Housing charity Threshold has joined the calls for government action against short term holiday home rentals, saying legislation will redirect these properties back to long-term use.
It says 20,000 homes are currently listed as short-term lets in Ireland, while fewer than 2,300 properties are available in the long-term rental market.
Data shows that Dublin has the highest number of hosts with multiple properties available for short-term rentals, with Galway experiencing acute housing issues as well.
Threshold’s CEO John-Mark McCafferty has accused the Government of delaying action despite the ongoing housing crisis, stating many homes could be returned to the long-term market.
The expected introduction of a short-term let register may not occur until summer 2026, while Airbnb contends that the majority of its hosts only rent out a single property for limited periods.
Máire Ní Mhurchú of the Irish self catering federation called on members to ‘register now’call as fears grow for the future of the holiday home sector.
Mr McCafferty shared: “the Government is kicking this issue down the road, despite claiming housing is the number one issue in Ireland. The bottom line here is that there could be many homes brought back to the long-term market,” he said. “This is resulting in thousands of homes being advertised for short-term lets in this lucrative market, while the housing and rental crisis escalates nationwide.”
AirBnB shared: “this data is not reflective of what we see on the platform. A typical host in Ireland shares one home for less than four nights a month and nearly nine in 10 entire home hosts share only one listing.
“The majority of listings are outside Dublin and part of the rural tourism economy, and almost half of hosts say the extra income helps them afford to stay in their home. While Airbnb is not the cause of long-standing housing challenges, we will continue to work with the Government as it looks to bring in new regulation.
“We have long called for Ireland to introduce proportional short-term let rules, including a host register, that protect the families, communities, and businesses that depend on tourism.”
