Short Term Changes for Short Term Lets – Highland Council Policy and Fee Structure
Earlier this year we reported on the changes to be brought about by The Civic Government (Scotland) Act 1982 (Licensing of Short-term Lets) Order 2022. Following public consultation, the Highland Council Licensing Committee have now considered this and have published their policy and fee structure. The purpose of the policy is to provide guidance for applicants, licence holders and members of the public on the licensing system for short term lets. A link to the policy can be found here.
The fee structure will be:
| Guest Capacity (people) (excl children under 2) | Home sharing/home letting | Secondary letting |
| 1-2 occupants | £320 | £400 |
| 3-6 occupants | £390 | £470 |
| 7-9 occupants | £460 | £540 |
| 10+ occupants | £530 | £610 |
| Other types of application | Fee |
| Temporary Licence (up to 6 weeks) | 50% of full fee |
| Variation/change of circumstances | £120 |
| Duplicate Licence | £20 |
| Temporary Exemption Application | £100 |
A “secondary letting” means a short-term let involving the letting of a property in which you do not normally live.
Applicants will be required to complete an online application form and pay the fee. Much like alcohol licensing, a display notice will then need to be displayed at the premises for 21 days, in a place where it can be conveniently read by the public. A template will be provided once the application is submitted. When completing the application form, applicants will need to confirm they have complied with all mandatory licensing conditions, including having satisfactory fire and carbon monoxide safety equipment at the property, holding a gas safety certificate, EICR and PAT test in respect of the property, having carried out a legionella risk assessment for the property, and holding an EPC for the property. The applicant should also have appropriate buildings and public liability insurance. Highland Council have also published a list of additional conditions they may require depending on the nature and location of the property. These include things like managing noise nuisance or antisocial behaviour, taking reasonable steps to provide waste and recycling disposal and the cleaning and maintenance of any hot tubs.
The applicant (or their representative) or any person submitting an objection or representation to the application will be invited to attend the meeting of the Highland Licensing Committee and speak to their objection/representation. You will be given at least 14 days’ notice of the hearing date.
The application forms are due to be available online a few days prior to 1 October 2022.
If you require assistance with your application, please get in touch with the team at Macleod and MacCallum and we will be happy to assist you.
