THE overwhelming majority of Scots want tougher rules on holiday lets, according to a poll adding to pressure on ministers to change the law.

The YouGov survey found 84 per cent of respondents who expressed a view supported new taxes on holiday lets, and 88% thought all short-term landlords should be registered.

More than three-fifths thought all or most of the extra tax income should be spent on local housing.

It comes after more than 10,000 people signed an online petition calling for limits on lets.

Long-term private landlords must register with their local council, but holiday let landlords taking bookings through website such as Airbnb are not required to do so.

The poll was commissioned by the campaign organisation 38 Degrees, and comes just a week after the close of a Scottish Government consultation on holiday lets.

The group want the Government to empower councils to cap holiday let numbers, levy taxes on holiday lets, and require holiday let landlords to register like other landlords.

Megan Bente Bishop of Living Rent, Scotland’s Tenants’ Union, said: “People know all too well what the current lack of regulation on holiday lets means for communities.

“It means families forced out, communities ripped apart and ever fewer homes for people who want to live and work in Scotland.

“At the same time, the landlords who own these properties are making a killing. This urgently has to change, or the damage will be irreversible.”

Chloe Lawson of 38 Degrees said: “More than 10,000 people across Scotland have signed a petition demanding that the Scottish Government stop holiday lets destroying our communities.

“This polling shows the vast majority of people across Scotland also back that demand. The ball is now in the government’s court: will they stand up for communities across the country?”

Green MSP Andy Wightman, who has long campaigned for tough controls on holiday lets in Edinburgh, said: “There is a clear case for all owners of short term lets to pay their fair share of tax to local authorities. This poll again shows that there is huge public support to control the spread of short term lets.

“My research shows that the City of Edinburgh Council loses out on over £10.5 million in uncollected non-domestic rates due to short term lets annually. This means that the owners of short term lets enjoy hefty profits and an uplift in the value of their property while not contributing a single penny to local services, all the while my constituents are left to deal with the anti-social behaviour which often accompanies such lets.”

SNP housing minister Kevin Stewart said: “While short-term lets can have a positive impact and help boost the tourism economy across all areas of Scotland, we know they can also create challenges for some communities. That’s why we want to ensure that short-term lets are regulated appropriately.

“We are grateful for the large number of responses we received to our recent consultation, which we will now carefully consider before publishing an analysis and considering our next steps.

“We are committed to working with local authorities to give them the powers they need to balance the unique needs of their communities with wider economic and tourism interests.”