Airbnb and hosts face penalties if they fail to register short-term lets

Government estimates the move could return 12,000 homes to long-term rental market

Housing Minister Darragh O’Brien; Tourism Minister Catherine Martin; and Fáilte Ireland chief executive Paul Kelly at the announcement of legislation to establish a short-term tourist letting register. Picture: Leah Farrell / RollingNews.ie

Online platforms such as Airbnb will be fined up to €5,000 if they advertise lettings which have not been registered with Fáilte Ireland under the new rules agreed by Cabinet on Wednesday.

Tourism Minister Catherine Martin announced the drafting of a bill which would mean all short-term letting advertisements must be registered with the tourism body.

The bill will update penalties for the enforcement of the register and will allow Fáilte Ireland to levy €300 fixed payment notice on property owners who advertise their property without a valid registration number, with inspectors also having the option to bring the case to the district court, where the maximum fine is €5,000.

Platforms such as Airbnb, booking.com and others who advertise short-term lettings must also ensure the advertisements are registered or they too could face a fine of €5,000 per listing.

The Government estimates the move could return 12,000 homes to the long-term rental market, though Fáilte Ireland's chief executive Paul Kelly said this was based on international experience in Amsterdam. 

He said the Dutch city had implemented similar controls on short-term letting and had seen the overall number of ads drastically decline. 

However, he caveated this by saying the regulations had been brought into effect during Covid lockdowns, so there may be no way of knowing how many homes could return to the housing market.

Mr Kelly said the move would, at minimum, allow for a comprehensive register of all available accommodation stock in Ireland. He added that the body has brought on 10 new staff to enforce the registrations.

Speaking at Government Buildings on Wednesday, Ms Martin said  the measures announced are "an important step in addressing the availability of private residential accommodation".

"These new regulatory controls will ensure balanced and sustainable tourism development. Addressing the housing challenges will also address the staffing issues facing many tourism businesses as it will provide housing options to tourism and hospitality workers in these areas."

Ms Martin said she hoped to enact the legislation in the first three months of next year, with the register itself up and running by June.

Homeowners who are applying for change of use permissions for Airbnb listings will be given a six-month grace period in which to do so.

A Government statement said the move would help address staffing challenges and would also create "a level playing field for all accommodation providers by ensuring transparency and visibility across the sector".