The Highlands
Loch Ness, the Cairngorms, Skye and Highland Perthshire, with Inverness at the centre and a year that runs from the ski slopes in winter to the Highland games in late summer.
(Fig. A) Portree, Isle of SkyeTourism supports Highland communities.
Tourism supports one in six jobs in the Highlands.1
From the first snow to the last Highland games, guests come all year.
Winter brings skiing at Cairngorm, Nevis Range and Glencoe, the northern lights and festive breaks. Spring opens the cruise and road-trip season, summer fills with Highland games and Belladrum, and autumn brings the Loch Ness Marathon, the colours of Highland Perthshire and the Enchanted Forest in Pitlochry.
- Jan to MarNorthern lights season
- Jan to AprSki season at Cairngorm, Nevis Range and Glencoe
- FebFort William Mountain Festival
- Mar to OctCruise calls at Invergordon
- May to SepNorth Coast 500 season
- JulInverness Highland Games
- JulBelladrum Tartan Heart Festival
- AugHighland games across Perthshire
- SepBlas festival and Pitlochry Highland Games
- SepLoch Ness Marathon
- OctAutumn colours and the deer rut
- Oct to NovThe Enchanted Forest, Pitlochry
- DecSki season opens
- DecChristmas and Hogmanay breaks
From the city to the glens and the islands.
Inverness and the River NessThe castle, the river and the Victorian Market, with the North Coast 500 starting and finishing in the city and Culloden a short drive away.
A small, friendly city and the gateway to the Highlands, busy all year. New whole-home lets here are expected to need planning permission from April 2027, and homes already let are not affected.
Urquhart Castle, Loch NessUrquhart Castle on the shore of Loch Ness, with 466,420 visits in 2025.
Scenic and steady, with touring visitors from spring to autumn. New whole-home lets here are expected to need planning permission from April 2027, and homes already let are not affected.
Cairngorm corries in winterCairngorms National Park, with almost 2.5 million visits in 2024, and skiing at Cairngorm Mountain.
Active all year, with walkers and cyclists in summer and skiers in winter. New whole-home lets here already need planning permission.
Glenfinnan ViaductBen Nevis, the Glenfinnan Monument and viaduct, and Glencoe, with walkers and touring groups for much of the year.
The outdoor capital, with hill walkers, climbers and rail travellers. New whole-home lets here are expected to need planning permission from April 2027, and homes already let are not affected.
Portree harbourPortree’s harbour and the island’s landscapes, among the most visited places in the Highlands.
Remote and spectacular, with visitors exploring the island from spring to autumn. New whole-home lets here are expected to need planning permission from April 2027, and homes already let are not affected.
The ferry on Loch BroomA harbour town on Loch Broom with the ferry to Stornoway, at the heart of Wester Ross and on the North Coast 500.
Wild and peaceful, with ferry travellers and North Coast 500 drivers. New whole-home lets here are expected to need planning permission from April 2027, and homes already let are not affected.
PitlochryThe heart of Highland Perthshire, with Pitlochry’s Highland games in September and the Enchanted Forest in the autumn, and Dunkeld Cathedral and The Hermitage a short drive south on the main rail line north.
Gentle and traditional, with theatregoers, walkers and touring visitors. A local approach to planning was approved in October 2026, so new whole-home lets will need planning permission once it starts.
Loch TayLoch Tay for paddling and fishing, the Birks of Aberfeldy, and the Aberfeldy Highland Games in August.
Quiet and lochside, with walkers, paddlers and families. A local approach to planning was approved in October 2026, so new whole-home lets will need planning permission once it starts.
These are the places guests ask for most, not the only ones we cover. If your home is anywhere in the Highlands or Perth and Kinross, we would like to hear about it.
Licensing that reflects each community.
Every short let needs a licence from the local council, The Highland Council or Perth and Kinross Council. Both shape their approach around the communities they serve, and parts of both are taking a more local approach. We keep up with every change, so your home stays on the right side of it.5
Hosts who were already letting must have applied for a licence to keep trading.8
A new local approach to short lets begins in Badenoch and Strathspey, including Aviemore.4
Perth and Kinross Council proposes a local approach to short lets in Highland Perthshire.9
Consultation opens on a visitor levy of £5 per room per night. The council is due to decide in December 2026.7
The Highland Council agrees to propose a local approach to short lets for Inverness and the rural Highlands.5
Scottish Ministers approve the local approach for Highland Perthshire, including Pitlochry and Aberfeldy. The start date is still to be set.9
Scottish Ministers approve the local approach for Inverness, Loch Ness, Lochaber, Skye and Wester Ross, due to start on 1 April 2027. Homes already letting are not affected.12
Four ways to let, set by how the home is used.
Every short let here needs a licence before the first guest. Which one depends on how you use the home, so we start there.
A home to let
A second home or a property nobody lives in, let to guests through the year.
Rooms to spare
Spare rooms in the home you live in, let to guests while you are there.
While you are away
Your own home, let while you travel, work away or spend the summer elsewhere.
A little of both
Your own home, let whether you are in or away, as life allows.
We confirm the right path with you before anything is submitted. How licensing works →
We work out what your home needs, then handle it for you.
What applies depends on where your home is, and in parts of the Highlands the rules are still changing. We keep track, handle what applies as part of our full management service, and run every stay with care for the communities that make the Highlands what they are.
- 01Assess your home and what it needs
- 02Handle the paperwork for you
- 03Get the home ready to the right standard
- 04Track and handle renewals
Visitors and communities, side by side.
Visitors help keep Highland shops, ferries and attractions open, alongside the farming, fishing, energy and food businesses the region is known for. We run every home so that it supports the community around it and respects the people who live there.
- 01Licensed firstEvery home licensed, certified and insured before the first guest.
- 02Neighbour consciousQuiet hours, noise monitoring and clear house rules on every stay.
- 03Guests vettedID checks, review history and deposits, with no parties or events.
- 04Local and accountableA local team looking after every home, day and night.
A season that builds to a strong summer.
Market averages count every listing, run well or not, so we do not quote them. What matters is how demand moves through the year here, and how a well-run home performs across it. We model that for your home before you decide.
Across the homes we manage, average occupancy runs at 85 to 95 per cent, depending on location and the type of home.
Illustrative only. The shape shows how demand typically moves through the year, not data for any single home.
- 01VisitScotland: Highlands, regional tourism figures
- 02ALVA: Visits to visitor attractions, 2025
- 03Port of Cromarty Firth: Global appeal of Highland port highlighted during strong year for cruise
- 04The Highland Council: Short-term let control areas
- 05The Highland Council: Control area proposals submitted to Scottish Ministers, 28 September 2026
- 06The Highland Council: Short-term lets policy statement
- 07The Highland Council: Visitor levy consultation
- 08Scottish Government: Short-term lets, letter to MSPs
- 09Perth & Kinross Council: Short-term let control area
- 10Perth & Kinross Council: Short-term lets policy statement
- 11VisitScotland: Perthshire, regional tourism figures
- 12The Highland Council: Committee to consider 1 April 2027 start date for short-term let control areas
Tell us about your property.
We’ll show you what it could earn.
Share a few details and we will send a realistic revenue estimate, with the licensing steps your home will need.
Get your free estimate→
Let your property work harder.
Tell us about your property and we will send you a realistic revenue estimate.
Menu
The Highlands
Loch Ness, the Cairngorms, Skye and Highland Perthshire, with Inverness at the centre and a year that runs from the ski slopes in winter to the Highland games in late summer.
(Fig. A) Portree, Isle of SkyeTourism supports Highland communities.
Tourism supports one in six jobs in the Highlands.1
From the first snow to the last Highland games, guests come all year.
Winter brings skiing at Cairngorm, Nevis Range and Glencoe, the northern lights and festive breaks. Spring opens the cruise and road-trip season, summer fills with Highland games and Belladrum, and autumn brings the Loch Ness Marathon, the colours of Highland Perthshire and the Enchanted Forest in Pitlochry.
- Jan to MarNorthern lights season
- Jan to AprSki season at Cairngorm, Nevis Range and Glencoe
- FebFort William Mountain Festival
- Mar to OctCruise calls at Invergordon
- May to SepNorth Coast 500 season
- JulInverness Highland Games
- JulBelladrum Tartan Heart Festival
- AugHighland games across Perthshire
- SepBlas festival and Pitlochry Highland Games
- SepLoch Ness Marathon
- OctAutumn colours and the deer rut
- Oct to NovThe Enchanted Forest, Pitlochry
- DecSki season opens
- DecChristmas and Hogmanay breaks
From the city to the glens and the islands.
Inverness and the River NessThe castle, the river and the Victorian Market, with the North Coast 500 starting and finishing in the city and Culloden a short drive away.
A small, friendly city and the gateway to the Highlands, busy all year. New whole-home lets here are expected to need planning permission from April 2027, and homes already let are not affected.
Urquhart Castle, Loch NessUrquhart Castle on the shore of Loch Ness, with 466,420 visits in 2025.
Scenic and steady, with touring visitors from spring to autumn. New whole-home lets here are expected to need planning permission from April 2027, and homes already let are not affected.
Cairngorm corries in winterCairngorms National Park, with almost 2.5 million visits in 2024, and skiing at Cairngorm Mountain.
Active all year, with walkers and cyclists in summer and skiers in winter. New whole-home lets here already need planning permission.
Glenfinnan ViaductBen Nevis, the Glenfinnan Monument and viaduct, and Glencoe, with walkers and touring groups for much of the year.
The outdoor capital, with hill walkers, climbers and rail travellers. New whole-home lets here are expected to need planning permission from April 2027, and homes already let are not affected.
Portree harbourPortree’s harbour and the island’s landscapes, among the most visited places in the Highlands.
Remote and spectacular, with visitors exploring the island from spring to autumn. New whole-home lets here are expected to need planning permission from April 2027, and homes already let are not affected.
The ferry on Loch BroomA harbour town on Loch Broom with the ferry to Stornoway, at the heart of Wester Ross and on the North Coast 500.
Wild and peaceful, with ferry travellers and North Coast 500 drivers. New whole-home lets here are expected to need planning permission from April 2027, and homes already let are not affected.
PitlochryThe heart of Highland Perthshire, with Pitlochry’s Highland games in September and the Enchanted Forest in the autumn, and Dunkeld Cathedral and The Hermitage a short drive south on the main rail line north.
Gentle and traditional, with theatregoers, walkers and touring visitors. A local approach to planning was approved in October 2026, so new whole-home lets will need planning permission once it starts.
Loch TayLoch Tay for paddling and fishing, the Birks of Aberfeldy, and the Aberfeldy Highland Games in August.
Quiet and lochside, with walkers, paddlers and families. A local approach to planning was approved in October 2026, so new whole-home lets will need planning permission once it starts.
These are the places guests ask for most, not the only ones we cover. If your home is anywhere in the Highlands or Perth and Kinross, we would like to hear about it.
Licensing that reflects each community.
Every short let needs a licence from the local council, The Highland Council or Perth and Kinross Council. Both shape their approach around the communities they serve, and parts of both are taking a more local approach. We keep up with every change, so your home stays on the right side of it.5
Hosts who were already letting must have applied for a licence to keep trading.8
A new local approach to short lets begins in Badenoch and Strathspey, including Aviemore.4
Perth and Kinross Council proposes a local approach to short lets in Highland Perthshire.9
Consultation opens on a visitor levy of £5 per room per night. The council is due to decide in December 2026.7
The Highland Council agrees to propose a local approach to short lets for Inverness and the rural Highlands.5
Scottish Ministers approve the local approach for Highland Perthshire, including Pitlochry and Aberfeldy. The start date is still to be set.9
Scottish Ministers approve the local approach for Inverness, Loch Ness, Lochaber, Skye and Wester Ross, due to start on 1 April 2027. Homes already letting are not affected.12
Four ways to let, set by how the home is used.
Every short let here needs a licence before the first guest. Which one depends on how you use the home, so we start there.
A home to let
A second home or a property nobody lives in, let to guests through the year.
Rooms to spare
Spare rooms in the home you live in, let to guests while you are there.
While you are away
Your own home, let while you travel, work away or spend the summer elsewhere.
A little of both
Your own home, let whether you are in or away, as life allows.
We confirm the right path with you before anything is submitted. How licensing works →
We work out what your home needs, then handle it for you.
What applies depends on where your home is, and in parts of the Highlands the rules are still changing. We keep track, handle what applies as part of our full management service, and run every stay with care for the communities that make the Highlands what they are.
- 01Assess your home and what it needs
- 02Handle the paperwork for you
- 03Get the home ready to the right standard
- 04Track and handle renewals
Visitors and communities, side by side.
Visitors help keep Highland shops, ferries and attractions open, alongside the farming, fishing, energy and food businesses the region is known for. We run every home so that it supports the community around it and respects the people who live there.
- 01Licensed firstEvery home licensed, certified and insured before the first guest.
- 02Neighbour consciousQuiet hours, noise monitoring and clear house rules on every stay.
- 03Guests vettedID checks, review history and deposits, with no parties or events.
- 04Local and accountableA local team looking after every home, day and night.
A season that builds to a strong summer.
Market averages count every listing, run well or not, so we do not quote them. What matters is how demand moves through the year here, and how a well-run home performs across it. We model that for your home before you decide.
Across the homes we manage, average occupancy runs at 85 to 95 per cent, depending on location and the type of home.
Illustrative only. The shape shows how demand typically moves through the year, not data for any single home.
- 01VisitScotland: Highlands, regional tourism figures
- 02ALVA: Visits to visitor attractions, 2025
- 03Port of Cromarty Firth: Global appeal of Highland port highlighted during strong year for cruise
- 04The Highland Council: Short-term let control areas
- 05The Highland Council: Control area proposals submitted to Scottish Ministers, 28 September 2026
- 06The Highland Council: Short-term lets policy statement
- 07The Highland Council: Visitor levy consultation
- 08Scottish Government: Short-term lets, letter to MSPs
- 09Perth & Kinross Council: Short-term let control area
- 10Perth & Kinross Council: Short-term lets policy statement
- 11VisitScotland: Perthshire, regional tourism figures
- 12The Highland Council: Committee to consider 1 April 2027 start date for short-term let control areas
Tell us about your property.
We’ll show you what it could earn.
Share a few details and we will send a realistic revenue estimate, with the licensing steps your home will need.
Get your free estimate→Let your property work harder.
Tell us about your property and we will send you a realistic revenue estimate.
Menu
The Highlands
Loch Ness, the Cairngorms, Skye and Highland Perthshire, with Inverness at the centre and a year that runs from the ski slopes in winter to the Highland games in late summer.
(Fig. A) Portree, Isle of SkyeTourism supports Highland communities.
Tourism supports one in six jobs in the Highlands.1
From the first snow to the last Highland games, guests come all year.
Winter brings skiing at Cairngorm, Nevis Range and Glencoe, the northern lights and festive breaks. Spring opens the cruise and road-trip season, summer fills with Highland games and Belladrum, and autumn brings the Loch Ness Marathon, the colours of Highland Perthshire and the Enchanted Forest in Pitlochry.
- Jan to MarNorthern lights season
- Jan to AprSki season at Cairngorm, Nevis Range and Glencoe
- FebFort William Mountain Festival
- Mar to OctCruise calls at Invergordon
- May to SepNorth Coast 500 season
- JulInverness Highland Games
- JulBelladrum Tartan Heart Festival
- AugHighland games across Perthshire
- SepBlas festival and Pitlochry Highland Games
- SepLoch Ness Marathon
- OctAutumn colours and the deer rut
- Oct to NovThe Enchanted Forest, Pitlochry
- DecSki season opens
- DecChristmas and Hogmanay breaks
From the city to the glens and the islands.
Inverness and the River NessThe castle, the river and the Victorian Market, with the North Coast 500 starting and finishing in the city and Culloden a short drive away.
A small, friendly city and the gateway to the Highlands, busy all year. New whole-home lets here are expected to need planning permission from April 2027, and homes already let are not affected.
Urquhart Castle, Loch NessUrquhart Castle on the shore of Loch Ness, with 466,420 visits in 2025.
Scenic and steady, with touring visitors from spring to autumn. New whole-home lets here are expected to need planning permission from April 2027, and homes already let are not affected.
Cairngorm corries in winterCairngorms National Park, with almost 2.5 million visits in 2024, and skiing at Cairngorm Mountain.
Active all year, with walkers and cyclists in summer and skiers in winter. New whole-home lets here already need planning permission.
Glenfinnan ViaductBen Nevis, the Glenfinnan Monument and viaduct, and Glencoe, with walkers and touring groups for much of the year.
The outdoor capital, with hill walkers, climbers and rail travellers. New whole-home lets here are expected to need planning permission from April 2027, and homes already let are not affected.
Portree harbourPortree’s harbour and the island’s landscapes, among the most visited places in the Highlands.
Remote and spectacular, with visitors exploring the island from spring to autumn. New whole-home lets here are expected to need planning permission from April 2027, and homes already let are not affected.
The ferry on Loch BroomA harbour town on Loch Broom with the ferry to Stornoway, at the heart of Wester Ross and on the North Coast 500.
Wild and peaceful, with ferry travellers and North Coast 500 drivers. New whole-home lets here are expected to need planning permission from April 2027, and homes already let are not affected.
PitlochryThe heart of Highland Perthshire, with Pitlochry’s Highland games in September and the Enchanted Forest in the autumn, and Dunkeld Cathedral and The Hermitage a short drive south on the main rail line north.
Gentle and traditional, with theatregoers, walkers and touring visitors. A local approach to planning was approved in October 2026, so new whole-home lets will need planning permission once it starts.
Loch TayLoch Tay for paddling and fishing, the Birks of Aberfeldy, and the Aberfeldy Highland Games in August.
Quiet and lochside, with walkers, paddlers and families. A local approach to planning was approved in October 2026, so new whole-home lets will need planning permission once it starts.
These are the places guests ask for most, not the only ones we cover. If your home is anywhere in the Highlands or Perth and Kinross, we would like to hear about it.
Licensing that reflects each community.
Every short let needs a licence from the local council, The Highland Council or Perth and Kinross Council. Both shape their approach around the communities they serve, and parts of both are taking a more local approach. We keep up with every change, so your home stays on the right side of it.5
Hosts who were already letting must have applied for a licence to keep trading.8
A new local approach to short lets begins in Badenoch and Strathspey, including Aviemore.4
Perth and Kinross Council proposes a local approach to short lets in Highland Perthshire.9
Consultation opens on a visitor levy of £5 per room per night. The council is due to decide in December 2026.7
The Highland Council agrees to propose a local approach to short lets for Inverness and the rural Highlands.5
Scottish Ministers approve the local approach for Highland Perthshire, including Pitlochry and Aberfeldy. The start date is still to be set.9
Scottish Ministers approve the local approach for Inverness, Loch Ness, Lochaber, Skye and Wester Ross, due to start on 1 April 2027. Homes already letting are not affected.12
Four ways to let, set by how the home is used.
Every short let here needs a licence before the first guest. Which one depends on how you use the home, so we start there.
A home to let
A second home or a property nobody lives in, let to guests through the year.
Rooms to spare
Spare rooms in the home you live in, let to guests while you are there.
While you are away
Your own home, let while you travel, work away or spend the summer elsewhere.
A little of both
Your own home, let whether you are in or away, as life allows.
We confirm the right path with you before anything is submitted. How licensing works →
We work out what your home needs, then handle it for you.
What applies depends on where your home is, and in parts of the Highlands the rules are still changing. We keep track, handle what applies as part of our full management service, and run every stay with care for the communities that make the Highlands what they are.
- 01Assess your home and what it needs
- 02Handle the paperwork for you
- 03Get the home ready to the right standard
- 04Track and handle renewals
Visitors and communities, side by side.
Visitors help keep Highland shops, ferries and attractions open, alongside the farming, fishing, energy and food businesses the region is known for. We run every home so that it supports the community around it and respects the people who live there.
- 01Licensed firstEvery home licensed, certified and insured before the first guest.
- 02Neighbour consciousQuiet hours, noise monitoring and clear house rules on every stay.
- 03Guests vettedID checks, review history and deposits, with no parties or events.
- 04Local and accountableA local team looking after every home, day and night.
A season that builds to a strong summer.
Market averages count every listing, run well or not, so we do not quote them. What matters is how demand moves through the year here, and how a well-run home performs across it. We model that for your home before you decide.
Across the homes we manage, average occupancy runs at 85 to 95 per cent, depending on location and the type of home.
Illustrative only. The shape shows how demand typically moves through the year, not data for any single home.
- 01VisitScotland: Highlands, regional tourism figures
- 02ALVA: Visits to visitor attractions, 2025
- 03Port of Cromarty Firth: Global appeal of Highland port highlighted during strong year for cruise
- 04The Highland Council: Short-term let control areas
- 05The Highland Council: Control area proposals submitted to Scottish Ministers, 28 September 2026
- 06The Highland Council: Short-term lets policy statement
- 07The Highland Council: Visitor levy consultation
- 08Scottish Government: Short-term lets, letter to MSPs
- 09Perth & Kinross Council: Short-term let control area
- 10Perth & Kinross Council: Short-term lets policy statement
- 11VisitScotland: Perthshire, regional tourism figures
- 12The Highland Council: Committee to consider 1 April 2027 start date for short-term let control areas
Tell us about your property.
We’ll show you what it could earn.
Share a few details and we will send a realistic revenue estimate, with the licensing steps your home will need.
Get your free estimate→Let your property work harder.
Tell us about your property and we will send you a realistic revenue estimate.