If you’ve held a Scottish short-term let licence since the scheme first became mandatory in October 2022, there’s a good chance your renewal window is either here or coming up fast. Licences are granted for a maximum of three years, and three years on from that first wave, councils across Scotland are now actively processing renewals, in some areas, in the thousands. If you let a renewal lapse without realising, the consequences aren’t a formality, they’re the same as never having a licence at all.
Here’s what Glasgow landlords actually need to know about the renewal process in 2026.
Why Renewals Are Landing Now
Scotland’s STL licensing scheme became mandatory on 1 October 2022, with existing hosts given until 1 October 2023 to get their first licence in place. Licences run for a maximum of three years from the date they were issued, which means the first big wave of renewals is now genuinely due, and councils are treating it as a significant administrative task, not a minor one. Dumfries and Galloway Council, for example, has reported around 1,700 licence holders needing renewal, with the majority falling in early 2026. The Highland Council’s own licensing report notes the scheme has now been in place for over three years, with renewal applications actively being processed. If you were part of that original 2022-2023 wave, this is very likely your year.
The Renewal Process: What’s the Same, and What’s Different
Renewing an STL licence follows largely the same process as your original application. You’ll need to go through neighbour notification again (a public notice displayed at the property for a set period, typically 21 days), resubmit your current safety certificates and insurance documents, and pay a fee set by your local council.
One genuine piece of good news: renewal fees are usually lower than a brand new application. As an illustrative example, one council charges £357 for a new secondary letting licence (up to 6 guests) versus £246 to renew an existing one, though exact fees vary by council and property size, so check your own local authority’s current fee schedule. Councils also have discretion to grant a renewed licence for longer than three years, so a smooth renewal history can mean less frequent paperwork going forward, not more.
What Happens If You Miss the Deadline?
Most councils send renewal reminders roughly three months before your licence expires, but that relies entirely on your contact details being current and someone actually checking that inbox. For landlords managing their own properties alongside a full-time job, or anyone who’s changed email addresses since their original application, it’s an easy thing to miss.
If you submit your renewal application before your licence expires but the council hasn’t processed it yet, you can generally continue operating while the decision is pending, Scottish guidance is explicit on this point. But if your licence expires and you haven’t submitted a renewal at all, you’re in exactly the same legal position as someone who never had a licence: a criminal offence, with fines of up to £2,500 and the risk of being banned from operating altogether. Given that processing times can run long during busy renewal periods, the safest approach is to apply well before your expiry date, not to wait until the reminder email arrives.
How Aurora Handles This for You
This is exactly the kind of deadline that’s easy to lose track of when you’re managing a property alongside everything else in life. As part of Aurora’s management service, we track every managed property’s licence expiry date, handle the full renewal application, neighbour notification, and certificate resubmission on your behalf, and make sure nothing lapses, so you’re never the landlord finding out about an expired licence from a council letter rather than from us.
Not sure when your current licence is actually due for renewal, or want a hand getting ahead of it? Get in touch for a free, no-obligation chat about where your property stands.