Renewing a short-term let licence in Scottish Borders
Everything Thistle Compliance knows about renewing a short-term let licence with Scottish Borders Council — the fees, the documents, where to send it, and how to find your own expiry date.
- Licence period
- Usually three years. The council may grant a shorter period where it considers that necessary.
- Cost to renew
- Same fee as a new application
- We take work here
- Yes
- Fees checked
- 2026-09-14
Fees
The Borders charges the same fee for a renewal as for a new application, banded by guest capacity, and does not vary the fee by licence type.
New application or renewal
| Guest capacity | Licence period | New or renewal fee |
|---|---|---|
| 1 to 3 | 3 years | £417 |
| 4 to 6 | 3 years | £465 |
| 7 or more | 3 years | £537 |
Other application types
| Variation of licence / change in circumstances | £104 |
|---|---|
| Duplicate licence | £50 |
Fees read from Scottish Borders Council's own published schedule on 2026-09-14 — source. Council fees are paid by you directly to the council. We never add to them and they never pass through our books.
What it comes to
- Our fee
- £319
- Scottish Borders's fee
- £465, paid direct to the council
- Gas safety certificate
- £29, paid direct to the engineer
- Total
- £813
What is specific to Scottish Borders
- No renewal discount, and no distinction by licence type — a 1 to 3 guest property pays £417 whether it is a secondary let or home letting.
- The Borders can charge inspection costs on full cost recovery where there has been a failure to comply with a licence condition, or a complaint that is not frivolous or vexatious. That is charged at the productive hourly rate for the officer's grade.
- The licensing unit is at Council Headquarters, Newtown St Boswells, Melrose TD6 0SA.
What a renewal requires
A renewal is not a lighter version of a first application. It takes the identical document pack:
- EICR electrical reportevery 5 years
- Gas safety certificateevery 12 months
- PAT testing certificateevery 12 months
- Fire risk assessmentperiodic Plus the fire safety checklist, held on site
- Scottish Fire & Rescue safety checklistevery renewal
- Legionella risk assessmentperiodic You can do this one yourself
- Insurance evidence, minimum £2m liabilityevery renewal
- Floor plan and location planevery renewal
- Owner declarationsevery renewal
- Signed Certificate of Complianceevery renewal
- Mandatory-conditions checklistevery renewal
How to find your own expiry date
Scottish Borders Council publishes a public register of licensed short-term lets, as every Scottish council must. Your licence details are in it.
Open the Scottish Borders public register
Search for your property address or your own name. If the register does not show an expiry date — most do not — work from your grant date and add the licence period above. If you applied in the 2023 window, your licence expires this autumn.
You do not need us for this part. The register is public and the date is free to find. What we sell is the work between knowing the date and filing the pack.
What we would do for you in Scottish Borders
You tell us the property. We work out which certificates are in date and which are missing, book accredited local engineers for the gaps, assemble the full pack, and file it with Scottish Borders Council before your deadline.
£319 for a single property, £379 for a secondary let. Council fees and engineers are paid by you directly, at cost. Filed before your deadline, or your money back.
Get your renewal handled See full pricing
What other councils charge
Fees are set locally and the spread across Scotland is wide, so a figure from a neighbouring authority is not a guide to this one. South Ayrshire, West Lothian, City of Edinburgh, Dumfries & Galloway, East Dunbartonshire — or the full list of council guides.
If you are not sure when your licence runs out, the dates and what happens if you miss them is the place to start.