE!</p> <p><a href="http://edinburgh.stv.tv/articles/309605-opinion-from-grant-maccusker-founder-of-campaign-say-no-to-20mph/" rel="nofollow">http://edinburgh.stv.tv/articles/309605-opinion-from-grant-maccusker-founder-of-campaign-say-no-to-20mph/</a></p> <p>Hard to know if he should talk to the Police or NHS… </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=17015&page=18#post-368080 Mon, 15 May 2023 14:35:04 +0000 Murun Buchstansangur 368080@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>More grifting:</p> <p><a href="https://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/scottish-news/businessman-who-claimed-bogus-airbnb-29979123" rel="nofollow">https://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/scottish-news/businessman-who-claimed-bogus-airbnb-29979123</a></p> <p>"A business which claimed to have raised a whopping £466,000 via a dodgy crowdfunder says all investors have been paid back.</p> <p>Grant MacCusker and his son Jamie Stewart have been threatened with legal action after a fundraiser on the Crowdcube website for their Student Rents firm was alleged to have made false claims." </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=17015&page=18#post-368039 Fri, 12 May 2023 10:40:51 +0000 chdot 368039@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p><a href="https://www.edinburghlive.co.uk/news/edinburgh-news/edinburgh-bid-regulate-short-term-26897965?" rel="nofollow">https://www.edinburghlive.co.uk/news/edinburgh-news/edinburgh-bid-regulate-short-term-26897965?</a> </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=17015&page=18#post-367717 Mon, 24 Apr 2023 12:01:49 +0000 chdot 367717@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>Re Demo</p> <p>Looked at the video, think the 39 is the number of people walking. </p> <p>So another 10 or so in the taxis and disco lorry!</p> <p>Worth reposting this -</p> <p><a href="https://wisob.wordpress.com/2015/02/21/in-which-i-come-over-all-daily-mash/" rel="nofollow">https://wisob.wordpress.com/2015/02/21/in-which-i-come-over-all-daily-mash/</a> </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=17015&page=18#post-367716 Mon, 24 Apr 2023 11:45:10 +0000 acsimpson 367716@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>It seems this "sale" was an even smaller event than his one taxi plus a dog protest.</p> <p>What betting is there that his "awards" were self nominated and judged solely on the nomination. </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=17015&page=18#post-367715 Mon, 24 Apr 2023 11:34:18 +0000 Murun Buchstansangur 367715@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>@chdot/Stickman/Morningsider :) thank you, you have brought joy to my day </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=17015&page=18#post-367674 Fri, 21 Apr 2023 17:53:10 +0000 Morningsider 367674@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>Odd how I managed to find something fishy about this (see above) after a lightning quick check on the Companies House website, but it seems to have fooled various esteemed organs of the Scottish press. </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=17015&page=18#post-367673 Fri, 21 Apr 2023 17:48:26 +0000 Stickman 367673@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>Seems Mr McCusker is a bit of a fantasist:</p> <p><a href="https://www.uktech.news/proptech/letting-cloud-fake-airbnb-acquisition-20230420" rel="nofollow">https://www.uktech.news/proptech/letting-cloud-fake-airbnb-acquisition-20230420</a></p> <p><blockquote> Last week Grant MacCusker, CEO of Letting Cloud, claimed the Edinburgh-based company he founded in 2019 had been acquired for an undisclosed sum by US short-term rental platform Airbnb.</p> <p>That claim was robustly denied by Airbnb. UKTN has since uncovered a series of false or misleading claims from MacCusker that led to numerous media outlets publishing the fake acquisition, along with evidence that he has been dishonest about previous business dealings.</blockquote> </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=17015&page=18#post-367574 Sun, 16 Apr 2023 19:45:19 +0000 chdot 367574@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p><a href="https://news.stv.tv/east-central/airbnb-attracts-protesters-over-lets-for-stag-and-hen-parties-in-midlothian" rel="nofollow">https://news.stv.tv/east-central/airbnb-attracts-protesters-over-lets-for-stag-and-hen-parties-in-midlothian</a> </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=17015&page=18#post-367490 Tue, 11 Apr 2023 16:02:00 +0000 Morningsider 367490@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>Ohhh - high flying business deals!</p> <p>Which seems odd, as "Letting Cloud" is a micro-business with no assets, which shares its registered office at 5 South Charlotte Street with 2,409 other companies. Must be a squeeze in there, although I suppose you could hold meetings in KFC. </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=17015&page=18#post-367487 Tue, 11 Apr 2023 10:39:48 +0000 chdot 367487@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>So it is!</p> <p><a href="https://www.edinburghnews.scotsman.com/news/protest-march-against-20mph-limits-plan-1513724" rel="nofollow">https://www.edinburghnews.scotsman.com/news/protest-march-against-20mph-limits-plan-1513724</a></p> <p>(The 3 taxis and a dog one.)</p> <p>“Of course it might not be apathy, it might genuine,y be that not that many people actually do support the cause, there must be 'some' reason they got 39 people and PoP got 4,000....” </p> <p><a href="http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=14385&amp;page=3#post-181494" rel="nofollow">http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=14385&amp;page=3#post-181494</a></p> <p>Maybe he can now afford to move somewhere with no speed limits… </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=17015&page=18#post-367486 Tue, 11 Apr 2023 10:26:01 +0000 Stickman 367486@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p><a href="https://www.edinburghnews.scotsman.com/business/edinburgh-property-letting-portal-snapped-up-by-global-holiday-rental-giant-airbnb-4098100" rel="nofollow">https://www.edinburghnews.scotsman.com/business/edinburgh-property-letting-portal-snapped-up-by-global-holiday-rental-giant-airbnb-4098100</a></p> <p>Readers with a long memory may recall that Mr McCusker was the brains behind the 20mph protest after his “endless research” on the adverse effects of 20mph limits. </p>