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. 

Your accommodation is likely to need a short-term let licence unless your guest:

• lives in the accommodation as their main home 
• is a member of your immediate family
• uses the accommodation to carry out work or services for you
• shares the accommodation as part of an educational arrangement

Types of accommodation that need a licence

The short-term let licensing scheme covers residential and commercial accommodation in Scotland, including:

• B&B and guesthouse
• boat (fixed and not used as transport)
• boathouse
• cabin
• castle
• chalet
• cottage
• exclusive use venue where accommodation is provided (that does not have a licence to sell alcohol)
• farmhouse
• holiday caravan or glamping pod that does not already have a caravan site licence
• lighthouse
• lodge
• self-catering or holiday let
• serviced apartment, either on its own, or up to 4 in a building that's a flat or residential unit where: 
  • hosts provide services to guests (such as housekeeping, phone desk, reception, or laundry) 
  • each flat or unit contains its own washing, cooking and dining facilities separate from each of the other flats or units 
  • there's a management system to prevent anti-social behaviour and imposes limits to the maximum occupancy of the flats or units  
• shared home or rooms within a home
• shepherd hut
• tent, tipi or wigwam
• treehouse
• yurt

Excluded accommodation 

You do not need a licence for:

• aparthotels, meaning a building that: 

  • is entirely owned by the same person 

  • has at least 5 serviced apartments, managed and operated as a single business 

  • has a shared entrance for the serviced apartments 

  • has serviced apartments that do not share an entrance with any other flat or residential unit in the building 

• bothy – a building of no more than 2 storeys that has: 

  • no mains electricity, piped fuel supply or piped mains water supply 

  • is at least 100 metres from the nearest public road and from the nearest habitable building 

• holiday caravan or glamping pod sited within a park with a caravan site licence (Caravan sites and Control of Development Act 1960) 

• hotels, B&B or guest house with a premises licenced under Licensing (Scotland) Act 2005 

• self-catering accommodation within the grounds of a licenced premises or hotel (Licensing (Scotland) Act 2005). The accommodation needs to be specifically mentioned as part of the operating plan 

You do not need a licence for private residential and social housing tenancies.  

If you offer short-term lets within your House of Multiple Occupation (HMO), you need a short-term let licence in addition to your HMO licence.  

If you’re unsure if your accommodation needs a licence or not, you should get legal advice.

Use this tool to check if you need a licence and how to apply