Don't Lose Your Licence: Your guide to the STL renewal process

Would you believe it’s nearly 3 years since the introduction of the mandatory Short Term Licensing Scheme in Scotland?!? With the majority of short-term let licences having been issued for a three-year period, it won’t be long until owners will need to renew their licence in order to continue letting.

As an agent we are legally required to list your STL licence number on our website and our owners have been helpful in providing this information. Our ever-diligent Property Manager Kirsti has (where possible) used the online public STL License registers of each local authority to enable us to collate the STL license renewal dates for the properties on the Unique Cottages portfolio. This data has shown us that the majority of the owners we work with will have to submit renewal applications next year (2026). With the knowledge that may local authorities struggled to manage the workload associated with the scheme, Kirsti has taken the time to reach out to each local authority area where we have properties located and asked them what their renewal process is and provide guidance on:

· When should existing owners submit their licence renewal application
· What the approximate timescale for the processing of the renewal application will be
· What documentation they will require
· What the fees will be for renewals

Although the information we have been given so far by local authorities does differ somewhat, the general consensus is as follows:

· Owner should submit their licence renewal application at least 3 months prior to the expiry date listed on their current licence.
· The renewal process will be the same as the original application process whereby there is a consultation period of 28 days and the requirement to display the public notice for 21 days. Legally local authorities have 9 months to determine an application; however, the majority of valid applications are currently being processed within a 6–12-week period.
· The renewal process will be the same as the first application so all supporting documents must be provided. Applications will not be deemed valid until all required supporting documentation is submitted.
· There may be a slight increase to the application fees, but many local authorities have tried to keep them at a similar level to 3 years ago.

One key thing which has been clearly reiterated by local authorities is that at renewal hosts will be expected to demonstrate compliance with all mandatory licensing conditions and supply supporting evidence. This means that the documents you submit as an owner should run concurrently on from those previously submitted. So, if you previously submitted an EICR (valid for 5 years) which had ‘next test date’ or ‘valid until date’ falling within the 3 years of your current granted license, you would have arranged a new certificate prior to this date to evidence that your property was compliant through-out and remains so.

As a reminder, the mandatory documents required are:

· A valid EICR (valid for 5 years)
· A valid Gas safety Certificate (valid for 1 year)
· Valid Insurance - buildings and public liability (normally valid for 1 year)
· A valid EPC (valid for 10 years)
· A valid PAT certificate (validy period dependant on the local authority – so please check)
· If applicable, a valid certificate demonstrating that the water supply to your property complies with requirements on the owners of private dwellings in the 2017 Regulations (normally valid for 1 year)

Most of these documents will be supplied by a qualified trades person, which we know in some areas can be hard to source. Please ensure you arrange for the appropriate contractor to attend in good time to ensure continuity. An overlap won’t stop you letting, but a gap in compliance will!

Although a local authority may or may not request sight of them, owners are legally required to carry out fire risk assessment and legionella risk assessment must be carried out (and evidenced) on an annual basis.

Unless you have made changes to your property, the floor plans previously submitted should suffice.

We appreciate it’s a good deal to remember, even if you only own one holiday rental property, but hopefully by passing the information we have managed to obtain regarding the renewal process you will be in a better position to ensure that your STL licence renewal application is deemed valid when you do submit it, preventing any stall in bookings. What has been made clear by all local authorities is that applications are received or not deemed valid after the expiry of their current licence, then they will be treated as a new application and you will not be able to take bookings or guests until a new license in place.

Some local authorities have stated that they will be sending out reminders to owners, however they have no legal obligation to do so. We therefore strongly recommend you do not rely on receiving a reminder & ensure you are aware of the expiry date of your current license and that you submit your renewal application and all support documentation at least 3 months in advance of this date.

As always, we are here to support our owners in all aspects of letting, so if you do have any concerns about the renewal process, please do not hesitate to reach out to us by emailing enquiries.