- The register is scheduled to become operational on 20 May 2026.
- Owners must meet planning demands before they can register their properties.
- The Irish Self-Catering Federation has requested a delay until September 2026 or later.
- Financial penalties of up to 2pc of turnover apply for non-compliance.
- Exceptions cover towns with populations of 20,000 or fewer.
The Irish Self-Catering Federation has urged the Government to delay the introduction of the Short Term Lettings register. Concerns centre on planning demands that the new measure has placed on owners who rent properties for up to 21 nights. The register forms part of EU regulation and requires owners to display a registration number on all listings.
The federation, which represents owners of 5,000 holiday homes across Ireland, expressed support for the register in principle. Many operators have run businesses for 15, 20 or 30 years and the planning requirement, which came in during 2019, now applies retrospectively. The Short Term Letting and Tourism Bill, introduced by Minister for Enterprise Peter Burke, has not yet completed all stages in the Oireachtas.
Exceptions apply to towns with populations of 20,000 or fewer and to short-term rentals that have operated for at least seven years. The measure aims to address the housing crisis where short-term rentals have outnumbered long-term homes by four to one. Possible penalties reach up to 2pc of turnover for non-compliance.
Máire Ní Mhurchú shared “Many of us have been in business for 15, 20, 30 years, and this requirement for planning only came in 2019 and is now retrospectively requiring all of us to get planning before we register.” Máire Ní Mhurchú shared “The Government is going in the right direction but it is not enough, particularly in the year where the Gulf crisis is causing cancellations.” Máire Ní Mhurchú shared “It’s going to be a very wobbly year, and people are not going to be earning that much money from their self-catering businesses.”
