How to Update Your Landlord Registration Details in Scotland

The Duty to Keep Your Registration Current

Registration isn't a set-and-forget exercise. Under Section 87 of the Antisocial Behaviour etc. (Scotland) Act 2004, you must notify the relevant local authority of any change to the information on your registration record "as soon as practicable" after the change occurs.

Failing to update without reasonable excuse is a criminal offence, carrying a fine up to £1,000 on summary conviction. That's a separate offence from unregistered letting — you can be fully registered, paying all fees on time, and still face prosecution simply for having stale contact details on the register.

What Changes Must Be Reported

The mandatory reporting covers anything you declared during the original application:

• Personal contact address, phone number, or email address. This is the most commonly missed one. If you move house, change your mobile, or switch email providers, the council needs to know. The register uses your contact details for renewal reminders, so if the email address bounces, you may miss a reminder and risk a lapse; a renewal submitted after expiry incurs the £170 late fee.
• Appointing, changing, or removing a letting agent. Every agent on your registration must hold a valid LARN (Letting Agent Registration Number). If you switch agents, the old one needs removing and the new one needs declaring.
• Changes in joint ownership. If a co-owner sells their share, dies, or a new person joins the title, the registration must reflect the current ownership structure.
• Acquiring new rental properties. Each additional property in the same council area costs a £20 property fee. You can add it through the portal without affecting your three-year renewal date.
• Disposing of properties. If you sell a rental property or convert it to owner-occupation, update the register to remove it. Section 87 requires you to notify the council when information in your registration record changes.
• Material changes to fit-and-proper status. New criminal convictions, adverse tribunal judgments, or discrimination findings must be disclosed. The council can remove you from the register if it discovers undisclosed changes.

How to Update on the Portal

All updates go through the central portal at landlordregistrationscotland.gov.uk:

1. Log in with your existing account credentials
2. Navigate to your registration entry (you'll see all council areas you're registered with)
3. Select the section you need to update — personal details, property list, or agent declarations
4. Make the changes and save
5. Some changes (like adding a new property) trigger a fee payment at checkout

There's no charge for updating contact details or agent information during your three-year term. Adding properties costs the £20 per-property fee. The council doesn't charge for removing properties.

If you've lost access to your portal account — forgotten password, old email no longer working — contact the local authority's registration team directly. Edinburgh, Glasgow, Aberdeen, and Highland all have dedicated teams who can help with access or updates when the portal isn't cooperating.

Paper Updates

If you originally registered by paper (or prefer not to use the portal), you can notify the council in writing. The Scottish Government doesn't prescribe a specific form for changes — a letter or email to the council's landlord registration team stating your registration number, the change, and the date it took effect is sufficient.

Paper updates are slower. The council team has to manually amend the central register, and processing times vary. For time-sensitive changes — especially agent declarations and new property additions — the portal is faster and creates an immediate audit trail.

Common Scenarios

You've inherited an additional property in a different council area. You need to register with that council as well. If you apply in the same online session, you'll get the 50% multi-council discount on the principal fee (£42.50 instead of £85). The inherited property has a separate six-month grace period from the date of death.

Your letting agent's LARN has been revoked. Update your registration as soon as practicable and either appoint a new LARN-holding agent or switch to self-management. An invalid agent declaration can affect your fit-and-proper status.

You've moved abroad but still own Scottish rental property. Non-UK residents remain subject to registration. Update your contact address to your overseas address, and ensure you have a reliable UK contact or agent declared who can receive council correspondence.

The Scotland Landlord Registration Guide includes a dedicated chapter on ongoing registration maintenance, with the agency communication log and three-year renewal calendar that keeps every reporting obligation in one place.

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