Caithness housing market is ‘stable and affordable’ – short-term lets under control in county
A growth in short-term let properties in parts of Wick has not been enough to require a control area to be introduced in Caithness.
Rather than a Highland-wide control zone, which would allow the council to tackle the shortage of homes across the region, the local authority decided to let local area committees decide on whether to limit holiday lets in their areas.
There is currently one in place for Badenoch and Strathspey, while this week Wester Ross, Strathpeffer and Lochalsh area committee agreed to consult on the plans.
Across Highland, around 6 per cent of homes are rented out as short-term lets or holiday accommodation. The figure for Wester Ross is around 11 per cent, while in Caithness just 2 per cent of potential dwellings are licensed for short-term letting.
Highland Council notes that “some growth has been noted in specific areas, including parts of Wick” but added that “the overall numbers remain low in real terms”.
The Caithness area committee agreed earlier this week that there is currently no justification for establishing a Short Term Let Control Area in Caithness.
A report discussed by local members also highlighted that Caithness maintains a relatively affordable and contained housing market. It showed that 70 per cent of Caithness house sales are purchases by existing Caithness residents, with only 23 per cent of sales going to buyers from outside Highland, Scotland, or the UK – a lower proportion than seen in other Highland areas.
There are currently no registered Local Place Plans in Caithness expressing community concerns about STLs, and the wider evidence does not indicate significant external pressure on the local housing market, the report said.
Although committee members agreed to neither progress with a Short Term Let Control Area, or to make reviewing the case for one a standing annual item, they agreed that they could refresh and review the data in future years, if committee members saw a significant detrimental change.
Councillor Andrew Jarvie, who co-chairs the committee, said: "The committee welcomes the clear evidence basis this report provides about the reality of short-term lets in Caithness. While we recognise that some communities across the Highlands have raised concerns, the evidence shows that here in Caithness, the housing market remains relatively stable and affordable for local people.
“Short-term lets are a crucial part of our economy and supporting the broader tourism sector. Needlessly interfering with the market and introducing an extra burden at a challenging time for the sector would only be profoundly detrimental to the whole county.”