LAST UPDATE | 20 hrs ago

THE GOVERNMENT HAS approved a nationwide policy for short-term let regulations which will effectively ban councils from issuing new planning permissions for short-term lets in larger towns and cities with a population in excess of 20,000. 

The long-awaited changes, which have been years in the making, aim to bring houses that are rented on a short-term basis back into the rental market. 

The planning statement on short-term letting aims to ensure there is a clear overall policy approach for councils across the country so that planning rules are applied consistently when councils are determining applications for short-term letting in their areas.

In population centres of less than 20,000, short-term letting providers can avail of a two-year period to meet planning consenting requirements.

Anyone letting a property, or bedrooms in a home, for periods of 21 nights or fewer will have to register with Fáilte Ireland by the end of December. 

For more rural or less population dense areas of the country, the approach being set out is that short-term lets will be ‘considered’ by councils for permission to operate rather than the flat out ban of new short-term lets that will be seen in cities.

Where a short-term let has been operating without consent or enforcement for seven years or more, a retention application will be acceptable where the planning authority is satisfied that the proposal would not meet any of special circumstances criteria. 

Short-term letting accommodation providers will be required to display their registration number on any listing or advertisement for their property after registering.

These measures to exclude towns smaller than 20,000 have come in for sustained criticism by opposition TDs.

Aim to get more homes back into the rental market

Housing Minister James Browne said his priority is encouraging more homes back into the rental market for people who want to live long term in a particular local area or in their own community.

“We have far too many full houses being let out on a short term basis in areas when those same areas are experiencing serious housing shortages. 

“Properties being utilised commercially in this way have to be assessed from a planning perspective regarding the suitability for that to operate in an area where there is rental pressure. We have to have a balance here,” he said. 

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While he acknowledged there are genuine concerns regarding the impacts on tourism and local economies arising from removing a cohort of properties from the short-term letting market, he said meeting local housing need across Ireland – including in rural communities – is a critically important objective. 

“There must be a balanced mix of long-term private rental and short-term letting accommodation,” said Browne. 

Social Democrats housing spokesperson Rory Hearne said the measures are long overdue but he believes the new rules will fall significantly short of the ultimate ambition of returning tens of thousands of homes to the long-term rental market.

He raised concerns that the new register, and the planning permission requirements around it, won’t clamp down on Airbnb and short-term lets the way it needs to.

Mini-poll: Do you agree with the new short-term let rules? 

 
With reporting by Christina Finn