Glasgow City Council seeking court interdict to ban short-term let flat

Glasgow City Council seeking court interdict to ban short-term let flat

Glasgow City Council is seeking what is believed to be one of the first court interdicts in Scotland to enforce an existing ban on a short-term let which has continued to advertise for bookings amid the coronavirus pandemic.

Last year, Ahmed Boutoubane was hit with enforcement action for his letting of a four-bedroomed property on Victoria Road in Glasgow’s South Side after neighbours complained about the frequency of lets, noise and anti-social behaviour and poor management of bookings.

Mr Boutoubane is continuing to advertise the property as a ‘Luxurious Morrocan Guests House’ on sites including Booking.com.

The property is registered on the Scottish Landlord Register under the name of Jamal Boutoubane. According to The Herald, the name the property is advertised under changes intermittently.

While there are no current restrictions regarding the use of short term lets during the current pandemic, a source from Glasgow City Council expressed surprise over the amount of overseas visitors reported by neighbouring residents.

It is said that council planners are confident that they possess enough evidence to persuade a sheriff that a court interdict is necessary to prevent the property being used for holiday lets.

A spokeswoman for trading standards said it is also considering whether the owner has breached any advertising guidelines.

A Glasgow City Council spokesman said: “The council is considering legal action in light of the failure to comply with the enforcement notice.”

Last week, The Herald spoke to Ahmed Boutoubane and he refused to answer any questions about the property including the current council enforcement notice and claimed he is not the owner of the property.

Landlords who fail to secure a licence for Airbnb-style short-term lets could face a fine of up to £50,000 under new rules set to be implemented in April next year.

The Scottish Government will bring forward plans to require all landlords operating properties as short-term lets to secure a licence from local authorities – however, officials have ruled out setting a 90-day cap for when properties can operate as such and some may be able to operate without a licence until March 2024.

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