Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 28 July 2026
951. Deputy Michael Cahill asked the Minister for Enterprise, Tourism and Employment to safeguard Ireland’s vibrant and essential tourism industry, particularly in regions such as County Kerry (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [57354/26]
Amharc ar fhreagraAs set out in the Government's new Policy Statement A New Era for Irish Tourism, published in December, the introduction of regulatory controls for the Short Term Letting (STL) 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 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 national STL register will operate in compliance with the EU Short-Term Rental Regulation (EU) 2024/1028, which came into effect on 20 May 2026.
This register, which has been broadly welcomed by the tourism sector, will be implemented and managed by Fáilte Ireland. The register will launch on 1 December 2026, with a legal obligation on all operators to register by 31 December 2026.
The use of properties for short-term letting is subject to planning regulations in Ireland.
The planning policy for STL activity has been set out by the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage, James Browne TD, in a National Planning Statement.
The National Planning Statement for short-term letting ensures a clear overall policy approach, both at national level and local authority level, to enable planning authorities to determine planning applications for short-term lets across the country and sets out balanced guidelines that support the retention and return of housing stock for use in the long-term market, while enabling accommodation unsuitable for long-term use to be developed for tourism purposes in support of economic development.
The new housing policy restricts the approval of new planning permissions for short-term lets in cities and larger towns with a population of over 20,000 at the last census. However, planning permission for short-term letting can be granted where this helps preserve heritage or traditional buildings that are not suitable for long-term housing.
STL 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), have two years to meet national planning compliance requirements.
STL 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 their short-term letting property with Fáilte Ireland.
There will be a presumption in favour of granting planning permission for short-term letting where a dwelling has been used continuously for this purpose for at least seven years, and no enforcement action was taken. This applies where the proposal would not create serious traffic, flooding, or pollution risks, or breach occupancy-related planning conditions.
A simplified administrative version of the application process for retention specifically for short-term lets, will be introduced.
The letting of a room or rooms in a person’s principal private residence is permissible on an unrestricted basis and is exempt from planning requirements.
It should be noted that homesharers are currently allowed to sub-let their entire principal private residence (house or apartment) on a short-term basis for a cumulative period of 90 days where they are temporarily absent from their home. Where the 90-day threshold is exceeded, planning permission for change of use is required.
Once the drafting process is completed, I will bring the Bill forward to Government for approval to publish. The Bill will then be progressed through the Oireachtas and enacted in advance of the establishment of the register.
Fáilte Ireland estimates that, based on screen-scraped data from four major booking platforms. approximately 34,020 STL properties were advertised online in the State in October 2025, a 26% increase since October 2022, with 64% listed as entire homes or apartments. At the same time in Kerry, advertisements for STL units rose by 10.4% from 3,540 to 3,910 with 70% listed as entire properties.
Tourism is a vital part of the Irish economy, supporting 228,700 jobs and generating €5.4 billion in 2025. I fully recognise the concerns regarding the potential impact on tourism economies of reducing short-term letting availability.
The Government’s approach positively strikes a balance between sustaining rental housing supply and supporting the vitality of rural and regional tourism and employment.
My Department has, and continues to have, ongoing engagement with all stakeholders, including STL operators and platforms, to ensure their concerns are considered carefully, and that any measures introduced deliver a fair and sustainable outcome for communities and the wider economy.
To ensure all accommodation providers and intermediaries who advertise accommodation (platforms) are aware of the registration and reporting obligations my Department initially launched a communications campaign on 28 October 2025.
My Department also developed a webpage where information is easily accessible for the sector and this is available at https://enterprise.gov.ie/en/what-we-do/the-business-environment/tourism/short-term-letting/This webpage is kept updated in relation to any new developments and a renewed communications campaign will be launched in advance of 1 December to ensure that STL providers are informed of how to register.
