HOUSING MINISTER JAMES Browne said applications from property owners for short-term lets based in towns with a population of over 10,000 may not be approved. 

Speaking to reporters at the Housebuilding Summit in Croke Park, he said “tough choices” will need to be made, stating that the government is choosing to prioritise housing the homeless and increasing the rental stock supply. 

The bill, which was due to be approved by Cabinet today, was dropped from the agenda today and instead will be brought next week. 

The minister confirmed to The Journal that the bill was pushed off to next week, stating that a few “adjustments” are needed in order to fine tune the legislation. 

Sources state that the wording of the general scheme of the bill was brought to Cabinet “very last minute” and ministers were unhappy with the late presentation of it. 

A move to restrict planning permissions for towns of over 10,000 is likely to upset some in the tourism industry. 

However, the minister said today: 

“Bringing in those measures for short-term lets is absolutely essential.”

“We have a very large amount of properties in short term lets. The number is increasing, and we have to make tough choices here,” he added, stating that the market is very constrained right now. 

The government has previously suggested the register could take 12,000 properties out of the tourism market and back into use as homes for long-term rental.

While the idea of a register was announced by then Minister for Housing Darragh O’Brien as part of the government’s 2021 Housing for All plan, several implementation deadlines have been missed.

As reported by The Journal in early March, ministers will be told that government believes the optimal time to introduce the register is 20 May 2026. 

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Today’s Cabinet discussion comes after Tánaiste Simon Harris said the discussion around the legislation is “going on way too long”.

The short-term let Bill aims to establish a register which aims to enforce a requirement, introduced in 2019, for property owners to obtain change of use planning permission to let out entire houses and apartments on platforms such as Airbnb when they are located in rent pressure zones.

This is also required if the owner is a resident but wants to let their entire property on a short-term basis for more than 90 days per year.

Anyone letting a property, or bedrooms in a home, for periods of 21 nights or less will have to register with Fáilte Ireland under the planned new legislation.

Once the register is in place, with the new deadline of next year, officials will be able to identify where the short term letting properties are as online platforms will have to provide monthly reports for any area with a registration procedure.

The reports will include the contact details of the short term rental host and the address of the property in addition to activity data about the number of nights the property was rented.