Short Term Letting Licensing Scheme

Service Title: Short Term Let License
Duration: Dependent on the size of the property
Fees: Please see below

Description:

In 2022 the Scottish Parliament approved legislation to introduce a new mandatory licensing scheme for short term let properties from 1 October 2022.
After 1 October 2023, new operators of short-term let accommodation must have a licence before taking any bookings or receiving guests. This also applies to existing operators who establish new short-term let accommodation after 1 October 2023.
If you are an existing host or operator (operating before 1 October 2023) you can continue to accept bookings and receive guests while your application is being determined and have until 1 October 2023 to apply for a licence.
It will be a criminal offence to operate a short-term let without a licence, and you could be fined up to £2,500.
The new law applies to short-term let accommodation, with exceptions that are set out in the legislation, and in guidance on the gov.scot Guidance for hosts and operators (external link) 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 etc.

What we can do to assist:

– Your Fire Risk Assessment (FRA)
– Your Portable Appliance Testing (PAT Testing)
– Set Up Your Water Safety (Legionella) Monitoring Records

Please Note – we do not conduct an Electrical Installation Condition Report (EICR), you need an Electrician to do this

Our Process: Step 1

– Visit your property to meet you and gain basic information to be able to provide a quote if you do not have a website

Our Process: Step 2

(if we have the privilege to be engaged by you to complete the tasks)

– Visit or Re-visit your property with our PAT Test equipment to test each Class I & Class II appliance

– Affix a test label to the appliance in a position that does not detract from the item as best as we can

– Use Video to record all the information that we need to write your Fire Risk Assessment

– Advise on the type and positioning of Fire Fighting equipment

Our Process: Step 3

(at our desks)

– Download the PAT Testing data

– Print PAT Testing data (hard & soft copies)

– Print PAT Testing Certificate

– Write your FRA

– Print FRA (hard & soft copies)

– Print your Water Safety (Legionella) Monitoring Records

– Order your Fire Fighting equipment if request to do so

Our Process: Step 4

(Once all the work is done & items delivered)

– Return to your property to deliver:
* Hard Copies of the FRA, PAT Test Results & Certificate, Water Safety Documents
* Fire Fighting equipment (if applicable)

– Take you through all the documents and explain annual visits, as with all Risk Assessments, a FRA is valid of a 12 month period

Fees:

PAT Testing – £100 for up to 40 appliances and then £2 per item thereafter

Fire Risk Assessment – depending on size of property & location. As a guide a property local to us with 4 bedrooms is circa £300

Water Safety (Legionella) Monitoring Records – £50 or Free of charge if we conduct your PAT Testing & Fire Risk Assessment

1. Floor plans –

For an assessment of the maximum number of guests that can be accommodated safely, applicants must submit floor plan(s) for their property.

Every effort should be made to submit professional plans, however, if you are unable to do this, hand drawn plans will be acceptable providing that they are reasonably to scale or adequately dimensioned. Ideally these plans should include a floor plan of each floor to a scale of 1:50 and if showing elevations to a scale of 1:100.

The floor plans should include reference to:

– Room sizes

– Fire escape routes

– Accommodation intended for guests with mobility impairment

– Smoke and heat detector locations

– Carbon Monoxide detectors (if an open flued appliance is fitted)

2. Site plan –

A site plan, including boundaries, ideally to a scale of 1:500.

3. Fire Safety Checklist provided by the SFRS –

The checklist has been incorporated into the application form. Please ensure you have an appropriate fire risk safety assessment in place for your property. For further information:

Fire safety: guidance for the hospitality industry (external link)

Fire safety: guidance for existing properties with sleeping accommodation (external link)

Non-Domestic Fire Safety (external link)

4. Electrical Installation Conditions (EICR) report –

Does not apply to properties with no electrical fittings or items within the parts of the property which are not for guest use, or to which guests are not permitted to have access. The report must be dated within the last 5 years. Further information can be found in the Guidance on Electrical Installations and Appliances (external link) document.

5. Gas Safety inspection certificate –

Does not apply to properties that have no gas installation. The inspection must have been carried out by a Gas Safe registered person. If your property has a gas supply, you must carry out annual gas safety inspections and hold a current gas safety certificate. Further information can be found on the Gas Safe Register website (external link).

6. Public liability insurance

7. Building and contents insurance

8. Booking and payment details from customers –

To demonstrate that you are an existing short-term let business. Does not apply to properties which started operating from 1 October 2022. Existing operators should provide evidence of previous booking dates and confirmation or receipt of payments for these bookings.

You do not need to provide personal details of the guests or bank account information. Booking records from September 2022 or the previous months would suffice.

Other Considerations

You must check that any lender consents to the use of a property as a Short Term Let.

You may be subject to waste management requirements depending on the size and scale of your operation. Further information can be found on our Business Waste Collection Service page.

You should check to see if you need to register as a landlord or obtain a HMO licence. Further information about HMO’s in the Highlands can found on our Apply for a licence – Houses in multiple occupation page. Registration is required for all properties let to one or more individuals as their main or only address and mandatory licensing applies to houses or flats occupied by three or more unrelated people who share bathroom or kitchen facilities as their permanent address.

Enquire now

to check course availability or if you have any questions, please get in touch…