The Irish Self Catering Federation has reported almost unanimous agreement emerged among TDs that self catering operators face an impossible situation due to the forthcoming Short Term Tourism Lettings Bill.
The announcement came following a meeting of the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Enterprise Employment and Tourism.
The bill which has faced controversy since its announcement aims to address the housing crisis but threatens the viability of many tourism accommodation businesses.
The legislation requires registration for all short term rentals under an EU directive effective from 20 May 2026 yet couples this with strict planning compliance that many existing properties cannot meet in time. No planning guidelines have been published leaving operators with only 86 days to comply or close. The ISCF has long supported a register but opposed linking it to retrospective planning requirements that ignore the sector contribution to rural tourism.
Stakeholders including representatives from Historic Houses of Ireland and booking.com highlighted the devastating impact on heritage properties and the lack of accurate data on the sector. The ISCF survey showed that 90pc of operators would not return properties to long term rentals if forced out of short term lettings. Committee members expressed disbelief at the timeline and called for exemptions to protect rural economies where tourism generates significant revenue.
The ISCF proposed targeted exemptions such as for properties in small towns operators in business over seven years those with quality certifications and farm diversification schemes. These measures would allow registration while data is collected over a two year period before further legislation. The committee acknowledged the sector importance to the economy valued at sixbn EUR annually in tourism.
Maire Ni Mhurchu shared “We are not Airbnb who own no property. We are the owners of property we rent directly or through local agents.”
Thomas Emmett shared “Many of the historic houses throughout Ireland depend on the revenue from short term rentals in order simply to maintain these important monuments. Without this revenue it is likely many will fall into dereliction.”
Fiona MacConnacher shared “We believe that it should be possible for property owners to register without planning for now. This will allow a period of time two years to collect accurate data on the number and composition of self catering properties. The government will then have accurate data on which base further legislation.”
Derek Keogh shared in a written statement that exemptions from planning requirements would be necessary for property owners to register and stay in business after 20 May.
Senator Linda Nelson Murray shared “You have 86 days to become planning compliant but you still do not know what is happening.”
James O Connor shared “Planning is not fit for purpose.”
Brian Brennan shared “Rural tourism should not suffer because of the housing crisis.”
Senator Aubrey McCarthy shared “You guys are going to be the fall guys here. We just have not built enough houses.”
Michael Collins shared “This will wipe out rural tourism.”
Senator Noel O Donovan shared that tourism is worth €bn a year to the economy.
Maire Ni Mhurchu shared “We need to uncouple the register from any planning requirement for property owners to get on the register by 20 May.”
