Scottish ministers are preparing to crack down on short-term lets such as Airbnb after a consultation found support for greater regulation.

It came as independent research highlighted major concerns about the impact on communities in hotspots such as Edinburgh, the East Neuk of Fife and Skye.

The number of active Airbnb listings across Scotland as a whole has tripled from just under 10,500 in 2016 to around 32,000 as of May 2019.

The Herald: Camley's Cartoon: Andy Wightman decries Scottish Government inaction on AirBnBs.Camley's Cartoon: Andy Wightman decries Scottish Government inaction on AirBnBs.

Four hosts with portfolios of more than 100 properties accounted for around 8 per cent of all listings – or nearly 2,500 listings in total.

Housing minister Kevin Stewart said the Scottish Government will “carefully consider the evidence” before setting out its proposals later this year.

He said: “Short-term lets can offer people a flexible and cheaper travel option, and have contributed positively to Scotland’s tourism industry and local economies across the country.

“However, we know that in certain areas, particularly tourist hot spots, high numbers of short-term lets are causing problems and often making it harder for people to find homes to live in.

“The responses to our consultation confirm support for new controls over short-term letting of residential properties in these problem areas.”

A Scottish Government consultation found a majority of respondents supported regulation for short-term lets in some form.

Options included a registration or licensing regime, as well as a system of enforcement and sanctions for landlords or owners.

An annual limit on the number of days a property can be let was also floated, although this attracted less support.

More than 1,000 responses were received, with communities, landlords and businesses raising a number of concerns about the effects of short-term lets, including antisocial behaviour, safety fears and the impact on the housing market.

Meanwhile, separate research published by the Government also raised concerns over housing, with indications properties were changing from long-term private lets and owner-occupation into short-term lets.

It noted: “This was voiced as a major area of concern in Edinburgh, Fort William and Skye due to the impact this was considered to be having on shortage of housing supply and affordability.

“In Edinburgh and the East Neuk of Fife the rise in [short-term lets] was associated with the fall in resident population and school rolls, with fears about the long term sustainability of the community.”

Concerns were also raised over noise, litter and antisocial behaviour in properties such as Edinburgh’s tenements.

But benefits were also highlighted, with Airbnb hosting around 1.6 million visitors to Scotland last year.

The research found Edinburgh and the Highlands accounted for 50.5% of all Airbnb listings in Scotland.

Across the country as a whole, Airbnb listings were found to account for only 1.2% of dwellings, but in Skye this rose to 18.6% – the highest penetration rate by ward in Scotland.

Statistics previously suggested almost half of all houses in Elie and Earlsferry, in the East Neuk of Fife, are holiday homes.

The majority (69.2%) of Scottish Airbnb listings consisted of entire properties, rather than rooms. Most hosts (76%) had only one Airbnb listing, but these listings accounted for less than half (45%) of the total listings in Scotland.

A very small proportion of hosts (0.3%) owned, or acted as agents for a much larger proportion of total listings (13%).

A spokesman for Airbnb said: “Airbnb is built on the principles of making communities stronger and spreading tourism benefits to local families and businesses.

“While guests using Airbnb account for just 3% of visitors to Scotland, our community boosted the Scottish economy by over £693 million last year alone, generating new sustainable revenue streams that - unlike other forms of tourism - stay with the communities where guests stay.

“We want to be good partners to Scotland, which is why we recently announced backing for a simple, free and online registration system in communities that need it, extending planning requirements to professional lets hosting over 140 nights per year, and support for a tourism levy for communities that want it.

“Airbnb has long led the way on supporting home sharing rules in Scotland and we want to continue that collaboration, based on our experience of working with more than 500 governments across the world.”