Updated 31 October 2026
Good news first: you can welcome paying guests into your own home in Edinburgh. Renting out a spare room while you live there, or your whole home while you’re away (for the Festival, say), is allowed. You get a short-term let licence from the council before your first guest, and for your own home you normally don’t need planning permission. Here’s how it works, in plain English.
This is a friendly summary of the official pages, linked below, not legal advice. The council’s short-term lets team is the place to check anything about your own situation.
First, which kind of host are you?
There are four types of short-term let licence. Three of them are about your own home (City of Edinburgh Council):
Home sharing: you rent a room while you’re there
All or part of your own home, let while you’re living in it.
Home letting: you let your home while you’re away
All or part of your own home, let while you’re away, for example on holiday. It stays your main home.
Home letting and home sharing
Both: guests while you’re there, and at times when you’re away.
Secondary letting: a property you don’t live in
A second home or a flat you let to guests. This one needs more (see planning, below).
Not sure which fits? The Scottish Government’s licence checker asks a few questions and tells you whether you need a licence and which type.
Planning: usually not needed for your own home
The whole of Edinburgh has been a short-term let control area since 5 September 2022. That means letting an entire property that isn’t someone’s main home needs planning permission. The council says planning permission will not normally be required for home sharing or home letting. (City of Edinburgh Council: short-term lets planning)
Getting your licence
- Before your first booking. You need the licence before you take bookings or receive guests.
- Read the guidance, then apply to the council. The council’s guidance notes walk you through the form; you upload it with your documents and pay online. Fees depend on the type of licence.
- Safety basics. Every licence comes with conditions to keep guests safe: smoke, heat and carbon monoxide alarms, gas and electrical safety checks, a Legionella risk assessment and the right insurance. Our licence guide lists them, with the official links.
- It lasts. A licence usually lasts for 3 years.
(mygov.scot, City of Edinburgh Council: short-term lets licensing)
The Edinburgh Visitor Levy
Since 24 July 2026, overnight stays in Edinburgh carry a 5% visitor levy, and short-term lets are included. In short:
- It’s 5% of the cost of the accommodation, on the first 5 consecutive nights of a stay.
- It applies to stays on or after 24 July 2026 booked (and paid for in part or in full) on or after 1 October 2025.
- You collect it from guests and pay it to the council through the visitorlevy.scot platform, and 2% of what you collect is given back to you to help with the costs.
(City of Edinburgh Council: Visitor Levy for businesses)
Tax: a nice allowance for rooms in your home
If you rent out furnished rooms in the home you live in, HMRC’s Rent a Room Scheme lets you earn up to £7,500 a year tax-free (half that if you share the income with someone). Above that, you complete a tax return. (gov.uk: Rent a Room Scheme)
A few friendly checks before your first guest
- Your home insurance: does it cover paying guests?
- If you have a mortgage, or rent your home, what your lender or landlord needs to know.
- In a tenement or block, your title deeds and the building’s factor.
Then leave the cleaning to us
Once you’re licensed, we take care of every changeover across Edinburgh: the clean, fresh linen, guest supplies and a dated photo of every room in your owner app. On a monthly licence check visit (£20) we also test the alarms, check the fire-safety items and run the water, and log each one with a date. And if you’re letting for the Festival, we plan the rota and linen from June.
Book cleaning in Edinburgh Or get a price →