Rental availability hampered by post-pandemic return of properties to Airbnb

From September 1, online platforms will not be able to advertise short-term lets in in rent pressure zones that do not have the requisite planning permission. File picture: Lionel Bonaventure/AFP/Getty

The return of properties to the short-term letting market, such as Airbnb, after the lifting of pandemic restrictions has “significantly diminished” the availability of private rental accommodation “once again”.

This, in turn, has helped to drive rents even higher on those properties still available in the rental market, according to the Department of Housing.