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Short-term let licences in Scotland: types, mandatory conditions, control areas and renewals

Sergej Sitki · founder of ReceptionGO and host
Published 17 October 2026 · 6 min read

General information, not legal or tax advice. Check your own case with your local council, HMRC or the relevant revenue authority, or an accountant.

Every short-term let in Scotland — a room in your home, your home while you are away, or a dedicated holiday let — needs a short-term let licence from the local council. Operating without one is a criminal offence with a fine of up to £2,500. Licences come with mandatory safety conditions, and in a control area such as Edinburgh a secondary let also needs planning permission.

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Scotland was the first part of the UK to require a licence for every short-term let. The scheme has been fully in force since October 2023, and councils now deal mostly with renewals, new hosts and enforcement. This guide covers what a licence involves in 2026, including the planning side in control areas and how the licence now interacts with the new visitor levy.

Which licence you need

There are four types. The type depends on whether you live in the property and whether you are there during the stay:

Some accommodation is outside the scheme — for example hotels with a premises licence for alcohol, hostels and holiday parks that already hold a caravan site licence for the units, and properties let under a tenancy. Check the exclusions with your council if you run a mixed site.

The mandatory conditions

Every licence comes with the same nationwide conditions. Without them the council will not grant the licence:

• Gas Safety Certificate dated within 12 months, if there is gas.
• Electrical Installation Condition Report (EICR) for the fixed installation, plus PAT testing for appliances guests can use.
• Fire safety: a fire risk assessment, interlinked smoke and heat alarms, CO alarms, and furniture that meets the 1988 fire safety regulations.
• Legionella risk assessment for the water system, private supply or not.
• Repairing and tolerable standards for the building.
• Insurance: buildings insurance and public liability insurance for each let.
• EPC where one is required, with the rating shown in listings.
• Maximum occupancy as set in the licence — never exceeded.
• Licence number on every listing and advert.

Councils can add their own conditions. Edinburgh, for example, has conditions on noise, waste and managing anti-social behaviour, and some ask for floor plans or a site visit.

Control areas and planning permission

A council can designate a short-term let control area. Inside it, using a dwelling that is not your main home for short-term lets is automatically a material change of use and needs planning permission. The whole of the City of Edinburgh has been a control area since 2022. Highland Council has consulted on control areas covering Inverness and parts of rural Highland. Other councils may follow, especially those also introducing a visitor levy.

In Edinburgh, planning permission for a secondary let in a tenement is hard to get; the council’s policy generally resists short-term lets in shared stairs. A licence application without the planning position sorted is likely to fail.

Fees: what Edinburgh charges

Each council sets its own fees. Edinburgh is at the top of the range:

Larger secondary lets pay more. Rural councils typically charge a few hundred pounds. Fees are generally non-refundable, even if the application is refused.

Applying, step by step

1. Choose the licence type from the table above.
2. Sort planning first if the property is in a control area and is not your main home.
3. Collect the certificates — the full list is above. Get the EICR and Legionella assessment done before you apply; they take the longest.
4. Apply online to your council, pay the fee and display a site notice at the property for 21 days so neighbours can comment.
5. Wait for the decision. Councils have up to nine months for new applications. Objections can send it to the licensing committee.
6. Publish the licence number on every platform as soon as it is granted.

Renewals and changes

Renew before the licence expires — most councils accept renewal applications several months ahead. If you change the number of bedrooms, the licence holder, or the agent who manages the property, tell the council; some changes need a fresh application. If you sell, the licence does not pass to the buyer.

Licensing and the visitor levy

From 2026 Scottish councils can charge a visitor levy on overnight stays. Edinburgh’s 5% levy has applied since 24 July 2026; Glasgow, Aberdeen, Stirling and West Dunbartonshire follow in 2027. The levy applies to licensed short-term lets in the same way as to hotels. Our Scottish visitor levy guide explains rates, exemptions and returns.

Letting in England as well? England’s own register is coming in 2027 — see short-term let registration in England.