As Scotland’s short-term let licencing scheme has now come into force, landlords must navigate a complex series of conditions and rules to continue operating their short-term letting business.
It is now a criminal offence to operate a short-term let in Scotland without a licence where required. For new short-term landlords in Scotland, the deadline to have a licence was on 1 October 2022, but by July 2024 it will be essential for all landlords, (or hosts), to have a licence in place to avoid potential criminal consequences.
Types of short-term let licence
There are 4 types of licence:
- ‘home sharing’ means you rent out all or part of your own home while you’re living there.
- ‘home letting’ means letting all or part of your own home while you’re not there, for example while you’re on holiday
- ‘secondary letting’ means letting a property where you do not normally live, for example a second home or holiday let
- ‘home letting and home sharing’ means you let out all or part of your own home both while you are living there and also at times when you’re not there.
Accommodation needing a short-term let licence
All short-term let accommodation in Scotland needs a licence. This is unless it’s one of the excluded types of accommodation.
