What the rules say
Since the Civic Government (Scotland) Act 1982 (Licensing of Short-term Lets) Order 2022 came in, you must hold a short-term let licence before you take bookings or guests. There are four types: secondary letting (a property that is not your home), home letting, home sharing, and home letting and sharing.
The licence has mandatory conditions. You must meet the repairing and tolerable standards, have interlinked smoke and heat alarms and CO alarms, fire-safe furniture, an EPC under 10 years old with the rating in every advert, a legionella risk assessment, a gas safety certificate from the last 12 months, an EICR and a PAT report, a fire risk assessment, buildings insurance and public liability insurance, and paperwork for any private water supply. The council and fire service set a maximum occupancy.
In a short-term let control area you also need planning permission to use a home that is not your own as a short-term let. All of the City of Edinburgh and Badenoch and Strathspey in the Highlands are control areas, and more are being considered.
What to do
- Check whether you are in a control area and need planning permission.
- Get every certificate the conditions ask for, and record them in HostSorted.
- Apply to your council and pay its fee.
- Show your licence number and EPC rating in every listing, and keep a copy of the licence and certificates in the property.
- Add your licence expiry date here and we will remind you well before renewal.
Tips from the field
- HostSorted builds the licence conditions into the checklist for any property set to Scotland.
- Keep your compliance pack handy: councils often ask for the same documents at renewal.
Official sources
- mygov.scot: short-term let licences
- mygov.scot: legal requirements for a licence
- mygov.scot: control areas and planning permission
- gov.scot: enforcement
Costs are typical 2025/26 prices, not official figures. This is general information, not legal advice. Last checked 26 Sept 2026.