Legislation on short-term lets to be brought to cabinet

LEGISLATION ON SHORT-TERM lets is to be brought to cabinet on Tuesday by Housing Minister James Browne.

The legislation will introduce a register of short-term lets, such as Airbnb’s, as part of new EU regulations that came into force in May.

Anyone offering paid accommodation for up to 21 nights will be required to register each unit they rent out with Fáilte Ireland, which could be an entire property or a room within a home.

Anyone applying to be on the register will have to declare the space complies with statutory obligations, including planning permission when required.

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There have been reports of disagreements at cabinet over the legislation, including to which areas it would apply and the effect it would have on tourism-dependent communities.

A Housing Agency Report estimated through Airbnb data that there are 28,903 short-term lets in Ireland, with the cities representing about 40% of the national total.

Dublin accounts for 9,186 short-term lets, or 32% of the total.

New planning permissions for short-term lets will not be needed in cities and towns with a population above 20,000 according to the most recent Census.

This includes Dublin, Cork, Limerick, Waterford and Galway, and 20 large towns.

For residential properties that have operated by a short-term let for at least seven years and no enforcement action has been taken, planning permission for retention can be sought.