Landlords in Scotland who rent out so called ‘party flats’ to anti-social tenants could soon face fines of up to £5,000

MSPs recently approved new legislation designed to allow local authorities to take action against owners renting out their properties where anti-social behaviour is a persistent problem.

Scottish Housing minister Alex Neil told members of Holyroods Local Government and Communities Committee that a public petition had made the Scottish Government aware of so-called ‘party flats’ rented out in cities such as Edinburgh for events including stag and hen weekends, say the PressAssociation.

Neil said the legislation, designed to clarify and improve the application of anti-social behaviour notices in relation to short-term lets, would make landlords the "culprits".

The Anti-Social Behaviour Notices (Houses Used for Holiday Purposes) Order 2011, which was approved unanimously by the committee, will create an additional set of criteria where a local authority can issue an anti-social behaviour notice.

The property must be used for a holiday let on at least two occasions, and there must be two occasions of reported anti-social behaviour.

Landlords could be asked to take action to limit the number of people using the property at any one time, provide on-site supervision or make improvements to security.

Failure to comply could result in a range of measures being taken, including steps as considered necessary to deal with the anti-social behaviour, with the landlord liable for expenses. A maximum fine of £5,000 could be imposed.