Short-Term Let Licence Scotland: What Operators Need

The short answer: In Scotland you must hold a short-term let licence from your council before you take bookings or receive guests. It is a criminal offence to operate without one, with a fine of up to £2,500 and a one-year ban from applying. Once licensed, your licence number must appear in every listing or advert for the property. Checked against mygov.scot, gov.scot and legislation.gov.uk on 26 October 2026.

Part of our guide to serviced accommodation marketing in the UK.

Scotland is the only part of the UK where short-let licensing is already live and enforced. If you are expanding into Edinburgh, Glasgow or the Highlands from England or Wales, this is the regime to understand before you buy or sign a lease. This page covers the licence types, the application, what your listings must show, control areas and the penalties, with the official source for each. For England and Wales, see our UK short-let registration guide.

Who needs a licence

The law changed on 1 October 2022. The Scottish Government says the scheme is “mandatory for all short-term let accommodation across Scotland”, including holiday cottages, B&Bs, guest houses, rooms in a home and unconventional accommodation such as pods and yurts. A licence is needed “regardless of how long you let the accommodation for. It could be one night or several months” (gov.scot: licensing scheme, updated 15 May 2026).

The legislation has exemptions. Check them against the gov.scot guidance before assuming a property is outside the scheme.

The four licence types

mygov.scot lists four, based on whether you live in the accommodation:

Licence	When you need it
Secondary letting	You let accommodation where you do not normally live, such as a second home or a holiday apartment. Dedicated serviced apartments sit here.
Home sharing	You let all or part of your own home while you are living there
Home letting	You let all or part of your own home while you are not there, for example while you are on holiday
Home letting and home sharing	You do both

Some councils also offer temporary licences (up to 6 weeks a year, or longer while a full application is processed), temporary exemptions (up to 3 in a 12-month period, no more than 6 weeks in total) and provisional licences for accommodation still being built. Each council sets its own conditions for these.

How to apply

You apply through your local council’s website, and the mygov.scot application page links to all 32. There is no national fee: “the cost for a licence depends on the accommodation and type of let”, so ask your council.

Three points from the same page that catch people out:

• Public notice. When you apply, you must display a notice at or near the accommodation for 21 days from the date you submit. It gives your name and address, the property address, the licence type and how to object to the council.
• Processing time. Councils must decide within 9 months. If a council needs longer it must apply to the sheriff court. If it misses the deadline without doing so, it must give you a licence for up to a year while it finishes.
• Refusal. The council can only refuse for a good reason and should let you amend the application. You can appeal to the sheriff court within 28 days, and you cannot reapply for a year unless your circumstances materially change.

A licence usually lasts 3 years (mygov.scot). It can be transferred, for example to a buyer who will keep running the let, by contacting the council.

Your licence number must be in your adverts

This is the rule with the most direct effect on how you market a property. Mandatory condition 14 of the licensing order says the licence holder must ensure that “any listing or advert (whether electronic or otherwise)” for the let includes:

• the licence number, and
• a valid Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) rating, where the property needs an EPC

The same condition says every listing or advert must be “consistent with the terms of the short-term let licence” (The Civic Government (Scotland) Act 1982 (Licensing of Short-term Lets) Order 2022, schedule 3, paragraph 14).

The wording covers any listing or advert, not only platform listings. We treat each property page on an operator’s own website as an advert and put the licence number and EPC rating on it. That is our practice, not a legal ruling, so check with your council if you are unsure. The consistency point matters too: if your licence is for 4 guests, a page saying “sleeps 6” is a problem. Our guide to showing licence and registration numbers on your website covers where to put them.

Control areas add planning

Councils can designate short-term let control areas where a change of use to a short-term let needs planning permission. Edinburgh became the first on 5 September 2022, and Highland Council designated the Badenoch and Strathspey ward on 4 March 2024 (gov.scot).

In a control area, if the change of use needs planning permission, you must already have it, or have applied and be waiting for a decision, before you apply for the licence. If the property was already a short-term let before the area was designated, the planning authority decides case by case whether the change of use is material. If you are buying in Edinburgh or Aviemore, make planning the first question, not the last.

What happens if you operate without a licence

mygov.scot says it is a criminal offence. You can be fined up to £2,500 and banned from applying for a licence for one year, and you cannot offer lets while you are banned. For a dedicated serviced apartment, a year without income is likely to cost far more than the fine.

Can guests check your licence?

Yes. Councils keep public registers of short-term let licence applications, updated at least quarterly (gov.scot), and mygov.scot has a “check if a property has a short-term let licence” service. A corporate booker who wants to confirm you are licensed can do so without asking you.

What to do now

1. List each Scottish property with its licence type, licence number, issue date and expiry date. A licence usually lasts 3 years, so diarise the renewal well ahead.
2. Check that every listing and advert carries the licence number and, where needed, the EPC rating.
3. Check that guest numbers and descriptions in every listing match the licence.
4. If you are buying, check whether the property is in a control area and what planning it needs before you commit.
5. Ask your council about fees and timescales before you plan an opening date.

Sources

All checked on 26 October 2026.

• Getting a short-term let licence, mygov.scot, updated 9 October 2025
• Types of short-term let licence, mygov.scot, updated 9 October 2025
• How to apply for a short-term let licence, mygov.scot, updated 9 October 2025
• Short-term lets: licensing scheme, gov.scot, updated 15 May 2026
• The Civic Government (Scotland) Act 1982 (Licensing of Short-term Lets) Order 2022, schedule 3, paragraph 14, legislation.gov.uk

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I need a licence for a short-term let in Scotland?

Yes. You must get a licence from your local council before you take bookings or receive guests. The Scottish Government says this applies however long you let for, from one night to several months, subject to the exemptions in the legislation.

How much does a short-term let licence cost in Scotland?

There is no national fee. Each council sets its own, and mygov.scot says the cost depends on the accommodation and the type of let. Ask your council.

Do I have to show my licence number on Airbnb and my own website?

The licensing order requires the licence number in any listing or advert, electronic or otherwise, along with the EPC rating where an EPC is needed. We put it on every listing and on each property page of the operator’s own site.

What is the penalty for letting without a licence in Scotland?

It is a criminal offence. You can be fined up to £2,500 and banned from applying for a licence for one year, during which you cannot offer lets.

How long does a Scottish short-term let licence last?

Usually 3 years. Councils must decide applications within 9 months.

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This page is general information for operators, not legal advice. Check the linked sources or ask your council before acting on anything here.