Planning permission and control areas for short-term lets

You may need planning permission to provide short-term let accommodation.

Most planning decisions are made by the local planning authority. This is usually the local council. It can be a national park authority, if the accommodation is in a national park area.

If you need planning permission and you operate a short-term let without it, the planning authority could take enforcement action against you.

When to check if you need planning permission

Generally, you’ll need planning permission if you want to:

build a new building to provide short-term let accommodation
use an existing building to start providing short-term let accommodation, and the planning authority consider this a ‘material change of use’

The rules are different if you want to provide short-term let accommodation in a ‘short-term let control area’.

Short-term let control areas

A planning authority can make some or all their region a short-term let control area. This can be used to manage the number of short-term lets in an area.

There are currently two control areas in Scotland:

the entire City of Edinburgh Council area
Badenoch and Strathspey, in the Highland Council area

New short-term lets in an existing control area

If you’re applying for a new short-term let licence in an existing control area, it’s very likely you’ll need planning permission.

Existing short-term lets in a new control area

You may need to apply for planning permission to continue offering short-term let accommodation, if you have not already done so.

A planning authority must publicise any new control area ahead of it coming into force.

How to check if you need planning permission

To check if you need planning permission, contact the local planning authority.

This is either:

the local council
the Loch Lomond and the Trossachs National Park Authority, if the accommodation is in this national park

Planning permission

More information on planning permission

You can also get guidance on planning permission for short-term lets on gov.scot.

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