Short term lets licensing

Applying for a licence

Ensure you have read the following pages before applying for a licence.

Our licensing scheme for short term let properties has been in operation since October 2022, in line with the requirements laid down in legislation introduced by the Scottish Parliament.

Since 1 October 2022, new operators of short-term let accommodation must have a licence before taking any bookings or receiving guests.

All host and operators who did not apply before 1 October 2023 will require a short term let licence before they can accept guests and bookings.

Prior to 1 October 2023, the legislation made a distinction between existing and new hosts and operators:

existing hosts and operators are those who operated the application property as a short term let prior to 1 October 2022
new hosts and operators are those who did not operate the application property as a short term let prior to 1 October 2022

From 1 October 2023 there is no longer a distinction, and those who previously would have come within the definition of an existing host or operator can only continue to operate if:

they submitted an application for a licence prior to 1 October 2023 that has not yet been determined
or
has been granted a short-term let licence

It is a criminal offence to operate a short-term let without a licence, and you could be fined up to £2,500.

The legislation applies to short-term let accommodation, with exceptions that are set out in the legislation, and further guidance on this can be found on the Scottish Government's guidance, found on the Scottish Government's short term lets licensing scheme page. Short-term let accommodation requiring a licence includes rooms let in your own home, holiday cottages, guest houses, B&Bs and unconventional accommodation such as pods and yurts.

Renewal of a short term let licence

A full short term let licence is normally granted for a period of 3 years from the date of issue, following which an application must be made to renew the licence.

It is a licence holder's responsibility to check the expiry date of their short term let licence and make sure they submit a renewal application in time.

As long as you submit a renewal application before your licence expiry date, your previous short term let licence will remain in effect while the renewal application is being determined and you can continue to operate.

The form to apply to renew a short term let licence will be available on our website in November 2025.

Your renewal application will be processed the same way as your original application. Renewal applications will not be granted before the expiry date of your current licence.

If you have any questions in the meantime regarding the process for the renewal of a licence or when you should apply to renew, contact us by email: stl@highland.gov.uk

Short Term Let Control Areas

Badenoch and Strathspey (Ward 20) was designated as a Short Term Let Control Area on 4 March 2024.

Read our guidance on short term control areas.

Before you begin your application

Before you start your application, read through the following pages:

Fees

The fees for all short term let applications can be found on our licence application fees page.

Licence application fees are non-refundable.

Variation of Short Term Let Licence

You can submit an application form to vary a Short Term Let Licence, the application fee is £120. You can download the STL variation application form (word) or STL variation application form (PDF).

Transfer of Short Term Let Licence

You can submit an application form to transfer a Short Term Let Licence, the application fee is £120. You can download the Short term let transfer application form (PDF) | Short term let transfer application (Word)

Application Form

All applications for a short-term let licence must be submitted directly to ourselves. You can use our online short-term lets application form. If you are unable to submit an application online and require a paper application form, email us directly at stl@highland.gov.uk. We are unable to accept applications using alternative application forms.

Policy Statement

A copy of our Policy Statement and guidance notes in relation to short-term let licensing can be found by downloading the Short term lets - Policy Statement.

You can download a copy of our Policy Statement and guidance notes in relation to short-term let licensing.

Privacy notice

Before applying, ensure you have read our privacy notice for short term let licensing.