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Airbnb criticised for its 'adverse effect' on the rental market in Dublin

There are more than 5,300 places available to rent on Airbnb in Dublin city alone.

THERE ARE MORE than 5,300 places available to rent on Airbnb in Dublin city alone, with over 6,700 available when Dublin county is also included.

The Oireachtas Committee on Housing met today to discuss the impacts that short-term rentals are having on the rental market in Ireland.

There has been criticism of the Airbnb service, which allows people to rent rooms or entire homes for short periods of time, and which is seen as further reducing the supply of rental properties for people living in Dublin.

In figures presented by Dr Daithí Downey of Dublin City Council (DCC), it was shown that almost half (48%) of the Airbnb rentals within the Dublin city limits are available to be booked for more than 90 days of the year.

These 2,581 listings are identified as ‘high availability’. Of these, 1,375 are listed as entire homes or apartments.

The average number of days per year that a “highly available” listing is booked for is 132 days, with entire homes being taken for 236 days. While nobody on the committee could say that these were homes which would otherwise be rented on the private market, DCC’s Richard Shakespeare said the website was having an “adverse effect” on supply.

The figures, which came from the website Inside Airbnb, also showed that the top 10 hosts on Airbnb have at least 14 listings on the site, with DCC saying this are “likely” full-time Airbnb properties. The top two have 28 apiece.

DCC says that it will now commission a study to report in October to make recommendations on the issue.

Sinn Féin’s Eoin O’Broin, a member of the committee, said that the government is “dragging its heels” on the issue of regulation for short-term lettings.

“Seven months ago, An Bord Pleanála upheld a ruling that a property owner in Temple Bar required planning permission to continue renting the property out for short-term lets. The former Minister for Housing Simon Coveney supported this ruling and, before Christmas, stated that plans were being made to clamp down on this type of activity.

Despite the ongoing rental crisis, we have learned that the government working group established to look at this issue has only met once, and that was last week. We know the Department met with Airbnb in January this year and it appears nothing has been achieved since.

It was confirmed in the meeting that nobody had been prosecuted under the same laws used to make the ruling against the Temple Bar property owner.

Read: Working group to review if AirBnb should face regulations

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    Mute Valentine Kane
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    Dec 8th 2021, 7:00 AM

    How is this news? Of course it’s the key, scientists and proper journalists I am sure have better things to do than publish this drivel.

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    Mute WiseUp
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    Dec 8th 2021, 7:08 AM

    @Valentine Kane: Your kids are lucky to have such a close connected and positive person in their lives.

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    Mute john smith iv
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    Dec 8th 2021, 7:39 AM

    @WiseUp: why the ad hominem? He’s right that the report just tells us what we already knew.

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    Mute WiseUp
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    Dec 8th 2021, 7:50 AM

    @john smith iv: I think the miserable, negative commentary first thing in the morning is a bit much……just my opinion. No need to comment if he doesn’t have any interest in the report.

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    Mute Marie Agnew
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    Dec 8th 2021, 8:07 AM

    @Valentine Kane: a miserable negative moany parent usually results in a miserable negative moany child! It’s time people knew that, some quite obviously don’t

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    Mute Brendan Gordon
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    Dec 8th 2021, 8:51 AM

    @Marie Agnew: Sounds like the excuse of a miserable negative moany teacher to me. I know a lot more people whose school life did a lot more harm than anything at home

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    Mute Seeking Truth
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    Dec 8th 2021, 9:27 AM

    As parents, staying connected and available to your children as they get older is a fine balance of letting them know they are loved, and loving them enough to give them independence and opportunities to grow and develop so they can live a healthy, free and productive life. If we shelter them from all problems and carry their school bag to the gate at age 17, that is unhelpful. If we throw them to the wolves at age 10 and say “good luck let me know if you need anything”, that is neglect. Finding a healthy balance takes a lot of hard work for many years, but the results are worth it and society will thank us for helping produce functioning and healthy adults.

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    Mute Marie Broomfield
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    Dec 8th 2021, 9:45 AM

    “curriculum for wellbeing at senior cycle level” ? What does that look like? I had a 5th class teacher(a lovely nun, all girls school)who disrupted class one day to get us to say together “I am beautiful. I am beautiful…” over a few times. I don’t if the chanting improved our self image but it gave us a laugh anyway! laugher is the best medicine!

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