Landlord guide to letting in Glasgow

Why it matters

Letting without registration is a criminal offence carrying a fine of up to 50,000 pounds and disqualification from letting, and the council can serve a Rent Penalty Notice that stops you lawfully collecting rent. Glasgow also operates a short-term let control area, so a change of use for holiday letting needs planning permission as well as a licence.

Legal requirements

• Register with Glasgow City Council under Part 8 of the Antisocial Behaviour etc. (Scotland) Act 2004 before letting, and include the registration number in every advertisement.
• Registration lasts three years and must be renewed; agents must be registered separately.
• Let on a Private Residential Tenancy under the Private Housing (Tenancies) (Scotland) Act 2016 — open-ended, with no fixed term and no no-fault ending.
• Provide the tenant with the Scottish Government Easy Read Notes accompanying the model PRT.
• Meet the Repairing Standard, including electrical safety checks every five years, an annual gas safety check, interlinked smoke and heat alarms and a carbon monoxide detector where there is a fixed combustion appliance.
• Protect the deposit in an approved Scottish scheme within 30 working days.
• Obtain an HMO licence from Glasgow City Council where three or more unrelated people share.
• Obtain a short-term let licence, and planning permission within the control area, for holiday letting.

Common mistakes

• Advertising a Glasgow property before the registration number is issued, or omitting the number from the advert.
• Using an English style fixed-term tenancy agreement instead of a Private Residential Tenancy.
• Missing the three-yearly registration renewal and letting the registration lapse.
• Assuming the electrical safety check follows the English five-year EICR wording — Scotland has its own requirements including PAT for supplied appliances.
• Treating a short-term let licence as sufficient without planning permission inside the control area.

Practical guidance

• Diarise registration renewal, the annual gas safety check, the five-yearly electrical check and the HMO licence expiry in one place.
• Keep the Easy Read Notes, EPC, gas and electrical certificates and deposit paperwork as a single tenancy pack and serve them together at the start.
• Photograph and date every inspection — the tribunal decides on evidence.
• Budget for tenement common repairs, which are apportioned between owners and can be substantial in Glasgow stock.

Registering with Glasgow City Council

Apply online through the national landlord registration service, listing every property you let in the city and any agent acting for you. The council assesses whether you are a fit and proper person, taking into account unspent convictions, previous breaches of landlord law, and antisocial behaviour at your properties. Fees are set nationally and comprise a principal application fee plus a per-property fee, with a discount for applying through an approved letting agent scheme — check the current figures on the council site before applying, because they are reviewed periodically. Approval typically takes several weeks, so apply well before you plan to advertise.

The Private Residential Tenancy in practice

A PRT has no end date. The tenant can leave by giving 28 days notice. To recover possession you must serve a Notice to Leave relying on one of the statutory grounds, with 28 or 84 days notice depending on the ground and how long the tenant has lived there, and then apply to the First-tier Tribunal for Scotland (Housing and Property Chamber) — there is no county court route. Rent may be increased once in any twelve months using a Rent Increase Notice with at least three months notice, and the tenant can refer the increase to Rent Service Scotland.

HMO licensing in Glasgow

A licence is required where three or more unrelated people share a house or flat, and Glasgow applies it rigorously given the student market around the West End and Southside. Expect requirements on fire detection and compartmentation, escape routes, room sizes, amenity standards for kitchens and bathrooms, and annual inspection. Licences run for up to three years and the first grant is often shorter. Some tenement blocks and areas have overprovision considerations, so check before you buy stock intending to run it as an HMO.

Short-term lets and the control area

The whole of Glasgow is designated a short-term let control area, which means using a whole dwelling for secondary short-term letting is a change of use requiring planning permission. Separately, every short-term let needs a licence from the council. Running a holiday let without both is an enforcement risk, and the two processes are assessed independently.

Repairs, safety and the Repairing Standard

The Repairing Standard covers the structure, installations for water, gas and electricity, fixtures and fittings, heating, safe access, and — since 2024 — additional elements including safe kitchens with adequate food storage and preparation space, safely accessible common parts, and residual current devices. A tenant can apply directly to the tribunal, which can make a Repairing Standard Enforcement Order and, in serious cases, a Rent Relief Order reducing the rent by up to 90 per cent.