Safety Certificates needed for an Edinburgh short term let temporary exemption.

Safety certificates required for Edinburgh short term let temporary exemption licences

Name: Celsius Plumbing and Heating (Edinburgh) Ltd
Rating: 4.8

Author: John Taylor

26th March 2026

4 mins read

Our in-house technical support team have noticed an increase in the number of times they are being asked a question by customers around what safety certification is required when Edinburgh homeowners are applying for a short term let temporary exemption licence.

In this article, we are laying out the requirements, with supporting information to help dispel any confusion.

What is a ‘Temporary Exemption Licence’?

A temporary exemption licence allows property owners to offer short-term lets during specific events or seasonal periods. Some examples might include you renting during the Edinburgh Fringe, holiday periods, or when major sporting Events are being held in the city.

Key features of temporary exemption licences:

Some of the key features include:

Duration: Exemption licences are valid for up to six weeks within a 12-month period (you may split this period over the year into a maximum of 3 blocks – for example, 2 weeks in July, 3 weeks in August and 1 week in December).
Simplified Processes: Unlike temporary licenses, exemption licenses do not require the full STL application process but still require council approval.
Fee Structure: A fee is applied for the exemption license but they are faster to obtain.
Safety: This is not an exemption to safety.

Where does the confusion come from?

In Edinburgh the licencing authority asks for a Gas Safety Certificate to be submitted, then in the exemption form asks owners to declare they have an Legionella Risk Assessment and Energy Performance Certificate, and doesn’t mention the other checks here.

To access ‘official confirmation’ of this, you can (if you really want to!) go to the council Short Term Lets Frequently Asked Questions, read questions Q11, Q12, Q13, click on the link there to the “short term lets policy”, go to Appendix 3, and read the information there, which clearly shows that a Temporary exemption is not exempt from safety requirements.

What do the regulations say?

The regulations specify that owners need to have:

An annual gas safety inspection.
Ensure electrical fittings and electrical items are in a reasonable state of repair and proper and safe working order, also arranging electrical safety inspection to be carried out by a competent person and producing a Portable Appliance Testing Report.
Must assess the risk from exposure to Legionella.
Generally, must take all reasonable steps to ensure the premises is safe for residential use.
Must meet “the repairing standard”.
Assess the risk from fire in the premises.

What Safety Certificates are required?

You require:

A Gas Safety Inspection and Certtificate.
A Portable Appliance Test.
A Electrical Installation Condition Report.
A Lead Water Test (Part of the repairing standard, if the building is built before 1969).
A Legionella Risk Assessment (if you know how to assess the risk, you can do this yourself).
A “Fire Risk Assessment”

We even treble checked with a Licencing Officer from Edinburgh’s City Chambers Licensing Service. They confirmed:

“I confirm that for temporary licences, all safety certification is required. For temporary exemptions, if the application is for Home Letting, Home Sharing or Home Letting & Sharing, the applicant is not required to provide an EICR or a PAT certificate. This is still required if the let type is secondary.”

Further useful information can be found in our guide to the Jargon around Short Term Let Licences.

We hope you’ve found this article useful and we wish you all success with your short term rental.

The Celsius Team

John Taylor

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2D West Telferton
Telferton Industrial Estate
Edinburgh
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