THE number of temporary short-term let exemptions granted in Edinburgh has surged this year following a relaxation of the council's licensing rules, analysis by The National has found.
Figures from the City of Edinburgh Council's short-term let register show 578 exemptions have been granted in 2026, compared with 42 from applications submitted in 2025.
The sharp rise comes after Edinburgh councillors agreed changes to the city's short-term let licensing policy in January 2025 intended to make temporary exemptions for home sharing and home letting "less onerous".
The changes included a streamlining of the licensing process, a removal of certain safety inspection obligations and a standardisation of the application fee.
The changes were praised at the time by landlords and property management companies.
One company, Premier Property Management, said: "The relaxation offers a great opportunity to maximise rental income without worrying so much about regulatory burdens".
Temporary exemptions can be granted for limited periods, including during major events such as the Edinburgh Festival Fringe and Edinburgh International Festival.
Our analysis confirms that the vast majority of exemptions and temporary licences were submitted in the months immediately prior to the Summer festivals.
However, the largest share of exemptions granted this year were not for Edinburgh residents temporarily renting out their own homes.
Of the 578 granted from applications submitted in 2026, 235 – around 41% – were for secondary lets, making them the single largest category.
Secondary lets are properties which are not the operator's main home, such as second homes or properties run as short-term let businesses for paying guests.
A further 187 exemptions were granted for home letting, 104 for combined home letting and home sharing, and 52 for home sharing.
The figures come amid continued concern from Edinburgh residents about the impact short-term lets are having on communities in the capital.
As previously reported by The National, residents have complained of sleepless nights, parties and strangers entering private spaces as a result of living beside short-term lets.
Niall Robb, campaigns manager for Living Rent Leith told The National that landlords are "being given a free pass while locals are priced out of the city".
"Many of these operators do not have the necessary planning permission in place and skirt the law with virtually no consequence – and this doesn’t even begin to cover the thousands of unlicensed properties that go unenforced.
He added: "The council must immediately close all loopholes that allow landlords to operate without the necessary permissions and actually do something about enforcing the law. And most importantly they must formally acknowledge loss of housing stock as sufficient grounds to reject applications."
The entire council area has been designated a short-term let control area since September 2022, placing additional planning restrictions on properties being used for short-term accommodation.
Cllr Neil Ross from Edinburgh City Council said: “Making sure the capital has short term let accommodation available during busy times such as the summer and winter festivals was always our intention when we introduced our policy for the new licensing legislation in Edinburgh.
“In 2024 and 2025 we made changes to the licensing scheme to offer reduced licence fees for residents looking to home share and make the process for temporary exemptions for home sharing and home letting less onerous.
“It is encouraging the changes to our policy appear to be working while at the same time continuing to provide robust regulation of the short-term let industry.”
