Advocacy at the ASSC
At the Association of Scotland’s Self-Caterers (ASSC), our purpose is to empower our diverse and professional membership, enabling them to deliver exceptional experiences to guests – while ensuring the policy environment supports the sustainability, growth, and legitimacy of the self-catering sector.
Through strategic, evidence-based advocacy, we protect and promote the interests of self-catering businesses across Scotland, ensuring decisions are informed by data, real-world experience and a clear understanding of the sector’s economic and community contribution.
Our Advocacy Mission
We exist to defend and champion the self-catering sector, a vital pillar of Scotland’s tourism economy by:
- Influencing national and local policy that affects self-catering businesses
- Protecting legitimate self-catering operators from disproportionate and poorly targeted regulation
- Promoting the economic, social and community value of Scottish self-catering to communities, guests, and government
- Supporting economic growth and responsible tourism across rural and urban Scotland
What We Advocate For
Our policy and advocacy work spans the full range of challenges and opportunities facing the self-catering sector including:
Short-Term Let (STL) Regulations
The ASSC has led the call for fair, proportionate, evidence-based licensing and planning frameworks that strike a balance between public safety and the viability and diversity of our diverse sector. We led two successful judicial reviews to challenge and overturn unlawful short-term let policies in Edinburgh, helping to protect legitimate operators and reinforce the importance of lawful, evidence-led decision making. We continue to work closely with the Scottish Government to improve legislation and guidance where it is not operating as intended, or where it lacks proportionality or clear justification.
Non-Domestic Rates
The ASSC advocates for fair and proportionate rates and valuation treatment for properties operated as genuine self-catering businesses. We led the case for regulatory change where businesses were wrongly removed from the valuation roll, securing the laying of regulations to enable their reclassification and restore appropriate non-domestic rates treatment.
Visitor Levy
The ASSC advocated for reform of the Visitor Levy (Scotland) Act 2024, calling for a legislative route that enabled a fixed, flat-rate levy rather than the flawed percentage-based model set out in the Act. Our focus is on ensuring any levy is fair, transparent, simple to administer and proportionate for both businesses and visitors, while supporting local destinations effectively.
FHL Tax Regime
The ASSC actively opposed the abolition of the Furnished Holiday Let tax regime and the removal of vital business reliefs that support the sustainability and viability of Scotland’s self-catering sector.
Energy Performance Certificates and Minimum Energy Efficiency Standards
The ASSC has led sustained, evidence-based engagement on Energy Performance Certificates and Minimum Energy Efficiency Standards sinec 2015. We successfully lobbied for the exclusion of self-catering accommodation from proposed minimum energy efficiency standards, ensuring policy recognised the distinct operating model of the sector and avoided disproportionate costs for legitimate tourism businesses.
Climate Action
The ASSC supports sustainable, achievable and meaningful environmental policy and helps members transition toward responsible, future-proofed operations. Link to responsible tourism hub.
Economic Development & Recognition
The ASSC demonstrates the essential contribution of self-catering to Scotland’s visitor economy and local supply chains with a strong focus on equity, inclusion, and community benefit. We actively work to challenge misleading narratives about the sector, promoting a more accurate, evidence-led understanding of self-catering as a legitimate, responsible and community-anchored part of Scotland’s tourism landscape. Through research, engagement and clear communication, we help ensure the sector is recognised for the value it delivers to businesses, people and places across the country.
ASSC-PASC Collaboration
The ASSC continues to strengthen its collaboration with the Professional Association of Self-Caterers (PASC UK), building on the Memorandum of Understanding signed in 2024. With the self-catering and short-term rental sector facing sustained regulatory and fiscal pressure across the UK, this collaboration is designed to strengthen collective advocacy, share technical, legal and policy expertise, and help members navigate an increasingly complex regulatory and fiscal landscape. By coordinating effort and pooling insight, we are better placed to protect legitimate self-catering businesses and reinforce the sector’s vital contribution to Scotland’s visitor economy and local communities.
Our Approach: Strategic and Evidence-Based
Our advocacy is grounded in the ASSC’s wider strategic vision:
- Effective Policy Engagement – Working with local and national governments, regulators, and tourism bodies
- Evidence-Led Action – Using data, case studies, and economic analysis to inform and influence decisions
- Member Support – Providing resources and services that enable responsible, professional self-catering management
- Wider Influence – Building strong partnerships and networks to broaden our reach and amplify our voice
- Brand Leadership – Championing the high-quality, authentic experience offered by Scottish self-catering providers
A United Voice, Powered by Our Members
Our advocacy is only as strong as the people behind it.
With the leadership of Fiona Campbell MBE and the support of a growing, engaged membership, we speak with a collective voice rooted in experience, professionalism, and community spirit.
Our members are not just operators, they are ambassadors for Scotland, delivering exceptional visitor experiences and contributing directly to the economic and cultural vibrancy of their communities.
“We don’t just represent the sector - we are the sector.”
Get Involved
Explore our latest advocacy work and policy positions:
Join Our Community
By becoming a member, you help us defend your interests, promote best practice, and secure a stronger future for the self-catering sector in Scotland.
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- Contact us to share your concerns or success stories
- Partner with us in advocacy or research
