Regulation in Ireland update

In April, the Minister for Housing Eoghan Murphy appeared in front of the Select Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government in the Oireachtas. As part of the larger Residential Tenancies Bill, short-term letting amendments were brought before the Committee.

These amendments will allow the Minster to make regulations for short-term letting; the specific regulations are due to go before the Oireachtas shortly. Below is an overview of what we know so far but please be aware that what was discussed is still subject to change as the regulations are discussed by policymakers:

• The new date, as stated by the Minister, for short-term letting regulations to be introduced is July 1st 2019.
• The proposed regulations are now limited to Rent Pressure Zones only, as defined by the Residential Tenancies Board.
• If you share your spare room or rooms in your own home, you can do so all year round.
• If you share your own entire home whilst you are away, you can do so for up to 90 nights of the year.
• If you have a second home located in a Rent Pressure Zone, which you rent on a short-term basis on Airbnb – you will be required to get planning permission from your local authority. The Minister has indicated he will issue guidance to local authorities in the coming weeks. The Minister also indicated that planning permission will likely be turned down for properties in Rent Pressure Zones.
• Licensed accommodation such as serviced apartments, guest houses, holiday homes, B&Bs and hotels will not be subject to additional regulation proposed by the Department of Housing.
• In general, short-term letting will relate to letting for periods of 14 days or less. Residential letting periods for longer than 14 days shall not be considered to be ‘short-term letting’.
• We await clarification on local authority registration requirements and on any process and procedures. We will notify you when we have more information.

The announcement by the Minister goes some way in providing clarity at this late stage. As the draft regulations make their way through Government, we will continue to keep engaging with representatives to achieve fair and proportionate regulations for the host community.

Hosts on Airbnb are a key part of Ireland’s tourism industry by driving innovation in travel, and we want to ensure tourists continue to have choice which ultimately helps to maintain Ireland’s position as a top travel destination.

We’ll continue to update you with any  new developments.