TWO weeks to go: Government faces renewed calls to delay short-term lets register

Ireland is the only EU Member State to tie the register directly to planning permission.
Existing businesses have faced retrospective planning demands introduced in 2019.
Exemptions have covered towns with populations of 20,000 or fewer.
Properties operating for seven years or more may qualify under grandfather provisions.
The register has aligned with EU Regulation (EU) 2024/1028.
Regulation (EU) 2024/1028 has required registration systems by 20 May 2026.
Hosts must receive a unique registration number and display it on listings.
Platforms have to share monthly activity data with national authorities.
The framework has applied to an estimated 4m short-term rental properties.
Member States have retained responsibility for local enforcement and penalties.

Just two weeks to go and clear as mud. The EU harmonised framework for short-term rental registration requires all Member States to establish national systems by 20 May 2026. Yet it is entirely unclear what shape this will take, and not just in Ireland.

Ireland has linked its Short-Term Lettings Register directly to planning permission in a manner that has set it apart from other EU Member States. The Department of Housing has handled planning aspects while the Department of Enterprise has managed the tourism register. Retrospective planning requirements have applied to many existing self-catering businesses that commenced operations before 2019.

The Taoiseach, Micheál Martin, has indicated that self-catering may continue in towns with populations under 20,000. Properties that have operated for seven years or more may qualify for a grandfather provision. Local authority planners have not received new operational guidance in advance of the legislation.

The Irish Self-Catering Federation has called for clear exemptions for established operators and heritage houses. Uncertainty has persisted across the sector with no consistent framework for compliance evidence. The ISCF met with the Department of Housing on 30 June 2025 and gave evidence to the Oireachtas Committee on 18 February 2026.

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Regulation (EU) 2024/1028 has imposed standardised online registration procedures and data-sharing obligations on platforms. Hosts must obtain a unique registration number and display it on all listings while platforms transmit monthly activity data to national single digital entry points.

Several countries, including Poland, Luxembourg, Bulgaria, Croatia and Romania, have progressed with implementation of similar systems. Germany and Spain have operated registration schemes at varying stages while France has utilised its Declaloc portal. The regulation has standardised procedures without setting EU-wide caps on short-term rentals or determining where such rentals remain legal.

Ireland has prepared a national register administered by Fáilte Ireland in line with the EU rules. The Short Term Letting and Tourism Bill has not completed all stages in the Oireachtas. Operational details such as the structure of registration numbers and associated costs have remained under discussion.