Stricter controls on short-term lettings must be enforced, says charity

Legislation that will make it an offence for property owners and short-term lettings websites such as Airbnb to advertise rentals that do not have the required planning permission must be enforced, national housing charity Threshold has said.

Minister for Housing Darragh O’Brien said the Cabinet has approved stronger regulatory controls on the short-term letting of non-principal private residences in rent-pressure zones (RPZs). If enacted, the changes will mean that from September 1st, online platforms will not be able to advertise properties in RPZs that do not have the required planning permission.

Threshold chief executive John Mark McCafferty said that while the proposals were welcome, they had to be “fully enforced and better regulated than they have been under 2019 legislation” aimed at addressing the issue.

“We welcome this legislation, but it must be enforced and behaviour needs to change in order for more short-let properties to return to the longer-term rental market,” he said.

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“The 2019 legislation on short-term lets hasn’t worked — very few hosts sought or received planning permission, yet short lets hugely outnumber the availability of long-term rentals for families and individuals. It is an important development that the rental platforms are now covered by the new legislation; they will not be able to advertise properties in RPZs which do not have the required planning permission.”

Mr McCafferty added that the charity still had concerns for areas outside of rent-pressure zones where short-term lets “might distort the local housing market in a significant way, as they are doing in some places right now. While this legislation is not a silver bullet for the supply of homes in the private rented sector, it will help in returning homes back to longer-term rental, which is critical right now.”

Amanda Cupples, northern Europe general manager at Airbnb, said it had “long backed” new rules for short-term rentals in Ireland.

“The Government has already committed to implementing a single national register this year and we encourage them to fast-track this solution rather than focusing on burdensome stop-gap measures,” she said.

“A single register will unlock the benefits of hosting for everyday families and allow local authorities to protect housing and tackle property speculators that damage communities.”

Fine of €5,000

Non-compliance with the provisions will be an offence for both the individual property owners concerned and the online platforms. It is understood the penalty for non-compliance will be a fine of €5,000 or six months in prison or both.

Fines of €1,500 per day would also apply if a property continues to be advertised after the initial conviction.

The proposed amendment is to the Planning and Development (Amendment) (No 2) Bill progressing through the Oireachtas, which is expected to be enacted before the summer recess.