A Practical Guide to the Short-Term Letting Licensing Scheme in Scotland

Drawing on over a decade of experience advising on civic licensing in Scotland, and specifically advising clients over the last two years in relation to the new short-term let licensing scheme, this practical guide explains what it means to have a short-term let, what the regulatory implications of holding a licence are, how to apply for a licence, and what alternative options there might be if you only want to licence a short-term let for a brief (temporary) period of time.

This practical guide brings together in one place the relevant provisions of the Civic Government (Scotland) Act 1982, Civic Government (Scotland) Act 1982 (Licensing of Short-term Lets) Order 2022, non-statutory guidance, and other relevant information so as to be a helpful aide for operators, applicants, practitioners and licensing officers alike. It provides a timeline as to how the Scottish Government reached the stage of requiring short-term lets to be licences, while also drawing on case studies to consider complex issues he has already seen arise as operators grapple with the new statutory regime.