Highland Council's Short Term Let Licence Process

Practical information about the Highland Council's Short Term Let Licence process. To be read in conjunction with the information relevant to the process for the whole of Scotland.

Application forms and documents

Read the Highland Council's guidance.

You will be asked to create an account and complete the online application process, which includes submitting these documents:

• Application form

• Detailed floor plan (should include reference to the items listed here)

• Site plan (including boundaries, ideally to a scale of 1:500)

• Scottish Fire & Rescue Service Checklist (within the form);

• EICR dated within the last 5 years which shows the property is safe to let;

• Gas safety certificate dated within the last 12 months which shows the property is safe to let;

• Proof of Building and Contents insurance cover for the holiday let;

• Proof of Public Liability insurance for the holiday let;

• Evidence of letting before 1 October 2022 e.g., booking confirmation email from Sykes for booking(s) that took place before 1 October 2022 or an Owner Statement.

Giving notice to neighbours

It appears the Highlands Council have a different process to other councils in Scotland in that they do not want you to complete an online notice form or the Scottish Government’s template notice as soon as you have submitted the application for a licence and put it near your property. They treat the application as properly submitted only when they have validated it i.e. checked that it’s complete with all required forms etc. At that point, the Council prepare the notice and send it to you for you to then display for 21 days.

Fees

Find the Highland licence fees here. The relevant fee for most of our owners is that being charged for secondary letting (ie. when you let out accommodation that isn’t your only or principal home), and so it is that fee to which we’ve referred to below. The numbers refer to maximum guest capacity:

• 1-2: £400

• 3-6: £470

• 7-9: £540

• 10+: £610

Additional Conditions specific to the Highlands Council

There are additional conditions for licence holders to comply with, including:

• Clearly labelling bins as belonging to the property

• Not affixing key box etc. to public/jointly owned property without proof of permission

Further detail on the additional licence conditions