Planning & Licensing

As a Community Council, we seek to create a community in our area which is part of the historic heart of Glasgow as well as being an important social space for shopping, eating out and entertainment. We need to establish a permanent residential community in order for our area to flourish. Students comprise a transient population who will move on after three or four years of study. It is generally recognised by the City Development Plan that the City Centre is already at saturation point with the construction of student accommodation buildings.

The Draft Supplementary Guidance to the already adopted City Development Plan states that development must “not result in an unacceptable concentration of student accommodation in the locality that would be harmful to the maintenance of a balanced community” and makes clear that purpose-built student accommodation will not be suitable in areas where the population is low density, a fact also accepted by the Council’s City Centre Living Strategy. This strategy seeks to promote the development of a mixed, balanced residential population in the City Centre.

Glasgow City Council’s policy on short term lets is contained in Glasgow City Council’s Supplementary Guidance “SG10 – Meeting Housing Needs”, Section 4B, paragraphs 4.12 to 4.16.

If you rent out your entire apartment on a frequent short-term basis, Glasgow City Council planning regulations do not permit this activity in buildings where there is a common entrance and common facilities.

Owners who frequently rent out their entire apartment via short-term letting services are likely to be in contravention of those planning regulations, as this represents a material change of use.  Offending owners may be fined by the Council, and be served with notice to cease the activity. In addition, owners may be contravening the deed of conditions attached to their apartment, which only permit the property to be occupied by one family.

If you rent out a room in your flat on a short-term basis, and live in the property, there is not likely to be a material change of use. Equally, traditional secured tenancies are not affected.