Skye housing association tenants warned over tourist sub-letting

A housing association is writing to tenants on Skye, warning them against sub-letting their homes to tourists.

Skye and Lochalsh Housing Association said they could be violating their tenancy agreement by using short-term letting websites such as Airbnb.

Earlier this year an analysis by the Chartered Institute of Housing found that one in 10 properties on Skye was being listed on Airbnb.

The housing association said tenants were risking eviction.

Lachie MacDonald, the chief executive of Skye and Lochalsh Housing Association, said: "The tenant's agreement is quite clear. Tenants can't operate a business from the property.

"We rely on the tenancy agreement between us and the tenant and that's what we will be using to correspond with them about."

He added that the same rules apply for people renting out a room or renting out a whole property.

"We're contacting the tenants to remind them of the obligations of the tenancy agreement. If they ignore this correspondence then the matters will be passed to our solicitors to take it further and implement the terms of our tenancy agreement," he said.

The number of tourists visiting Skye has increased over recent years with many people drawn to attractions such as the Fairy Pools, the Fairy Glen and the island's beaches and mountains.

While many have welcomed the rise in visitor numbers, others have raised concerns about the pressures on the island's infrastructure.