In more detail
The essentials are above. Here's the detail owners ask us about most: who home letting really suits, how to show it's your main home, guest numbers and fees, timing, getting the home ready, the conditions and the money.
01Home letting licence in Edinburgh: who it suits
The council describes home letting as using all or part of your own home for short-term lets while you're away, for example on holiday or for work, while it stays your home. That covers more people than you might think.
It often suits
- People who travel for a few weeks at a time and come back between trips
- Anyone working away for a season, a contract or a secondment
- Families who spend the summer with relatives
It doesn't suit
- A flat you've bought to let, or one you've moved out of for good. That's secondary letting, and our page on secondary letting and planning explains the extra step
- Letting a spare room while you're at home. That's home sharing, with its own fee
- Letting only for the Fringe or Hogmanay. A temporary exemption is lighter for a few weeks a year
If you inherited a flat and aren't sure what it counts as, Inherited a flat in Edinburgh? walks through the options.
02Proving it's your main home: the evidence worth keeping
The definitions of home letting and secondary letting are set in law, and the council has no discretion over them. What matters is the facts of how you live. It helps to have the paperwork together before you apply, so you can answer quickly if asked.
Records that usually show where you live
- Council tax bills in your name at the address
- The electoral register
- Bank and utility statements sent to the home
- Your GP and dentist registration
- Your employer's records, or a contract that shows you're working away for a set time
When it gets grey
Long trips are where owners get stuck. A year abroad with a clear return date looks very different from a move with no plan to come back. If your circumstances change while you're licensed, the licence may no longer fit, so tell us early. Our page on letting while you work abroad covers the common situations, and the free guide Letting your home while you're away has a checklist.
We'll give you our honest read before you spend anything on an application. Book a 15-minute call with one of the co-founders.
03Floor plans, guest numbers and the fee
Two things on the application shape everything after it: the floor plan and the maximum number of guests.
The floor plan
The council's FAQs say a hand-drawn plan is fine as long as it's reasonably to scale and shows room sizes or dimensions. Mark every room, the exits and where the alarms are. A tidy plan saves questions later.
Choosing your guest number
The fee is worked out per guest, and you can never go above the number on your licence. Count beds honestly, including a sofa bed only if you'll really use it. Too high and you pay for guests you won't host. Too low and you can't take the family of five who asks in August.
| Home sleeps | New licence fee | Three-year renewal fee |
|---|
| 2 guests | £240 | £720 |
| 4 guests | £480 | £1,440 |
| 6 guests | £720 | £2,160 |
Worked from the council's £120 and £360 per guest fees. Our licence costs page has every fee type, and licence requirements covers the floor plan and safety documents in more detail.
04How long a home letting licence takes, and how to plan around it
The law gives the council up to nine months to decide. Its FAQs say it aims to decide within four months, and that applications move faster when the documents are complete, there are no complaints and they're sent in early.
Work back from your first trip
| When | What happens |
|---|
| Five or six months before | Check deeds, lender and insurer. Book any missing certificates |
| Four to five months before | Application in, with the full document pack |
| The 21 days after | Site notice up at the property |
| The weeks that follow | Any questions or inspection from the council |
| Once granted | Listings go live with your licence number and EPC rating |
A timeline, not a promise: every application is different.
If your trip is sooner
If the dates you're away fall in August or over Christmas and Hogmanay, a temporary exemption may be worth a look for those dates. We also offer a temporary licence and home letting licence together. Our Edinburgh licensing page explains how the local timings work in practice.
05Getting your home ready to let while you're away
A home that's lived in needs a different kind of preparation from a flat set up only for guests.
- Make space. Clear a wardrobe, some drawers and a kitchen cupboard
- Lock away papers, valuables and anything precious
- Write a house guide for the boiler, the heating, the shower and the bins
- Sort keys: who holds them, and how guests get in
- Tell your stair you'll be away and who looks after the home
If your flat is up a tenement stair, say so plainly in the listing. Guests would rather know.
The Guest Message & House Manual Kit has templates you can adapt. If you'd rather hand the whole thing over, our full management service covers guests, cleaning, pricing and repairs, and every home is photographed professionally before it goes live.
06Your licence conditions, the neighbours and a 24-hour contact
The conditions above are the headlines. Two more are easy to miss.
An emergency contact, around the clock
Edinburgh's additional conditions ask for an emergency contact number for the licence holder that can be reached 24 hours a day. If you're abroad, that's hard to do yourself. For homes we manage, guests can message us 9am to midnight every day, and there's an emergency line around the clock during a stay.
Keeping the stair on side
Your neighbours see the site notice and get a letter every year. They'll judge the licence by what happens on the stair. For homes we manage, we set house rules with quiet hours from 10pm and no parties, check guests' ID before an access code is sent, and fit a noise sensor that measures sound levels, never recordings.
Our page for neighbours tells them who to contact if something isn't right. A calm record also helps when it's time for licence renewal.
07Council tax, income tax, the levy and our fees
Home letting has a few money questions of its own.
- Council tax. Your main home normally stays on council tax. See council tax or business rates for the 140/70 rule
- Income tax. Letting income is taxable, and the rules changed in April 2025. Short-let tax after April 2025 explains it in plain words
- The Visitor Levy. Stays in the City of Edinburgh from 24 July 2026 carry 5% on the accommodation price for the first five nights. Our Visitor Levy guide has the details
If we manage the let
Our fee is from 15% + VAT of net booking revenue for one to four homes, which is 18% including VAT. Net booking revenue is what guests paid after platform fees, cleaning and the Visitor Levy. New owners who sign a one-year agreement by 31 December 2026 pay 10% + VAT for the first four months. Onboarding is £400, £500 or £600 + VAT depending on the size of the home. All of it is on our fees page, and the earnings calculator shows what your home might take.
08Common mistakes with home letting applications
Most delays come from a handful of avoidable slips.
- Applying for the wrong licence. If you've already moved out, home letting won't fit
- Insurance that doesn't cover short lets. Not every home policy does. Get it in writing
- No word from the lender. Ask for consent before you apply
- Missing the title deeds check. Some deeds and factor rules restrict short lets
- A site notice that disappears. Check it's still up for the full 21 days
- Taking bookings too early. Guests can only stay once the licence is granted
- Forgetting the renewal date. Put it in your diary the day the licence arrives
Each of these is fixable. We check them all before anything is submitted. Meet the team behind the checks, or let's talk about your home.
Rather talk it through?Book a 15-minute call with one of the co-founders, or get a free plan for your home: what it could earn, the licence route and every cost.
