Michael Cahill
Question:278. Deputy Michael Cahill asked the Minister for Enterprise, Tourism and Employment the most up-to-date position on short-term lets (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [33759/26]
View answerThursday, 7 May 2026
Questions (278, 281)
Michael Cahill
Question:281. Deputy Michael Cahill asked the Minister for Enterprise, Tourism and Employment when he will introduce the Short Term Lets and Tourism Bill 2025; if the National Short Term Lets Register will be in place on 20 May 2026; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [33931/26]
View answerWritten answers
I propose to take Questions Nos. 278 and 281 together.
In April of last year, I obtained Government approval for the General Scheme of the Short-Term Letting and Tourism (STLT) Bill. Once enacted, this Bill will provide a statutory framework for regulating the short-term letting (STL) sector, including the establishment of a national register.
The new Housing policy, proposed by the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage, James Browne T.D., and also approved by Government on 15 April 2025, proposes to generally preclude new planning permissions for STL in cities and larger towns. Further to this, on 9 February last, the Cabinet Committee on Housing proposed to apply this to towns and cities with populations over 20,000 persons at the latest census.
This agreement provided that, following the introduction of the STL register:
• Accommodation providers based in towns with a population of 20,000 or less at the last census based on the census town boundaries defined by CSO will have two years to meet planning compliance requirements.
• Accommodation providers based in towns with a population of more than 20,000 at the last census will need to confirm planning compliance on registration with no further lead-in period if they wish to register with Failte Ireland.
• Existing rights will be recognised, allowing properties used for short-term letting for at least seven years without enforcement action to be eligible for registration.
• It will still be possible to sub-let an entire principal private residence on a short-term basis for a cumulative period of 90 days. Where the 90-day threshold is exceeded, planning permission for a change of use is required.
These policies are part of a broader Government strategy to tackle the housing shortage by ensuring that as many suitable properties as possible are available for long-term rental.
The Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage is drafting a National Planning Statement under the Planning and Development Act 2024. This will provide a clear overall policy approach both at national and local authority level to enable planning authorities to determine planning applications for short-term lets across the country.
Failte 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.
The national STL register will be implemented and managed by Failte Ireland and will commence following the enactment of the necessary legislation.
Tourism is 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 STL availability. The approach agreed on 9 February will balance housing supply needs with the need to protect rural and regional tourism and jobs.