A luxury Dundee penthouse apartment was being used as short-term accommodation despite not having a licence to operate.
The three-bedroom flat at 360 Riverside Drive had been advertised online as offering self-catering amenities, such as a fully furnished kitchen and dining area.
Under Scottish Government legislation introduced in 2023, all short-term lets require a licence to run.
A licensing application was lodged with Dundee City Council by Orion Vacation Homes Ltd seeking permission to operate the Riverside flat as a short-term let.
This was heard by the local authority’s licensing committee on Thursday, where councillors eventually refused it.
Four bookings had been made for Riverside apartment
During the meeting it emerged that guests had already been staying at the Riverside penthouse.
Zehn Rashid, director of Orion Vacation Homes, told councillors that four bookings had been made.
But he said he had no knowledge of these until one guest complained about a broken sofa.
The oversight was blamed on “virtual assistants”, which Mr Rashid claimed he relied on for guest management and marketing.
The listing on Booking.com, which is now no longer taking reservations, shows the Riverside apartment had a 9.5 rating.
Two reviews have been left – one from February and another in March – praising the “brilliant property” for a “lovely stay”.
Raft of objections lodged against application
The licensing committee meeting also heard the application had attracted 18 letters of objection.
One objector, Dr. Bhupinder Panesar, raised concerns over how the apartment was being advertised online.
In an email, he wrote: “I remain concerned that the online advertisement for this property shows the property set up for holding parties.
“There is a table set up for card games, which is very prominent.”
Another objector, Mathew Bruce, wrote: “The residents of the Waterfront Apartments take great care to maintain the appearance of a well-known approach to Dundee, by road and rail.
“We are all aware of the disruption caused by guests, who are more likely to leave the property for someone else to tidy and maintain.
“We do not want to be reliant on the owners of 360 to attend after each guest to tidy.”
Councillors subsequently voted to refuse the short-term let licence.
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