In more detail
The sections above set out the rules. This part is about planning your way through them: whether secondary letting applies to you, the order the council expects things in, the checks before buying, and what we check before we take on a home that already has its permissions.
01Secondary letting or home letting: which one is your home?
Everything on this page turns on one question: is the home your main home? If it is, you're usually looking at a home letting licence, with no planning permission needed. If it isn't, it's secondary letting, and planning comes first.
Situations that are usually secondary letting
- A flat bought as an investment and never lived in
- A home you've moved out of for good, and now live elsewhere
- A holiday home or second home that you visit now and then
- An inherited flat that nobody in the family lives in
Situations that may be home letting
- Your own home, let while you travel or work away for a spell
- Your home let for the Fringe while you stay with friends
- A home you live in most of the year, let for a few weeks at a time
Be honest about the answer
Whether a home is your main home is a question of fact, not a box to tick. Where you're registered to vote, where your post goes, where you spend most nights and where your belongings are all point one way or the other. The council can ask for evidence. Getting this wrong means the wrong licence, and possibly enforcement.
If you're working away for a long stretch, our page on letting while you're away explains how home letting can work. If you've inherited a property, start with our guide to inherited flats in Edinburgh. And if you're not sure which route fits, a free plan for your home will set out the licence route with you.
02Planning permission and the licence: the order Edinburgh expects
For secondary letting, planning and licensing are two separate systems run by two parts of the council. They meet at one point: the licence application.
What the licence application needs
The council's guidance notes say that for secondary letting which started after 5 September 2022, the applicant must show one of three things:
- They have applied for planning permission
- They already have planning permission
- They can explain why planning permission isn't needed, for example with a certificate of lawfulness
Why planning really has to come first
Applying for planning lets a licence application go in, but it doesn't make it safe to host. Obtaining planning permission where it's required is a mandatory condition of every licence. The guidance also says a licence can be refused where the applicant couldn't comply with the conditions. And the licence fee isn't refunded if the application is refused.
So the sensible order is:
- Confirm that the home isn't your main home, and that secondary letting is the right route
- Get advice on the planning position
- Apply for planning, or a certificate of lawfulness if the use is long established
- Gather the safety documents while you wait
- Apply for the licence once the planning outcome is clear
Homes let before September 2022
For homes already used as short lets before the control area began, the council asks for planning information only where its planning service has decided it's needed. That isn't the same as the use being lawful. A planning consultant or solicitor can tell you where you stand. Our licence requirements page covers the safety documents for step four.
03What affects a short-let planning decision in Edinburgh
We don't prepare planning applications, and every case is decided on its own facts. But it helps to know what usually shapes the outcome, so you can judge whether an application is worth the cost.
The building matters most
As the section above says, shared stairs are the hardest case. The reason is simple: a stair is a shared space, and guests coming and going with luggage at all hours changes how it feels for the people who live there. If your flat is on one, go in with your eyes open.
The street and the area
Planners look at the effect on the people around the home and on the area as a whole. A home in a quiet residential street of tenements is a different case from one above shops on a busy main road.
The building's own rules
Planning permission doesn't override your title deeds. Some buildings have a title burden limiting homes to private residential use, and some deeds of conditions set rules about letting. Check both before you spend money on planning.
Questions to ask a planning adviser
- How likely is permission for this type of building in this street?
- Is there any evidence for a certificate of lawfulness?
- What would the application cost, including drawings?
- How long is it likely to take?
- If it's refused, is there any point appealing?
Where you are in the city also shapes what a short let could earn. Our Airbnb management page has notes by area, from the Old Town to Leith. For stairs specifically, our guide to short-letting a tenement flat is worth reading before you decide.
04Buying a flat to short let in Edinburgh: checks before you offer
Most secondary letting questions we hear come from people thinking of buying. Since all of Edinburgh became a control area, buying a flat on the assumption that it can be a short let is a real risk. Do the checks before the offer, not after.
Planning and licensing
- Does the home already have planning permission for short-let use, or a certificate of lawfulness? Ask for the decision notice.
- Does it have a secondary letting licence? Ask for it, with its expiry date and conditions.
- Remember that a licence and planning permission are separate. A home can have one without the other.
The building
- Read the title deeds for any burden limiting the use
- Read the deed of conditions and any factor rules
- Check the state of the common parts, because common repairs are shared
The money
- Additional Dwelling Supplement of 8% on the whole price, if you already own a home and the purchase is £40,000 or more
- Land and Buildings Transaction Tax on top
- A mortgage lender's consent for short letting
- Insurance with short-let cover
When not to buy
If the home is on a shared stair, has no planning in place, and the numbers only work as a short let, think hard. Planning may well be refused, and you'd be left with a home bought at a short-let price that has to earn as a long let.
Our free guide to buying a short-let property in Edinburgh goes through all of this, with the homes that still work. Our short-let glossary explains ADS, LBTT and title burdens in plain words.
05Managing a secondary let with Stays In: what we check first
We don't prepare secondary letting licence or planning applications. We do manage homes that already have both, and we're glad to. Before a home joins us, we check a few things so there are no surprises later.
What we ask to see
- The planning decision notice, or the certificate of lawfulness
- The secondary letting licence, with its conditions and expiry date
- The current safety certificates and insurance
- The floor plan and the maximum number of guests
Why we check
We're the day-to-day manager, so the council will see our name on the licence. We want every home we run to stay licensed, keep its neighbours on side and earn well. That starts with knowing the paperwork is sound.
Once it's in place
Onboarding covers photos, listings, pricing and setup. It's a one-off fee from £400 + VAT, depending on the size of the home. From then on we run guests, cleaning, maintenance, the levy and the renewals, and you get a monthly statement with every number on it.
If you already have a manager
If your secondary let is already running with another company, moving across is straightforward. The licence stays yours, and the council needs to be told about the new day-to-day manager. Our page on switching manager explains the steps.
To see whether your home fits, tell us about your property or book a 15-minute call. You can read more about the team on our about page.
06Short let, long let or something in between: comparing your options
If planning isn't possible, or the numbers don't stack up, a home you don't live in can still earn. The right answer depends on the home, the area and what you want from it.
| Option | Planning for short let? | What it's like |
|---|
| Secondary short let | Yes, or a certificate of lawfulness | Highest earning potential, most work, licence and levy to manage |
| Long let to a tenant | No | Steadier income, a private residential tenancy, the repairing standard and tenant rights |
| Selling or moving in | No | A clean break, or a home that becomes your main home |
Long letting
A long let in Scotland is usually a private residential tenancy, which is open-ended. The home must meet the repairing standard, and tenants have strong rights. Income is steadier, but you give up the flexibility of using the home yourself.
Moving in
If the home becomes your main home, the route changes. You may then be able to let it while you're away, under a home letting licence, without planning permission.
Run the numbers honestly
Our guide Short let or long let? The Edinburgh numbers compares the two side by side, including costs people forget. The earnings calculator gives a quick view of what a short let could earn. If you want it all in one place, the free plan compares the options for your home, with the numbers, and tells you plainly if a short let isn't the best fit.
Comparing routes? Read home letting vs secondary letting in Edinburgh.
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.
