Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 20 January 2026
445. Deputy Eamon Scanlon asked the Minister for Enterprise, Tourism and Employment to address concerns regarding the proposed short-term rental regulations; when clarity will issue on the requirement for hosts to register with Bord Fáilte; what this registration will involve; whether an annual fee will apply; if so, the amount; whether properties will be subject to inspection; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [3884/26]
View answer447. Deputy Eamon Scanlon asked the Minister for Enterprise, Tourism and Employment the assessment undertaken by his Department of the potential negative impact of the proposed short-term letting regulations on rural tourism, local employment, and overall tourism capacity, given that short-term lets represent a significant proportion of available tourist beds; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4402/26]
View answer465. Deputy Eamon Scanlon asked the Minister for Enterprise, Tourism and Employment to address concerns regarding the proposed short-term rental regulations, specifically when clarity will issue on the requirement for hosts to register with Bord Fáilte; the details of what this registration will involve; whether an annual fee will apply; the amount; whether properties will be subject to inspection; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [3882/26]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 445, 447 and 465 together.
As set out in the Government's new Policy Statement A New Era for Irish Tourism, which I published last month, the introduction of regulatory controls for the Short Term Letting Sector is to ensure that the tourism sector develops in a way that recognises and is complementary to the wider needs of local communities, both economically and socially.
In April last year, I secured Government approval for the General Scheme of the Short Term Letting and Tourism (STLT) Bill. When enacted, the Bill will provide the statutory basis for the introduction of regulatory controls including a national register for the Short Term Letting (STL) sector. Fáilte Ireland will implement and manage this register from 20 May 2026, ensuring compliance with the EU Short Term Rental Regulation, adopted on 11 April 2024.
I am pleased that the tourism sector has broadly welcomed the introduction of a STL register.
The new Housing policy, proposed by the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage, James Browne T.D., and approved by Government on 15 April will generally preclude new planning permissions for STLs in large towns and cities. The Department of Housing is working to give effect to this decision and Minister Browne will progress any required legislative changes. Planning guidance on short term letting will be issued through a National Planning Statement which will be published before the STLT Bill is enacted to provide clarity for the tourism sector. I continue to engage with Minister Browne in this regard as I am acutely aware that providers need certainty in this regard.
As we await the publication of the National Planning Statement for short term letting by Minister Browne, I and my Department continue to consider the full implications for the tourism sector.
From 20 May 2026, all STL hosts offering accommodation for periods up to and including 21 nights will be obliged to register with Fáilte Ireland via a digital system and confirm their compliance with planning requirements. Registration will take 5 minutes and will generate a unique registration number for each STL unit registered. This number must be displayed when listing the STL unit on any online platforms.
According to the Short Term Rental Regulation a nominal registration fee may apply and the matter of appropriate fees for this sector is currently under consideration.
When registering, STL hosts will need to submit their name, address and PPSN for identification purposes, the precise address of their STL unit and state whether it is part or whole of their primary or secondary residence, provide details on the maximum guest and bed place capacity in the unit and provide confirmation of compliance with building, fire and planning requirements by self-declaration. STL units will not be subject to inspection by Fáilte Ireland, as no accommodation standard or classification scheme will apply to these units.
There will be a legal requirement for STL hosts to clearly display, once issued, the STL registration number on any online platform where their STL unit is listed e.g., Airbnb, Booking.com or Expedia.
Following registration, Fáilte Ireland will verify the details provided by the STL host and will have the power to suspend registration numbers where incorrect or false information has been provided.
Fáilte Ireland estimates that, approximately 34,020 STL properties were advertised online in the State in October 2025, based on screen-scraped data from four major booking platforms. Up to 64% were listed as “entire” houses or apartments. This represents a 26% increase from an estimated 26,960 units in October 2022. In Sligo around 660 STL units were listed in October 2025, with 420 STL units listed in Leitrim for the same month. 70% of the units in both counties were advertised as entire properties, for Sligo this represents a 13.8% increase from an estimated 580 units in October 2022 and in Leitrim a 13.5% increase from an estimated 370 properties in October 2022.
The short-term letting (STL) sector can be flexible and transient, and often STL accommodation is not available on a consistent, year-round basis in the same way as hotel accommodation. While STLs appear to account for a significant proportion of total bedspace capacity, recent analysis of Fáilte Ireland and Eurostat data shows that actual occupancy varies significantly, ranging between 3% and 36%, reflecting fluctuating availability and usage patterns. Data from both the Central Statistics Office (CSO) and Eurostat indicate that in 2024 approximately 9% of visitors to Ireland were accommodated in STL accommodation.
With regard to overall tourism accommodation capacity, data from Fáilte Ireland for Q1 2025 indicated that the total number of bed spaces in Fáilte Ireland non-STL Registered Properties is 227,400. Fáilte Ireland's analysis of the accommodation development pipeline indicates that there are an additional 12,750 tourist bed spaces under construction with 9,250 of these bed spaces to be completed during 2026. Planning permission has also been granted for a further 37,550 bed spaces nationally.
Overall, I am satisfied that Ireland has adequate tourist accommodation capacity to meet current demand, notwithstanding occasional high-demand compression weekends, typically driven by major music or sporting events.
Tourism remains a vital part of the Irish economy, supporting 227,000 jobs and generating €6 billion in 2024. I fully recognise concerns about the impact on rural tourism and local economies of reducing short-term let (STL) availability. However, addressing Ireland’s housing needs is a priority, and Government must use every lever available, including returning some short-term letting (STL) properties to the long-term rental market.
My Department and the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage have and continue to engage with all stakeholders through roundtable meetings, online webinars and stakeholder engagement meetings, the most recent on 29 April and 30 June respectively. These meetings are held to ensure all stakeholders are aware of the new STL registration requirements in advance of their introduction from 20 May this year and to provide information on the National Planning Statement for Short-term letting.
To ensure all accommodation providers and intermediaries who advertise accommodation (platforms) are aware of the registration and reporting obligations from next May, my Department launched a communications campaign on 28 October. Phase two of this campaign will launch in the coming weeks.
My Department has also developed a webpage where information is easily accessible for the sector and this is available at enterprise.gov.ie/en/what-we-do/the-business-environment/tourism/short-term-letting/.
