Housing across the Highlands is in crisis. It's impossible for people to find homes they can afford to rent or buy.

We need the Highland Council to take real action to clamp down on the proliferation of short term lets (STLs) that is hollowing out our communities.

• 1 in 5 houses in Inverness are STLs and this is rising fast.
• In rural areas of the Highlands, there are more STLs than long term empty properties and second homes.
• In both areas, people struggle to find homes where they work. 
  

The Highland Council is currently running a consultation on introducing two Short Term Let Control Areas. One would cover Inverness and one in what they term Highland Rural, which covers most of Highland mainland but which frustratingly excludes Easter Ross and Caithness. 

The introduction of a Short Term Let Control Area will slow down the growth of short term lets, leaving more homes to rent or buy for those that want to live and work in Inverness and across the Highlands.

This would provide real benefits to small communities, businesses and the local economy. These controls will also deter prospective owners from buying properties to convert into short term lets, and make more homes available for long-term residents. 

The Highland council is under huge pressure by short-term let landlords to NOT bring in these controls. Unless we demand that the council protects our communities from being bought up by predatory landlords, they will cave.

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