John-Mark McCafferty: We must end absurdity of families in hotels and tourists in houses

It is within Government’s gift to return much-needed homes to long-term use by passing the Short-Term Lettings and Tourism Bill 2026 without delay, writes Threshold CEO John-Mark McCafferty

The practice of removing entire homes from residential use to be let to tourists undermines much-needed housing supply.

At a time when thousands of people are without a home, it is indefensible that thousands of residential properties are being used in their entirety for short-term tourist accommodation, potentially depriving families and communities of much-needed homes.

This week sees the Short-Term Letting and Tourism Bill return to the Oireachtas. This is an important opportunity to strengthen the regulation of short-term lettings and make potentially thousands of homes available for long-term residential use. 

While there are outstanding issues to be addressed, the legislation should progress as a priority.

At Threshold, we want to see the bill progress without unnecessary delay, with issues around data sharing and proving planning compliance addressed to ensure the legislation is clear, consistent and effective in practice.

The issue 

The practice of removing entire homes from residential use to be let to tourists undermines much-needed housing supply. The rise of this practice has negatively impacted on housing supply, and therefore the lives of people around the country.

We want to see local communities strengthened, and people able to move out of their parental home, accessing housing and getting on with their lives. 

We do not want to see communities hollowed out while critical long-term housing supply is used as short stays for tourists and then left empty, going to waste, outside the peak tourist seasons. 

As reported by the Irish Examiner, “at least three quarters of properties advertised for short-term lets are either empty or underoccupied at any given time”. 

Looking across the country at the data we have, it is apparent the toll that short-term lets (STLs) have taken on housing supply. 

Data analysed from Inside Airbnb* shows that in Cork alone there are over 700 full properties on the popular short stay website. This is excluding hosts with only one listing, which could be their own principal residence, and properties not suitable for long-term use, such as granny flats or yurts. 

This compares to recent figures by Daft.ie for October 2026, which show that there were less than 370 homes advertised to privately rent in the same area. That’s a 2:1 ratio of short-term lets to available long-term rentals.

Even returning half these homes to long-term use could have a significant positive impact locally, giving people and families in the community access to a home.

The solution 

That is why the Short-Term Lettings and Tourism Bill 2026 is so important. This bill establishes a register of STLs managed by Fáilte Ireland. 

A register will help with enforcement as it will:

• Help local councils identify and stop homes from being unlawfully used as short-term lets 
• Bring the short-term let sector in line with other forms of tourist accommodation, giving tourists greater transparency and consistency for operators and tourists

As of 31 December 2026, all STLs must be included on this register. This will give them a unique registration number which operators must display when advertising. 

Local councils will be able to work with Fáilte Ireland to compare the homes listed as STLs and the homes which are planning compliant.

This will bring greater transparency to the sector and help local councils ensure that homes intended for residential use are appropriately protected.

The bill is not perfect. The burden of proving planning compliance should rest with operators, rather than with the already stretched local councils. 

Additionally, there needs to be data sharing between not just Fáilte Ireland and local councils but also the Residential Tenancies Board and Revenue for effective enforcement.

Act now 

Government has set a deadline for all STLs to be registered by 31 December 2026. However, the effectiveness of this measure will depend on the quality of the legislation and robust enforcement mechanisms being put in place to support compliance and ensure the register operates as intended.

The human cost of delay is significant. Families are spending months, and in some cases years, living in hotels and emergency accommodation while tourists reside in homes. This is an absurd situation and failing to fix it is irresponsible. 

Housing policy should be driven by the needs of people and communities, not by pressure from the vested interests seeking to delay reform. 

Life stages that we took for granted — for example leaving the childhood home and forging a life in your own house, whether owned or rented — are increasingly out of reach due to lack of housing, and this is partly caused by the rise of STLs.

John-Mark McCafferty: 'Housing policy should be driven by the needs of people and communities, not by pressure from the vested interests seeking to delay reform.'

Again, it is within Government’s gift to return these much-needed homes to long-term use. It should seize that opportunity and pass the Short-Term Lettings and Tourism Bill 2026 without delay.

*Data scraped on Inside AirBnB in June 2026. Inside Airbnb is a platform which collects and collates figures from around the world from the popular lettings and homestays website

• John-Mark McCafferty is CEO of Threshold.