How Much Does a Short-Term Let Licence Cost in East Lothian Council?

Licence fees

East Lothian Council Fees

Figures are from East Lothian Council's official Licensing Fees 2026/27 booklet (current as published on eastlothian.gov.uk). Grant and renewal are the SAME fee, banded by total maximum occupancy (number of occupants), covering a 3-year licence. A Provisional licence (new-build STLs) is £291 up front with the balance of the full fee due on completion. A Temporary licence (max 6 weeks, cannot be renewed) is a flat £291. Duplicate licence £33. Variation of licence £97. Transfer of licence £97. No refund is given if an application is refused or withdrawn, though no extra fee is charged for a resubmission within 28 days of planning permission being granted where refusal was due to a planning issue. Fees were originally set at a flat £390 (2022) then raised to £1,067 for 5-or-fewer-occupant properties from April 2024 following a council review of actual processing/inspection costs; the 2026/27 booklet shows further modest increases across all bands.

Before you apply

Documents You'll Need

• Completed Short-term Let Licence application form
• Application checklist (Part 5 of Guidance Notes) confirming all documents enclosed
• Correct application fee for the relevant occupancy band
• EPC (Energy Performance Certificate) - required for secondary letting, home letting, and home sharing & home letting of a dwellinghouse; the rating must also appear on all listings
• Gas Safety Report (annual) - if premises has a gas supply
• Electrical Installation Condition Report (EICR) - inspection at least every 5 years by a competent person
• Portable Appliance Testing (PAT) report on movable appliances accessible to guests
• Legionella / water safety risk assessment
• Evidence of compliance with the Water Intended for Human Consumption (Private Supplies) (Scotland) Regulations 2017 - if served by a private water supply
• Fire and carbon monoxide detection equipment evidence / Fire Risk Assessment per Scottish Government/SFRS guidance, plus SFRS Fire Safety Checklist
• Evidence of compliance with Furniture and Furnishings (Fire Safety) Regulations 1988 for upholstered furnishings/mattresses
• Floor plan(s), to a metric scale (1:50 or 1:100), showing room layout, sanitary ware, cooking facilities, power outlets, lighting points/switches and guest numbers per bedroom
• Valid buildings insurance for the licence duration and public liability insurance for each let agreement
• Proof of consent from property owner(s) if the applicant does not own the property
• Planning permission or a Certificate of Lawful Use or Development (CLUD) - only required if the premises falls inside a designated control area (none currently in East Lothian) or otherwise needs planning consent for its use as a short-term let
• Details/names of joint owners, day-to-day managers or agents, and (for corporate applicants) all directors/partners
• Disclosure of any unspent convictions for all named individuals (fit-and-proper-person check with Police Scotland)
• Completed Site Notice displayed for 21 days plus a returned Certificate of Compliance (not required for temporary licences)

Safety certificates

Certificates Required

Your East Lothian Council licence application must be backed by current safety certificates. These are jobs for a certified assessor, and getting them booked early is the most common thing that holds an application up.

Local conditions

Key Rules in East Lothian Council

• No control area designated anywhere in East Lothian (including North Berwick) as of July 2026 - planning permission is NOT currently required alongside the licence, but this is under regular review given community pressure.
• Fee bands are set by total maximum occupancy, not by let-type (home sharing/letting vs secondary letting cost the same within a band) - unlike some other councils.
• Grant and renewal fees are identical for a given band; only duplicate (£33), variation (£97) and transfer (£97) fees differ.
• Renewal applications must be submitted before the current licence expires (Council recommends 3 months ahead) for continuity of trading.
• Applicants must display a Site Notice for 21 days and return a signed Certificate of Compliance; objections can be made to the Council during that 21-day window.
• No temporary exemptions are offered by East Lothian Council (unlike some other Scottish councils) - a temporary licence (max 6 weeks, non-renewable, £291) is the only short-notice route.
• Additional local licence conditions apply beyond the national mandatory set - e.g. rules on LPG storage, external door locking mechanisms, refuse storage/collection, credit-meter top-ups for fire alarm systems, and (for shared buildings) cooperating in common-area repair/cleaning.
• Licence numbers follow the Scotland-wide format starting 'EL' (East Lothian) followed by 5 digits and a letter denoting licence type (T=temporary, F=first/full, R=renewed, N=new host pending determination, P=provisional).
• No refund is given for a refused or withdrawn application, though a planning-related refusal that's promptly remedied avoids a second licence fee on resubmission within 28 days.

Common questions

Frequently Asked Questions

Short-Term Let Licences in Other Councils

See all Scottish council STL licence guides →