Beauty comes with a price. And for the Scottish Highlands, one of the most spectacular parts of the UK, that price is an influx of short-term lets, like Airbnbs, driving up the cost of housing. Six percent of potential homes across the Highlands are currently licensed as short-term lets (STLs), but several areas are now seeking to limit them with control zones.
The control zones would limit the number of licensed short-lets and help tackle the shortage of affordable homes in the area. At the moment, there’s just one official control area in the Highlands – in Badenoch and Stathspey. It came into force in March 2024 and requires property owners to seek planning permission before turning their place into a holiday let.
Last month, the Highlands Council (made up of 21 wards) agreed to let individual areas across the rest of the region carry out assessments and make up their own mind on whether or not to follow suit Now, the results have started rolling in.
On November 4, members of the area committee for Wester Ross, Strathpeffer and Lochalsh agreed that a control zone for short-term lets like Airbnbs should be considered. A recent assessment of the area found that 11 percent of new houses completed between 2020 and 2025 have become short term lets, and suggested that a high proportion of people purchasing property there came from outside the Highlands and Scotland.
Biz Campbell, the co-chairwoman of the Wester Ross, Strathpeffer and Lochalsh area committee, said: ‘We feel that this is worth taking a closer look now, because the overall indicators suggest that, in general, both the Ross and Cromarty West and Skye and Lochalsh housing market areas are less affordable and have higher rates of STLs and second homes than Highland as a whole.’
Councillors in Lochaber – which is home to major tourist hotspots like Ben Nevis, Glencoe and Fort William – voted the same way a week later and officially agreed that plans should be developed to introduce a control zone to their area. According to a report, one in 10 potential homes in Lochaber are currently being used as short-term lets. The next step will be to carry out a public consultation.
The Association of Scotland’s Self-Caterers isn’t a fan of the idea. Its chief executive Fiona Campbell said: ‘Targeting small businesses as a means of addressing longstanding housing issues – especially when there are a larger number of empty homes across the Highlands – shows a muddled sense of priorities. The local economy relies on tourism and self-catering is an integral component of the visitor accommodation mix.’
She added: ‘Rather than scapegoating small businesses, we need to shift the policy focus to meaningful solutions that won't harm the tourist economy, such as tackling the Highlands' record as a major empty homes hotspot.’
Meanwhile, councillors in Caithness opted not to pursue a control zone for now, as did Black Isle and Easter Ross’s area committee, following a review of the latest evidence.
ICYMI: The underrated English seaside town that will be a popular staycation spot in 2026.
Stay in the loop: sign up to our free Time Out UK newsletter for the latest UK news and the best stuff happening across the country.