So far this year, Dublin City Council has issued around 300 official warning letters to property owners suspected of illegally renting out their homes as short-term lets to tourists and visitors in the capital, reports RTE.
This enforcement action marks the first step taken by planning authorities to address the issue of properties being listed on sites like Airbnb and booking.com without proper authorization.
A Council spokesperson stated today: “To-date since the initiation of the Short Term Letting legislation in July 2019, a successful resolution has been achieved in respect of 1,996 cases, these cases have been resolved and closed following the commencement of and compliance with enforcement requirements,” reports RTE.
Those property owners attempting to legalise their short-term rental activities through planning retention applications are likely to face difficulties in securing further permission.
This challenge stems from the Dublin City Development Plan’s general stance against allowing short-term tourist rentals, citing concerns over reduced housing availability in the city, reports RTE.
When asked about the Council’s issuance of the 300 letters so far this year, a spokeswoman for Fáilte Ireland responded:
“Short-term letting (STL) accommodation is an important part of the overall tourist accommodation mix, helping to ensure we have offerings that cater to the different needs of visitors.
“However, for communities to thrive, there must be a balanced mix of long-term private rental and short-term letting accommodation for tourists,” the spokeswoman added, reports RTE.
Fáilte Ireland has been assigned the role of creating and managing a legal register for short-term rental properties across the country.
Hosts offering STL accommodation for 21 nights or less will be required to register with Fáilte Ireland, confirm they meet planning regulations, and obtain a valid registration number that must be shown on their STL listings, reports RTE.
The information gathered by Fáilte Ireland from STL listings “will be shared with local authorities to support their role in enforcement of planning requirements for short-term lets.”
According to the spokeswoman, the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage will outline planning rules for short-term rentals in a National Planning Statement “and will progress any necessary legislative changes to implement the new planning requirements”, reports RTE.
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