Short-term lets Scotland: Visitors booking Airbnb-style lets in Edinburgh on websites told to look for licence number as enforcement plans revealed

Short-term lets restrictions came into force across Scotland on Sunday

Visitors booking Airbnb-style short-term lets in Edinburgh should look out for licence numbers in adverts to ensure the property meets new requirements, a council committee has heard.

The deadline for short-term let businesses to register with the licensing scheme passed on Sunday, meaning hosts can face £2,500 fines if they have not complied.

On Monday, Edinburgh city council's regulatory committee was told there had been 2,150 licence applications as of Friday and officials are working through them.

Keylocks are a familiar sight across Edinburgh, but that could now change on the back of tighter short-term lets regulations

A high volume of applications had been expected over the weekend as the deadline approached and some MSPs had called for a further delay.

Andrew Mitchell, the council's head of regulatory services, said he expected the majority of enforcement action would come from council resources rather than the police.

While estimates have put the number of short-term lets in Edinburgh at about 12,000, Mr Mitchell said the exact size of the sector was "speculation".

Councillor Martha Mattos Coelho asked how those booking short-term, let accommodation could check the property was licensed.

Mr Mitchell said: "It's a mandatory requirement that advertisements include a licence reference number unique to the property. All Edinburgh properties would start with the letters EH.

"In order to be able to trade, any operator must – whenever they're advertising – display that licence number so members of the public should be looking for that number when they're booking."

Existing operators will be given this number while new operators cannot have one until the licence is issued, the committee heard.

Catherine Scanlin, of the council's licensing team, said the "phone is ringing all day" about short-term lets with hundreds of calls. She urged operators to avoid "misinformation" about the scheme.

The council will speak to "big providers" in the sector to discuss what information they provide visitors at the point of booking, she said.

The committee's convener, Neil Ross, said it was "reassuring that the council's enforcement team is ready to take appropriate action when required".

He said: "We want visitors to Edinburgh to have the assurance that the short-term let they choose to rent will meet public safety standards and that the landlord is a fit and proper person. The simplest way to give that reassurance would be to display the licence number in the advert."