HMO Licence Fees in Scotland: Edinburgh, Glasgow, Aberdeen and Dundee Compared

How Scottish HMO Fees Work

Every council in Scotland sets its own HMO licensing fees to recover the cost of running the licensing scheme. There is no national fee schedule. Fees are non-refundable once submitted, and they vary dramatically depending on where the property sits and how many occupants you are licensing for.

Most councils offer both one-year and three-year licence terms. A three-year licence costs more upfront but works out substantially cheaper per year — and it means one application process instead of three.

Edinburgh: 35% Reduction from April 2026

The City of Edinburgh Council approved a major fee reduction in March 2026 after its HMO fee reserve account built up a £3.78 million surplus. From 6 April 2026, all bands dropped by roughly 35%.

For a three-occupant HMO, the one-year fee fell from £253 to £164, and the three-year fee from £653 to £424. A four-occupant property dropped from £471 to £306 (one-year) and £871 to £566 (three-year). At the five-occupant level, you are looking at £448 for one year or £708 for three years.

A six-occupant property — common in larger Edinburgh flats — costs £629 per year or £889 for three years. Certified copy licences remain at £64.

If you hold a valid Edinburgh HMO licence and also need a Short-Term Let secondary licence, that is a flat £120.

Glasgow: Band-Based Three-Year Pricing

Glasgow City Council structures fees in broader occupancy bands with separate rates for new applications and renewals. A new three-year licence for up to 10 occupants costs £2,452. The renewal is half that at £1,226.

For larger HMOs — 11 to 100 occupants — a new application runs £5,193 with renewals at £2,597. For 101 to 200 occupants, the new application fee is £11,253.

Variations cost £90 and duplicate licences £14. Glasgow's fees are noticeably higher than Edinburgh's for typical three-to-six-person flats, reflecting the different cost-recovery models each council uses.

Aberdeen and Dundee

Aberdeen City Council charges differentiated rates through its Private Sector Housing Unit, with fees varying between new applications and renewals. Dundee City Council operates on a similar model, with its annual licensing cost recovery target budgeted at around £807,000 across the Corporate Services revenue framework.

Both councils publish occupancy-band fee schedules on their websites. The exact amounts change with each financial year, so check directly before submitting.

Smaller and Rural Councils

Fife, Moray, Stirling, and other smaller councils typically charge lower baseline fees but enforce identical physical safety standards. Their application processes follow the same statutory framework — the Housing (Scotland) Act 2006 applies everywhere.

The Real Cost Isn't Just the Fee

The licence fee itself is often the smallest expense. Before you apply, you need a current Gas Safety Certificate (annual, around £60–£90), an EICR (every 5 years, £150–£300), PAT testing (annual, £50–£150 depending on appliance count), a fire risk assessment, dimensioned floor plans from a surveyor, and public liability insurance at a minimum of £5 million cover.

For a property that has never been licensed, the document bundle and any remedial work — fitting FD30 fire doors, installing interlinked alarms, adding emergency lighting — can easily run into thousands of pounds. That is the investment the licence fee sits on top of.

Choosing Your Licence Term

Almost every landlord should apply for a three-year licence. The per-year cost is lower, and you avoid repeating the full application process every twelve months. Councils can restrict you to a one-year licence if there are compliance concerns or if you are a first-time applicant they want to monitor, but you should apply for three years unless told otherwise.

If you are considering an HMO investment and want to calculate the full first-year compliance cost — licence fee, safety certificates, fire safety upgrades, and council-specific requirements — the Scotland HMO Licensing Guide includes a worked fee comparison across major councils and a first-year cost calculator worksheet.

See more Scotland guides →