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Responsibilities upon obtaining a licence
England
Digs in all of England
The government is in the process of developing a registration scheme for short-term lets in England. To stay compliant, please inform yourself about any rule changes and law enforcements.
Exclusions, requirements and more information related to planning can be found on the GOV.UK website.
Digs in Greater London
In Greater London, there is a planning restriction that affects entire home short-term rentals. The Deregulation Act of 2015 introduced an exception that allows you to use residential premises for short-term rental for 90 or fewer nights in a calendar year. This is known as the ‘90 night rule'.
Please check with your local planning authorities to make sure that you’re allowed to host short-term rentals in your area, as some locations have exceptions to the 90 night rule.
If you want to short-term let your property in London for more than 90 days while ensuring that you are compliant with local rules, then you will need to apply to the local council for planning permission.
Exclusions, requirements and more information related to planning can be found on the London Council website.
We are in communication with Equity and UK Theatre regarding their input to this initiative and have already provided considerable data to these industry bodies to help inform them and offer support.
We are learning from all schemes in the UK and asking the Theatre Industry to take part in discussions with relevant parties.
We will update this page as news develops. In the meantime, please ensure all digs' Health and Safety information is accurate and up-to-date.
Ireland
In Ireland, it is a legal requirement for all visitor accommodation to meet statutory obligation of the National Quality Assurance Framework. The NQAF comprises of a suite of statutory and non-statutory tourist accommodation registers.
Fáilte Ireland advise all proprietors who may be unsure of their statutory obligations to obtain any clarification necessary to ensure their statutory obligations are being met.
Exclusions, requirements and more information related to planning and how to apply can be found on the Fáilte Ireland website.
Proposed STTL Register
The government is in the process of developing a short term tourist letting (STTL) register. To stay compliant, please inform yourself about any rule changes and law enforcements.
Exclusions, requirements and more information related to planning can be found on the GOV.IE website.
Northern Ireland
In Northern Ireland, it is a legal requirement for all visitor accommodation to hold a current Tourism Northern Ireland (NI) certificate.
Exclusions, requirements and more information related to planning and how to apply can be found on the Tourism Northern Ireland and the GOV.NI website.
Wales
In January 2024, Wales announced their plans to introduce a statutory registration and licensing scheme for all visitor accommodation in Wales.
To stay compliant, please inform yourself about any rule changes and law enforcements.
Exclusions, requirements and more information related to planning can be found on the GOV.WALES website.
For all bulletins and updates click here.
Scotland
Licensing scheme for Hosts with short term lets in Scotland - a summary:
- The short-term lets licensing scheme is mandatory for all short-term let accommodation across Scotland, including holiday cottages, B&Bs, guest houses, rooms within a home and unconventional accommodation such as pods and yurts. A licence is required, regardless of how long you let the accommodation for. It could be one night or several months.
- You must obtain a licence from your local council to operate a short-term let property in Scotland. When you apply for a short-term let licence, to avoid it being refused, you must ensure your application contains all the required information.
- To find out more, you can read the Short-term lets licensing scheme guide or use the Short-term lets checker tool on the mygov.scot site to see if you need a licence and what type of licence you need.
- If you’re a prospective host, you should factor in processing times when you plan a new short-term let. While licensing authorities will decide as quickly as they can, it can take up to 9 months to process your application.
- Operating without a short-term let licence is a criminal offence. You could get a fine of up to £2,500 and be banned from applying for a licence for a year. You cannot offer lets during this period.
From 1st January 2025 all hosts must have a licence before they accept bookings and receive guests
Temporary Exemption to the requirement to have a short term let licence
Licensing authorities must publish temporary exemptions policy statements on their websites, stating whether they intend to offer temporary exemptions. If your licensing authority decides to grant temporary exemptions to the requirement to have a licence, you are able to apply for a maximum of three exemptions not exceeding a combined total of 6 weeks in a calendar year. You will need to apply to the licensing authority where your accommodation is located for a temporary exemption.
For more information on temporary exemptions please visit Short term lets - guidance for hosts and operators and scroll down to section e) Temporary exemptions.
Edinburgh Council temporary exemptions information
N.B. Edinburgh Council will consider applications for STL temporary exemptions in certain circumstances as set out below:
a) During the Edinburgh Festival Fringe and Edinburgh International Festival
b) During Edinburgh’s Christmas & Hogmanay Festive Period
c) For Major Sporting Events
d) For Major International Events
The benefit of applying for a temporary exemption to the requirement to have a short term let licence would be that you can still host performers during the Edinburgh Fringe or any of the events mentioned above. However you will still have to pay for this temporary exemption (refer to your local council website to see exact prices), and you will still have to comply with the many of the responsibilities set out below to obtain this exemption.
As of 31 January 2025, submission of EICR and PAT is not required for temporary (home letting and/or sharing) exemption applications though it is considered good practice for hosts to obtain those certificates.
Useful links and information about the Edinburgh Temporary Exemption:
FAQs (Question 8)
How to apply and online submission
Responsibilities upon obtaining a licence
Hosts must make the following information available within the premises in a place where it is accessible to all guests:
a) A certified copy of the licence and the licence conditions.
b) Fire, gas and electrical safety information (including instructions regarding carbon monoxide alarms and mobile gas cabinet heaters where appropriate).
c) Details of how to summon the assistance of emergency services.
d) A copy of the gas safety report.
e) A copy of the Electrical Installation Condition Report.
f) A copy of the Portable Appliance Testing Report.
It is down to the Host's discretion how to provide this information. Hosts might display the information on a notice board or in a folder containing details about the premises. The important point is that guests can access it easily. Hosts may also wish to consider providing digital copies alongside booking confirmation.
Cost of the licence:
The cost of the licence will be set by the local council and is likely to depend on the property size and type of let.
How to apply:
Hosts apply through their local council.
Advice and Information:
Please refer to the latest Government's pages for full and up-to-date guidance:
Overview of short-term let licences
Guidance for Hosts and Operators
How to apply for a short-term let licence
We at TheatreDigsBooker don't want to put our customers in a position that breaches any remaining policies. We will update this page when we know more. We thank you for your understanding and patience. For the latest information please refer to the Scottish Government web pages listed above.
This summary outlines some of the important points and is accurate at the time of writing 20th January 2025.
FAQs
My Digs are in Scotland / Ireland. What do I need to do?
Review the Government Guidance as linked to above and make enquiries and/or applications to your local authority.
My Digs are in England / Wales. What do I need to do now?
Please inform yourself about any rule changes and law enforcements.
Double-check your Health & Safety section is up-to-date.
This only applies to Tourism and not Theatre Professionals, right?
No one knows for sure but Scotland's policy seems to include almost any room or space where a fee is charged in the scheme.
If you have any questions please see the full Government guidance or visit our Help Centre.
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