THE GOVERNMENT IS unlikely to introduce a long-promised register of short-term letting properties until summer 2026.

The Department of Enterprise told The Journal that the move would allow the government to “align” the Irish law with a related EU regulation on short-term rental (STR) lettings and give the sector time to prepare.

The register is aimed at enforcing 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.

The government has suggested the register could take 12,000 properties out of the tourism market and back into use as homes for long-term rental. Fáilte Ireland, the tourism agency, said in 2023 that there were 30,000 short-term letting properties advertised online.

Only 401 applications for change of use planning for short-term lets had been made to local authorities by the end of last year, of which 188 had been granted.

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. 

The Department of Enterprise, which has gained responsibility for tourism in the new government, said: “It is considered that aligning the introduction of an Irish short-term letting register with the 20 May 2026 date of effectiveness for the EU STR Regulation provides good preparation time for the market.”

EU rules

The EU STR Regulation sets out EU-wide rules on the collection and exchange of data on short-term rental services and online platforms for offering such services. 

The Department said enforcement of such rules in advance of the EU STR Regulation entering force in May 2026 would breach the EU e-Commerce Directive, by restricting the freedom of short-term rental platforms to provide their services from another member state, as not all online short-term rental platforms are based here.

The European Commission raised this risk of incompatibility with the e-Commerce Directive, in relation to companies established in other member states, in correspondence with the government last year. 

The Department said Ireland could nevertheless introduce registration of short term lettings before May 2026 under the provisions of the EU Digital Services Act 2024.

Enforcement of planning rules

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.

Fáilte Ireland has indicated it is ready to launch the register once legislation is in place. Some tourism organisations have warned that the register could be detrimental to the rural tourism industry. Many popular destinations for tourists such as Killarney, Kilkenny, Westport and Kenmare fall within rent pressure zones.

Under planning rules introduced in 2019, change of use planning permission is needed for short-term lets in rent pressure zones if a property is not ordinarily lived in by the owner (i.e. second properties such as holiday homes), or 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.

Since first announcing the short-term letting register in 2021, the government has repeatedly indicated implementation was imminent. 

The register was supposed to come in by September 2022, but wasn’t approved by Cabinet until December 2022. The Department of Housing promised in November 2023 that work on the legislation would progress, after a related EU law was agreed by member states and MEPs, and then the government indicated it aimed to have the register up and running by summer 2024.

The Department of Enterprise said the Irish draft law has been revised to give effect to the provisions of the EU STR Regulation and a revised and retitled Short-Term Letting and Tourism Bill general scheme will be brought to government for approval.