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14/7/25 8:13 pm
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An Edinburgh landlord has been fined for renting out an unlicensed flat in the first prosecution under the country’s short-term lets licensing scheme.
Edinburgh Council warns that it has reported a further 12 cases of unlicensed short lets to the Procurator Fiscal and that the conviction sends a clear message that operating without a licence is illegal.
A mandatory licensing scheme for all short-term lets in Scotland, including Edinburgh, launched in October 2022, with existing operators forced to apply for a licence by October 2023.
The prosecution is a taste of what’s to come for the rest of UK as other governments are considering bringing in similar restrictions, with Wales likely to be next. In this case, a neighbour had reported the unlicensed Edinburgh flat after enduring repeated loud noise and disruption by guests, and on one occasion witnessing 19 people staying above them.
The landlord - in the west of the city – was handed a £600 fine and ordered to pay £500 compensation to the neighbour. The council reported the case to the Procurator Fiscal which started criminal proceedings.
The successful outcome has further implications for the convicted landlord as it’s likely to affect any future licence applications they make.
Convener of the regulatory committee, councillor Neil Ross, says this demonstrates that a conviction will result in financial penalties. “We always try to resolve issues through advice and guidance in the first instance and where this approach doesn’t work, we gather the information required to take enforcement action,” adds Ross.
The maximum fine for operating an unlicensed short let is £2,500. By March 2025 Edinburgh Council had received 5,441 short term let licence applications, of which 4,654 have been granted.
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