Renewing a short-term let licence in West Lothian
Everything Thistle Compliance knows about renewing a short-term let licence with West Lothian Council — the fees, the documents, where to send it, and how to find your own expiry date.
- Licence period
- Three years.
- Cost to renew
- Same fee as a new application
- We take work here
- Yes
- Fees checked
- 2026-09-29
Fees
West Lothian charges the same fee to renew as to apply new, banded by guest numbers, with secondary letting priced above home letting. Fees were set by the Council Executive on 20 December 2022.
New application or renewal
| Guests | Home sharing / home letting | Secondary letting |
|---|---|---|
| 1 to 2 | £325 | £450 |
| 3 to 6 | £420 | £550 |
| 7 to 12 | £595 | £720 |
| 12 to 14 | £865 | £1,000 |
Other application types
| Additional guests beyond the bands | 1–2 more +£30 · 3–4 more +£50 · 5–6 more +£60 |
|---|---|
| Variation of licence | £50 |
| Temporary licence | 50% of the full licence cost |
| Temporary exemption | £300 |
| Inspection and report | £120 |
| Home exchange or swap | £100 |
| Transfer of licence | £120 |
Fees read from West Lothian Council's own published schedule on 2026-09-29 — 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
- West Lothian's fee
- £550, paid direct to the council
- Gas safety certificate
- £29, paid direct to the engineer
- Total
- £898
What is specific to West Lothian
- No renewal discount — a renewal costs exactly what a first application costs.
- The guest bands stop at 14. Above that the surcharges apply on top of the top band, so a large property is priced individually rather than off the table.
- West Lothian is one of the few councils charging separately for an inspection and report (£120), which is not part of the licence fee.
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
West Lothian Council publishes a public register of licensed short-term lets, as every Scottish council must. Your licence details are in it.
Open the West Lothian 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 West Lothian
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 West Lothian 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. City of Edinburgh, Dumfries & Galloway, East Dunbartonshire, East Renfrewshire, Falkirk — 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.