Short-term letting through Airbnb, Vrbo and similar platforms can look like an attractive way to earn from a Glasgow property. Higher nightly rates, flexibility, the chance to use the place yourself. But over the last few years Scotland has brought short-term lets, or short-term rentals, firmly into a regulated framework, and Glasgow adds a hurdle that catches many owners by surprise.
So if you are weighing up a short-term let in Glasgow, here is the honest, up-to-date picture: what you legally need, what it involves, and why a lot of Glasgow owners ultimately decide the traditional route is the simpler one.
The short answer: yes, you need a short-term let licence
The Scottish Government introduced a national licensing scheme under the Civic Government (Scotland) Act 1982, which came into force on 1 October 2022. Since then, every short-term let (STL) in Scotland must hold a short-term let licence from the local council. The transitional period for existing hosts has now ended, so in practice every operating short-term let in Glasgow needs a licence from Glasgow City Council, and every licensed property appears on the council’s public register.
This is not optional, and it is not a formality. Operating without a licence is a criminal offence, and you can be fined up to £2,500. Your licence number must also appear on every listing and advert for the property, so guests and the council can check it against the public register.
What counts as a short-term let?
Broadly, it is letting residential accommodation to guests as a business on a short-term basis, the classic holiday-let or Airbnb model. The scheme sets out four licence types, depending on how you use the property:
- Secondary letting, meaning letting out a property that is not your sole or main residence (the most common Airbnb setup).
- Home letting, meaning letting your own home while you are away.
- Home sharing, meaning letting a room in your home while you live there.
- Home letting and home sharing, a combination of the two.
You need a separate licence for each unit of accommodation, and the type you need shapes both the conditions and the cost.
What the licence involves
The licence conditions are mostly about safety, and they will look familiar if you already let property. To hold a short-term let licence you will need a valid gas safety record where there is gas, electrical safety checks (an EICR and portable appliance testing), interlinked smoke and heat alarms plus carbon monoxide alarms, a water safety (Legionella) assessment, public liability insurance, and a valid EPC. You will also submit a floor plan of the property with your application. As it processes the application, Glasgow City Council may consult Police Scotland and the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service, and your listing must display the licence number and EPC rating.
Fees are set by Glasgow City Council and vary by licence type and the maximum number of guests, and a first licence lasts up to three years before it needs renewing. Because the council can take several months to determine an application, you cannot simply list a property and start taking bookings, you need to plan well ahead. For the current fee levels, always check Glasgow City Council directly, as they are reviewed periodically. A small number of lets are excluded from the scheme altogether, so it is worth checking whether any exemption applies to your situation.
The bigger hurdle in Glasgow: planning permission
This is the part that surprises people, and it is the single most important thing to understand before you commit.
Some Scottish councils, most notably Edinburgh, have designated “short-term let control areas”, where letting a whole property that is not your home always requires planning permission. Glasgow has not done this. Glasgow City Council’s own short term lets policy confirms there are currently no short-term let control areas in place in the city.
That sounds like good news, but it does not mean planning permission is off the table. Letting an entire flat on a frequent basis is usually treated as a material change of use under town and country planning rules, and that needs planning permission in its own right, control area or not. And here is the crucial point for Glasgow: through its City Development Plan and “Meeting Housing Needs” guidance, the council will grant planning permission for a flat to operate as a short-term let only in a rare and specific set of circumstances.
In plain terms, if your property is a tenement flat, which describes a huge proportion of Glasgow housing, running it as a whole-flat short-term let will usually require planning permission that the council rarely grants. A house let to a single household generally needs only the licence, but for the typical Glasgow flat, the planning barrier is real and often decisive. You apply for planning permission, or for a Certificate of Lawfulness if your use predates any change and you want it confirmed, through the Scottish Government’s ePlanning Scotland portal, and each application is assessed on its own facts. Operating a short-term let without the right permission can bring the council’s planning enforcement team to your door.
What is coming next
The regulatory direction of travel is only tightening. Glasgow is hosting the 2026 Commonwealth Games (23 July to 2 August 2026), and the council has even considered temporary licensing exemptions to help meet accommodation demand, so it is worth watching for any short-term changes. Looking further ahead, Glasgow has approved a visitor levy on paid overnight stays, expected to apply to accommodation including short-term lets from 2027, adding another layer of cost and administration for hosts. Depending on how a property is used and rated, it may also fall under non-domestic rates rather than council tax. None of this is a reason to panic, but it is a reason to go in with your eyes open.
Is a short-term let actually worth it?
For some properties, particularly houses in the right location with the right owner, a short-term let can still work well. But when you add up the licence, the safety compliance, the strong likelihood of a planning barrier for flats, the ongoing admin, the cleaning and turnover between every stay, and the income that swings with the seasons, a lot of Glasgow owners reach the same conclusion: it is a great deal of effort for an uncertain return.
The traditional alternative is long-term residential letting, and for many owners it is simply the calmer, more predictable choice. One tenant, steady monthly rent, no nightly turnovers, no planning application, and none of the seasonal guesswork. It is more heavily protected by tenancy law, yes, but it is also far more stable, and it is exactly the kind of arrangement that, done properly, should feel reassuringly boring.
How Western Lettings can help
If you have looked into the short-term let route and decided it is more hassle than it is worth, that is where we come in. Long-term residential letting is our world, and we handle all of it for Glasgow landlords: pricing the property to the market, marketing it, finding and referencing a reliable tenant, keeping you compliant with every safety requirement, and managing the tenancy so your property earns steadily without the drama.
If you would like to weigh up your options, speak to one of our Glasgow lettings experts, or get an instant rental valuation to see what your property could earn as a long-term let.
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