In more detail
The timeline and fees above tell you when and how much. This section covers what renewal actually involves in Edinburgh: how the council treats it, which documents run on which clock, how your record with neighbours counts, and what to do when the home or the owner changes.
01Licence renewal in Edinburgh is handled like a new application
It's easy to think of renewal as a form and a fee. The City of Edinburgh Council's own FAQs say renewal applications are processed the same way as the original application. So prepare as carefully as you did the first time.
How you apply
- Online only, through the council's licensing portal
- No paper or postal forms, and no cash or cheque payments
- Documents uploaded with the application, not sent later
What the council asks to see
The council's checklist includes a floor plan, a gas safety certificate where there's gas, electrical safety reports (the EICR and PAT), a fire safety checklist, a signed self-declaration and the fee. Our licence requirements page goes through each one in plain words.
Objections can be made at renewal too
Because renewal follows the same process, the police, the fire service, neighbours and members of the public can make representations or objections. Under the licensing law, an objection must be in writing, give its grounds, include the person's name and address, and be signed. It's normally due within 28 days of public notice of the application, though the council can accept a late one if there's good reason and it hasn't yet decided.
If an objection comes in, you get a copy and the application goes to the council's Licensing Sub-Committee. That takes longer, which is one more reason to apply about three months before expiry rather than in the final weeks.
Renewals need a site notice too. It stays up for 21 days in a row, and you send the council confirmation that it was displayed. The Edinburgh licensing page has the wider picture of how the council runs the scheme.
02Safety certificates for renewal: which documents expire when
The hardest part of renewal isn't the form. It's the certificates, because they run on different clocks and rarely line up with your licence date.
| Document | How often | Who does it |
|---|
| Gas safety record | Every year, if there's gas | Gas Safe engineer |
| EICR (fixed wiring) | Every five years, or sooner if the electrician says so | Electrician |
| PAT (plug-in appliances) | As advised by your electrician | Electrician |
| Fire risk assessment | Review whenever anything changes, and at renewal | You or a competent person |
| Legionella risk assessment | Review at renewal and after changes to the water system | You or a competent person |
| Insurance for short lets | Every year | Your insurer |
| EPC | Valid for ten years | Energy assessor |
Why the clocks matter
A three-year licence and a five-year EICR will drift apart. Your EICR might have two years left at one renewal and have expired by the next. Make a simple list with every expiry date on it, and look at it each time you look at the licence.
Small changes that catch people out
- A new sofa bed that adds a guest changes the floor plan and the maximum occupancy
- A new oven or boiler can change the gas record and the PAT list
- A kitchen refit may need the fire risk assessment updating
- A change of insurer needs a fresh certificate with short-let cover
For homes we manage, we keep these dates on one list and book the contractors in good time. Our short-let starter pack has a version you can keep yourself. For what each certificate tends to cost, see licence costs.
03Neighbours, complaints and your renewal
How your home has been run over the last licence period counts at renewal. The fee table shows it most clearly: three-year renewals for secondary lets are for homes with no complaints. Even for home letting, a renewal that draws objections takes longer and goes before a committee.
Keep the neighbour letter going
In Edinburgh, the licence holder writes to every household in the same building, and any adjoining premises, within 28 days of getting the licence, and every year after. Keep a copy of each letter and the date you sent it. If your renewal is questioned, that record shows you kept your side of the conditions.
Deal with problems in writing
When a neighbour gets in touch, answer quickly, act, and note what you did. A short log of dates, what was raised and what changed is far more useful than memory at renewal time.
What keeps a stair calm
- Checking guests' ID before an access code is sent
- Clear house rules with quiet hours from 10pm and no parties
- A guest limit that matches the licence
- A noise sensor that measures sound levels, never recordings
- Bins out and the stair left clear at every changeover
This is how we run every home, and it's set out for neighbours on our neighbours page. If your home is on a shared stair, our guide to short-letting a tenement flat covers key safes, bins and common repairs. Good habits between renewals make the renewal itself a much quieter affair.
04Renewal when the owner or manager changes
The licence belongs to the licence holder, and it's tied to the home. When either changes, the council needs to know, and the timing matters for renewal.
Switching manager
If a new company takes over the day-to-day running, the council needs to be told about the change of manager. The fee is £137. Do it at the point of switching, not at the next renewal. Our page on switching manager covers the handover of bookings, keys and records.
Selling or transferring the home
A transfer to a new licence holder costs £120. If you're buying a home that already has a licence, ask the seller for the licence, its expiry date and the certificates, and check how long is left before renewal. Our guide to buying a short-let property covers the wider checks, including planning.
Inherited homes
If a licensed home is inherited, the executor will deal with the estate first, and the licence position needs checking early. A licence that expires while confirmation is still being sorted can mean a gap in hosting. Our guide for anyone who has inherited a flat in Edinburgh walks through the order of things.
Moving abroad for work
If you're letting your main home while you're away, the licence route depends on whether it's still your main home. Renewals can fall in the middle of a posting abroad. Our page on letting while you're away explains how we keep the paperwork moving when you can't be here to sign things in person.
05Timing your renewal around the Fringe and Hogmanay
Edinburgh's calendar has a few weeks when you don't want contractors in the home, or a licence question hanging over it. Plan the renewal so the work happens in the quiet months.
Months to avoid for contractor visits
- August, for the Fringe and the festivals, when homes are booked solid and changeovers are tight
- Late December to early January, for Christmas and Hogmanay
- Big rugby weekends at Murrayfield, which fill the west of the city
Months that suit
January to March and November are usually quieter, and contractors are easier to book. If your licence expires in September, aim to have the certificates done by May and submit in June, before the festival season starts.
A worked example
Say a home letting licence expires on 30 September. Six months before is the end of March, the earliest you can apply. A sensible plan is:
- April: check every certificate date and book anything due
- May: certificates done, floor plan checked, insurance confirmed
- June: submit the renewal and pay the fee
- July to September: keep hosting through the Fringe while the council decides
That way, a council question in August is answered from a full file, not from a scramble. For festival letting more generally, see our Fringe host's guide, and for big match weekends, our note on the Six Nations at Murrayfield.
06How Stays In handles licence renewal for managed homes
For homes we manage, renewal is part of full management. Here's what that looks like in practice.
Six months out
Every licence expiry date is in our diary from the day a home joins us. At six months, we check the certificates, the insurance, the floor plan and the listings, and send you a short list of anything that needs doing.
Four to three months out
We book the contractors at times that suit the bookings, let them in, and collect the certificates. Then we prepare the renewal with you, submit it and pay the fee.
While the council decides
We keep hosting as normal, answer council questions quickly, and tell you what's been asked and what we said.
After the decision
We update the listings if anything has changed, note the next expiry date, and carry on.
What you bring
- Access for contractors, which we usually handle with the keys we hold
- Telling us about any changes to the home
- A signature on the self-declaration
Full management is from 15% + VAT of net booking revenue, which is 18% once VAT is added, with a one-off onboarding fee from £400 + VAT. To see how it fits your home, tell us about your property or book a 15-minute call with one of the co-founders. You can read what owners say on our reviews page.
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.
