Around 10,000 short-term lets suitable for long-term housing, Cabinet told

It comes after the meeting of the Cabinet committee on housing on Monday evening decided to prioritise, among other factors, progressing legislation to regulate short-term lets from sites such as Airbnb. File picture

Almost a third of the 32,000 properties advertised for short-term lets like on Airbnb in Ireland could be suitable for long-term housing, as new EU laws governing the sector are set to take effect next year.

According to a briefing document for Minister for Enterprise Peter Burke, “potentially” 10,000 of these short-term letting units could be “of a type and location that could be suitable for long-term housing”.

It comes after the meeting of the Cabinet committee on housing on Monday evening decided to prioritise, among other factors, progressing legislation to regulate short-term lets from sites such as Airbnb.

However, laws to regulate the sector have already been long-mooted but not made into law by Government.

The briefing for Mr Burke pointed out that the EU Short Term Rental Regulation will apply from May 20, 2026, enabling member states to implement and enforce “appropriate and proportionate laws to ensure there is a balance between the short- and long-term accommodation sectors”.

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Under the last Government a bill to introduce controls for the sector, including the establishment of a register of all such properties, was proposed but was delayed and revised, and never made it to the floor of the Dáil.

It now needs approval from the new Government to proceed with full drafting of the bill, according to the briefing for the minister.

“The bill also has potential to enhance the wider data-gathering capacity of Government in relation to the full suite of tourism accommodation on offer in the State and this will be of particular assistance in planning, introducing and collecting an accommodation levy,” it said.

It added the data that must be provided by short-term online platforms under the EU laws includes the specific address, the number of nights it is rented, the number of guests per night and the country of residence of each guest.

Short-term lets in Co Cork

Separately, Cork County saw the vast majority of planning permission applications for changing the use of a home for short-term lets last year, according to new figures.

If a property is not a person’s principal residence, change-of-use permission is required.

In 2024, 167 such applications were lodged with local authorities across the country. Of these 122 were in Cork County, reflecting its popularity for Airbnb-style accommodation.

In all, Cork County Council granted permission on 87 applications and refused permission in another nine cases.

No other county reached double figures in terms of applications, except Wicklow with 15 such planning bids. However, given tens of thousands of properties are listed on such platforms, the legislation requiring planning permission has been criticised as failing to relieve pressure in the private rental market.

Last month, the Irish Examiner reported one case in Cork which saw An Bord Pleanála refuse permission for the use of a property close to the waterfront in Kinsale for short-term lettings, saying it would contribute to the existing shortage of long-term rental accommodation in the town.