East Lothian Council
Letting agents across East Lothian
East Lothian gives a landlord two tenant markets in one county. Along the railway line the demand is Edinburgh’s, from people who want a house near a station for less than the city charges for a flat; on the coast it is local and long-stay, families who came for the schools and the beach and rarely move. Registration is with East Lothian Council, the compliance rules are the same as everywhere in Scotland, and what differs is the pricing: Musselburgh and North Berwick are two different markets thirty minutes apart, so we price to the town and the street, never to the county average.
East Lothian at a glance
- One bedroom
- £1,035
- Two bedrooms
- £1,325
- Three bedrooms
- £1,700
- Typical gross yield
- 5.6%
- Neighbourhoods covered
- 7
The local market
What drives demand in East Lothian
Four things drive rental demand here. The ScotRail North Berwick line, with stations at Musselburgh, Wallyford, Prestonpans, Longniddry, Drem and North Berwick, and the East Coast Main Line stops at Dunbar and East Linton, whose station reopened in December 2023. Queen Margaret University at Musselburgh, which brings staff and students to the west of the county. The new towns and estates at Wallyford, Blindwells and Letham Mains outside Haddington, which produce accidental landlords when owners move on and let rather than sell. And the coast itself, which keeps tenancies long in Gullane, North Berwick and Dunbar. The ONS Price Index of Private Rents put the county’s average rent at £1,415 a month in July 2026, up 1.6% in a year, with a two-bedroom home averaging £1,324. The register’s median sale price is the highest of the four Lothian councils, so gross yields sit below Midlothian’s and West Lothian’s. Short-term lets need a licence from the council, which matters in the coastal towns.
East Lothian is the coast east of Edinburgh and the towns along the North Berwick railway line: Musselburgh on the city boundary, Prestonpans, Longniddry and North Berwick on the shore, Haddington and Tranent inland, Dunbar at the far end. Rents run above the other two Lothians, because the coast and the train line are both priced in, and the stock is mostly houses with gardens rather than flats.
What homes sell for in East Lothian
2023
- Median sale price
- £283,998
- Since 2018
- Up 42%
- Middle half of sales
- £200,000 to £395,000
- Homes sold in 2023
- 2,218
Sale prices for the whole of East Lothian, not just the neighbourhoods we cover, so treat them as the backdrop rather than a valuation. Source: Registers of Scotland, via statistics.gov.scot, Open Government Licence v3.0. 2023 is the most recent year published.
Council tax across East Lothian
2026-27
The year’s bill by band: East Lothian Council’s council tax with Scottish Water’s water and waste water charges, which arrive on the same bill.
- Band A
- £1,566.63
- Band B
- £1,827.73
- Band C
- £2,088.83
- Band D
- £2,349.94
- Band E
- £3,027.75
- Band F
- £3,700.87
- Band G
- £4,411.70
- Band H
- £5,463.80
Council tax up 7.5% on 2025-26, the council's own figure. Source: Council Tax charges 2026/27, East Lothian Council, checked 7 September 2026. All four councils side by side.
Areas we manage across East Lothian
EH21
The Honest Toun, on Edinburgh’s eastern boundary: the racecourse, the harbour at Fisherrow, Queen Margaret University beside the station, and Wallyford’s St Clements Wells estate growing next door. Ten minutes into Waverley by train and a Lothian bus into town, so it lets like an Edinburgh suburb at East Lothian prices.
Property to rent in Musselburgh →EH32
Three former mining and fishing towns strung along the coast road, with a station at Prestonpans and the Blindwells new town going up on the old opencast site beside them. The cheapest entry to the county for a landlord, and houses here let quickly on price to people who commute by train.
Property to rent in Prestonpans, Cockenzie and Port Seton →EH33
The largest town in the west of the county and the one furthest from the railway: it runs on the bus and the A1. Former colliery housing through the old town, and large new estates at Windygoul on the southern edge, which is where most of the letting stock now is.
Property to rent in Tranent →EH32, EH31
The golf coast: Longniddry with its station, then Aberlady and Gullane along the bay. Big houses, a small rental market, and tenants who arrived for the beach and the courses and stay for years, so vacancies are rare and short.
Property to rent in Longniddry, Aberlady and Gullane →EH41
The county town on the River Tyne, with the council’s headquarters, a working high street and no railway, so it runs on the express bus into Edinburgh. Georgian and Victorian stock in the centre and the Letham Mains new build on the western edge.
Property to rent in Haddington →EH39
The seaside town at the end of the line: the harbour, the Law, two beaches and some of the highest house prices in Scotland outside Edinburgh. Rental stock is scarce and competes with holiday lets, which now need a licence, so a long let here is prized.
Property to rent in North Berwick →EH42, EH40
Dunbar sits on the East Coast Main Line, about twenty-five minutes from Waverley with London trains stopping too, and the Hallhill estates on its western side have doubled the town. East Linton, inland, got its station back in December 2023.
Property to rent in Dunbar and East Linton →Questions
Letting property in East Lothian
- How much do letting agents charge in East Lothian?
- Letting agent fees in East Lothian are paid by the landlord, never the tenant. Charging tenants is unlawful throughout Scotland. We charge a fixed one-off fee for Let Only and a percentage of monthly rent for Full Management, with no set-up, renewal or exit fees. Full pricing is published on our fees page.
- Do I need to register as a landlord with East Lothian Council?
- Yes. Every private landlord must register with the local authority for the area where the property sits, in this case East Lothian Council. Registration lasts three years, and your registration number must appear in every advert for the property. Letting while unregistered risks a fine of up to £50,000.
- What rent should I expect in East Lothian?
- As a broad guide, one-bedroom property in East Lothian lets at around £1,035 pcm, two-bedroom at around £1,325 pcm and three-bedroom at around £1,700 pcm, at a typical gross yield near 5.6%. Individual streets vary considerably.
- Will rent controls apply in East Lothian?
- Not yet. The Housing (Scotland) Act 2025 framework commenced on 1 April 2026, but no rent control areas have been designated. East Lothian Council must report on local rent conditions to Scottish Ministers by 31 May 2027, and designation could follow from late 2027. In the meantime, you must supply rent data within 28 days if asked, or risk a fine of up to £1,000.
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