Malcolm raises the concerns of constituents about holiday
lets on the Waterfront
Antisocial behaviour by tenants
in short-term let flats Malcolm Chisholm
(Edinburgh North and Leith) (Lab):
Can the cabinet secretary confirm that he is open-minded about modifying section
7 of the 2004 act so that antisocial behaviour notices can be enforced on landlords?
In questions to and correspondence with the Scottish Government, I have so far
been told that it has no intention of doing so. If there has been a shift in the
Government's position, I very much welcome it.
Kenny MacAskill (The Cabinet Secretary for Justice):
From discussions at official level and with councils, it seems that section 7
is not necessarily the panacea that people seem to think that it is, because the
short nature of the tenancies means that it is difficult for the legislation to be used effectively. We are happy to discuss the matter with
members. We understand that antisocial behaviour notices have been served on landlords
in only a few cases, and not at all in relation to holiday lets. It is not necessarily
the case that section 7 offers a quick fix.
We recognise that there is a problem. We must keep the issue in proportion
and recognise that holiday lets are important in many parts of Scotland, especially
rural areas. Equally, we must ensure that people who are trying to get on with
living their lives, who have to get up for work the next day and who want their
kids to have a sound night in bed are not disturbed by party flats.
June 18th 2009, (Column 18572-3)