Part of the Levin & Whitmore group

Boutique stays.
Done properly.

Lumen Living is our premium residential stay-management brand — designed for property owners who want strong performance, protected assets, and a partner who actually picks up the phone.

Our Services Get In Touch

What Is Lumen Living

Stay management, reimagined for owners

Lumen Living manages residential properties for short, mid and long-term stays. We handle everything — pricing strategy, guest vetting, listing optimisation, turnovers, maintenance, reporting — so you can enjoy strong returns without running a hospitality business.

Three Ways To Work With Us

Choose the service that fits

Every property is different. Every owner has different goals. We offer three distinct service tiers, and we’re equally comfortable with all of them.

Tier 01

Short-Stay Management

Full Airbnb, Booking.com and VRBO management with dynamic pricing, guest vetting and premium turnovers. Best for owners in strong leisure or business-travel locations.

18–20%of gross booking revenue, plus VAT

Highest operational load: turnovers, guest support, dynamic pricing.

Multi-platform listing & optimisation
Dynamic pricing via PriceLabs / Beyond
Guest vetting & screening
Professional photography
Cleaning & linen management
24/7 guest support
Monthly performance reporting

Tier 02

Mid-Stay Management

Corporate lets, relocations, project teams and extended stays (typically 1–6 months). Higher margins than long-lets, more stability than short-stays.

12–15%of gross booking revenue, plus VAT

Fewer changeovers and a lighter operational footprint.

Corporate & relocation agency listings
Extended-stay pricing strategy
Fully furnished & equipped setups
Utilities & Wi-Fi included packages
Tenant vetting & contracts
Monthly cleaning & check-ins
Consistent occupier pipeline

Tier 03

Long-Let Management

Traditional residential letting with a quality-first approach. Lower overhead for owners who prefer stability and longer tenancies.

8–12%of gross booking revenue, plus VAT

Closest to conventional letting agency work.

Marketing across major portals
Thorough tenant referencing
Tenancy agreements & compliance
Deposit protection scheme
Rent collection & arrears management
Planned & reactive maintenance
Annual inspections & reporting

How It Works

From first call to first guest

A clear process designed to get your property earning as quickly as possible, without sacrificing quality.

Consultation

Free property assessment covering location, strategy, target market and income potential.

Setup

Photography, furnishing recommendations, listing creation and compliance setup.

Launch

Multi-platform listing, pricing strategy, booking management and guest onboarding.

Optimise

Continuous pricing optimisation, performance reporting, and monthly strategic reviews.

Licensing & Compliance

We handle the paperwork

Short-term letting in Scotland is licensed. Getting it wrong carries real consequences, and getting it right takes time most owners would rather not spend. This is the part we take off your hands.

Since 1 October 2022, every short-term let in Scotland requires a licence from the local council — whatever the property, and however long the stay. One night or several months, the requirement is the same. Operating without one is a criminal offence.

Councils have up to nine months to determine an application, and the application itself asks for a stack of certificates that each have their own lead time. Starting late is the most common and most expensive mistake owners make.

What the licence requires

Public liability insurance — a minimum of £2,000,000
Smoke alarms on every floor, and a heat alarm in the kitchen
A carbon monoxide alarm where there is a carbon-fuelled appliance
A current gas safety record from a Gas Safe registered engineer
An Electrical Installation Condition Report
A fire risk assessment appropriate to the premises
A “fit and proper person” check on the licence holder

Planning is the part people miss

Licensing and planning are two separate things, and planning catches owners out more often.

Glasgow does not operate a short-term let control area in the way Edinburgh does, so planning is assessed case by case. But converting a whole flat in a shared close into a short-term let is treated as a change of use, and the council has said it will grant permission only in limited circumstances.

A house let to one household at a time is usually a simpler picture than a tenement flat. We will tell you which you have before you spend anything.

What it costs and how long it takes

Glasgow licence fees currently run from around £151 to £480, depending on the property
A first licence lasts three years
Councils may take up to nine months to determine an application
Your licence number must be displayed on every listing you advertise

Fees and timescales are set by the council and can change. We confirm the current position for your specific property and address during the free assessment.

What we do about it. We assess whether your property is licensable and whether planning is likely to be an issue, tell you honestly if the answer is no, assemble the certificates, prepare and submit the application, and keep the compliance current once you are trading.

This page is general information, not legal advice. Requirements differ between councils and change over time. We confirm the position that applies to your property before you commit to anything.

Check my property

Why Lumen

What makes us different

Performance First

We optimise for real outcomes — net income, occupancy, guest satisfaction — not vanity metrics. Hands-on management, weekly price reviews, and data-led decisions.

No Rigid Contracts

Transparent fees agreed upfront. No lock-ins, no hidden costs, no nonsense. You can pause, switch strategy, or exit whenever you need to.

Asset-Led Thinking

Your property is an asset first, a revenue stream second. We protect condition, plan capex, and make decisions that serve long-term value — not just next month’s income.

Owner Feedback

What owners say

[ Owner quote goes here — real words, with permission ]

[ Name or initials ] [ Property type, area ]

[ Owner quote goes here — real words, with permission ]

[ Name or initials ] [ Property type, area ]

Indicative Results

What performance looks like

Real numbers from managed properties across our portfolio. Individual results vary by location, season and property type.

72%

Avg Occupancy

4.8/5

Guest Rating

+35%

Net Income vs Long-Let

14 days

Avg Time to First Booking

Work It Out Yourself

Three tools, no sign-up

Every figure below comes from numbers you enter. We have not pre-loaded market rates or made assumptions on your behalf — put in what you believe and see what it gives you.

Short-stay vs long-let

Compare what a property might earn on short stays against what it earns as a long let today.

Current long-let rent, per month

Nightly rate you expect your estimate

Occupancy 65%

Service tier

Gross booking revenue before platform commission, cleaning and running costs. Management fee shown as a range, excluding VAT. An indication only, not a projection or a guarantee.

Licence readiness

Nine questions. Find out what you are missing before you apply.

Based on the mandatory licence conditions that apply across Scotland. Individual councils may add further conditions. Not a substitute for your council’s own guidance.

Setup payback

If furnishing and setup cost you money up front, how long before the uplift covers it?

Setup and furnishing cost

Expected extra net income, per month

Include licence and certificate costs £400

A simple payback period. It does not account for finance costs, tax, voids or capital growth.

Current Listings

Properties we manage

A snapshot of the residential properties currently under Lumen Living management.

Clyde Riverside

Modern 2-bed apartment with river views. Sleeps 4. Ideal for leisure and short business stays in central Glasgow.

SSE Hydro Suite

Stylish 1-bed near the Hydro and SECC. Perfect for event-goers and business travellers visiting the west end of Glasgow.

Cambuslang Retreat

Spacious 3-bed family home with garden and parking. Best for longer stays, relocations and family groups.

Common Questions

Frequently asked

Is my property right for short-stay management?

Most urban apartments in strong tourism, business or event locations perform well. Properties in quiet residential areas with limited amenities can still work but usually perform better as mid-stay or long-let assets. We’ll give you an honest assessment during the free consultation — including whether short-stay is actually the right strategy for your specific property.

What about furnishings and setup costs?

For short and mid-stay management, properties need to be fully furnished and equipped to a hotel-like standard. If your property isn’t set up yet, we can provide a detailed specification and recommend suppliers. Setup costs typically range from £4,000–£12,000 depending on size — usually recovered within 3–6 months of strong performance.

How are guests vetted?

We use platform ID verification, review history checks, damage deposits, and for mid and long-stay guests, we run our own additional vetting. For corporate lets, we verify employers and reference letters. Every booking is assessed before confirmation. We’d rather turn away a bad booking than clean up after one.

Who handles cleaning and turnovers?

We handle everything. Our cleaning team operates to a hotel-standard checklist after every guest, with linen laundering, restocking of consumables, and condition reports after each turnover. You don’t need to lift a finger.

Which booking platforms do you use?

We list on Airbnb, Booking.com, VRBO and direct-booking channels. For mid-stay and corporate lets we also work with relocation agents and corporate booking platforms. The exact mix depends on your property and target market.

How much can I expect to earn?

Income varies significantly by property, location, season and setup quality. During the free consultation, we’ll give you a realistic income projection based on comparable properties in your area. We’d rather under-promise and over-deliver than the reverse.

For Guests

Looking for somewhere to stay?

Our properties are listed on Airbnb, Booking.com and VRBO. Book through whichever you prefer — the welcome is the same either way.

Browse on Airbnb Booking.com VRBO

Enquiring about a longer stay, a group booking or something we might not have listed? Send us a message and we will come back to you.

Ready to get started?

Book a free property consultation and we’ll assess your asset, recommend a strategy, and project realistic income. No obligation, no sales pitch.

Get a Free Assessment 0141 255 0742

Part of the Levin & Whitmore commercial property group

Boutique stays.Done properly.