Scottish Government Issue Update To Short-Term Lets Licensing Scheme (May 2024)

The Civic Government (Scotland) Act 1982 (Licensing of Short-term lets) (Amendment) Order 2024 will make a range of updates to the existing licensing scheme if passed by the Scottish Parliament.

The main updates to the legislation are as follows:

1. Temporary Exemptions Cap

The 2024 Order will place a cap on the temporary exemptions that can be sought from obtaining a short-term lets licence. Hosts may only apply for three periods of exemption per calendar year, with the total exemption period not exceeding six weeks. For more on temporary exemptions under the existing short-term let scheme, please see our article here.

2. Licence Transfers

Short-term let licence holders will be able to transfer their licence to third parties via an application to the licensing authority (at present, if a property is sold, the purchaser would be required to submit an application for a new licence). This will allow hosts to market properties as short-term lets and