New Registration Requirements set to be approved for Short-term Rental Properties.

In a bid to tackle the current rental market crisis, new legislation is set to be brought before government today as part of the Government's Housing for All Strategy, introducing a new registration system for short-term rental properties. It will require properties being let on a short-term basis to have a valid registration number with Fáilte Ireland.

The new registration system will come in addition to new rules introduced in 2019, requiring properties on short-term rental platforms, such as Airbnb, either to apply for planning permission or to apply for an exemption from their local authorities. The new registration requirement is set to address concerns regarding the enforcement of these planning requirements.

The requirement to register with Fáilte Ireland will apply to properties which are rented for periods of up to and including 21 days, including those advertised on online platforms such as Airbnb. Property owners will have to register via an online portal, input their details and confirm they have planning permission, where applicable. A register will be kept on property owners with 'approved' short-term rental properties. In the event of non-compliance, the proposed legislation allows for penalties from Fáilte Ireland for both property owners and online rental platforms. These include a €300 fixed payment notice on property owners advertising their properties without a valid registration number and levy fines placed on online platforms of up to €5000 per invalid listing.

The legislation will mean that online rental platforms will no longer be able to advertise properties that do not possess the correct planning permission. As a result, it is hoped that the requirements could increase the number of homes available for long-term rental by around 12,000 properties.

Written by: Breen Purcell and Hannah Coman