As set out in the Government's new Policy Statement A New Era for Irish Tourism, which I published in December, 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 in the State 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.
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.
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, including the off-shore islands, 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.
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/
