Councillors in Inverness have agreed to progress plans to consider introducing two Short Term Let Control Areas covering Inverness city and surrounding rural areas.
At a meeting of the City of Inverness Area Committee on Wednesday 7 January 2026, members agreed to move forward with the process, with a recommendation that the proposals now go to the Council’s Economy and Infrastructure Committee.
The proposed approach would see two distinct control areas considered, one focused on Inverness city and another covering wider rural communities, reflecting differing housing pressures across the area.
If approved by the Economy and Infrastructure Committee, the next step would be to formally commence evidence gathering and a public consultation on the impact of short term lets in wards identified as being most affected.
Leader of Inverness and Area Councillor Ian Brown said:
“I would like to thank the officers for their hard work in bringing this detailed report to Members today.
“The decision made by Members to recommend to E&I Committee to move forward to public consultation will enable officers to gather public feedback on the matters affecting the key Wards identified as most affected.
“We all look forward to hearing more on that feedback in due course and would urge the public to take part in the consultation when it goes live.”
The designation of a Short Term Let Control Area follows a statutory three-stage process, beginning with notification and consultation, followed by submission to and approval from Scottish Ministers, and ending with public notice of designation.
The Economy and Infrastructure Committee will ultimately decide whether to formally designate any Short Term Let Control Areas based on the evidence gathered and consultation responses.
A briefing on the outcome of the public consultation will then be reported back to Inverness area members.
